Enormous Lessons & Adventure in Disney’s The BFG

There are few children growing up who haven’t dreamed of a magical adventure, one that takes them to a far away land, to come face to face with magic and most important to make a friend in the process. Roald Dahl’s The BFG has done that for decades and now through the Magic of Steven Speilberg and Melissa Mathison a new generation will get to experience this magic on the big screen.

The BFG , played by Academy Award winner Mark Rylance, while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle.

Sophie, an orphan living a lonely life and suffering from insomnia happens to meet The BFG while on one of his outings, during the witching hour.

When he sees her, he takes her away to Giant country and upon her arrival , Sophie, a  10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams.

Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome.  These Giants embody the worst in people, and in a way show a reflection of what danger and evil look like. Yet, Spielberg manages to convey them in a comical way that makes you almost laugh at how ridiculous their way of life is. Having Comedic geniuses like Clements & Hader you can’t help but laugh at some of the scenes in which these giants grace the screen with their awkwardness and Gibberish. However, they do become a danger to Sophie and the BFG and they soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist.  As well as show how not all are bad, which leads to one of the funniest scenes in the movie. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

 

Mixing together the captivating magic of Spielberg and Dahl’s Story telling magic forms an amazing adventure that is packed full of lessons in understanding, friendship and bravery.  Sophie, played by newcomer Ruby Barnhill manages to take your heart from the first moment you see her on screen and not let go. Her friendship with The BFG becomes something that touches your soul and a true lesson in overcoming whatever obstacles you’ve been handed. There’s something so special about her, something that took Steven Spielberg a while to find, but knew he had found it the moment he laid eyes on her. It’s no surprise she was meant to play this role.

Mark Rylance manages to capture The BFG the way I imagined him when I read it as a child. He manages to capture the spirit of The BFG, that tenderness, the sweetness, yet the sadness and loneliness in his voice.  I can’t imagine anyone playing him better than he did.

This movie will follow you after you leave the theater and will touch  your heart whether your 9 or 99. It is a movie to be seen by the whole family. Although the giants can be intimidating for smaller little ones, it it is definitely a cinematographic masterpiece that touches that will captivate you from start to finish.

It’s not the flashy story lines that kids now a days seek out,but Spielberg manages to shape this story into the perfect grandeur that existed in all our imaginations while we read this book. It’s like he took the magic we pictured and brought it to the screen.

As a child there are movies that touched my heart, sparked my sense of adventure, and invoked feelings I never dreamed I would have. Amazingly enough most of those movies were directed by one man, Steven Spielberg. As a parent you hope your kids experience many of those same emotions with films you loved as a child, The BFG does that. It bridges the magic of Steven Spielberg, Disney and Big Screen magic all in to one, ready to touch a new generation of fans and ready spark the magic which childhood dreams are made of.

Don’t forget to check out the movie when it hits theaters Today!  Check out the preview below and make sure and check out the movie this weekend!

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THE BFG hits theaters everywhere on July 1st!

Picture Credits Disney Media

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