Moving on from spies and the Cold War, Steven Spielberg is embarking on a more mystical journey filled with larger than life characters. Based on the children’s book written by Roald Dahl of the same name, the first teaser trailer for The BFG finds our young, precocious Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) getting into more trouble than her curiosity expected.
Back when I was a young lad, I couldn’t get enough of Roald Dahl’s literary works, particularly Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. However, I can’t recall ever reading The BFG. Jack and the Beanstalk and other variations of this story have never really fancied my interest. I think it’s because the use of giants in fiction have never really had any strong thematical impact on my life. I can’t really say at this point whether The BFG is going to be a good film based on this short tease, but the effects look far and away better than Jack the Giant Slayer.
If you’re curious, The Big Friendly Giant was adapted as a full-length animated feature in 1989, and you can watch the entire thing on YouTube.
Extended commentary:
- There’s cats, so that’s a plus.
- Pan was about a young kid from Britain whisked away on an adventure to a far off land, and that movie ended up being terrible.
- Sophie’s pretty dumb for establishing her three rules and then not following them. She deserves to be taken.
- The BFG definitely feels very Spielbergian.
- I didn’t even have to see the credits to guess the score was composed by John Williams. It has that Disney sensibility and also that whimsical Williams flare.
- Spielberg tried family oriented fantasy once before with Hook, let’s hope he does better this time.
Here’s the official plot synopsis for The BFG, courtesy of Walt Disney Studios:
Disney’s “The BFG” tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. The BFG, 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 and Fleshlumpeater 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. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 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. Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary, that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, The BFG stars Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Bill Hader, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, and Jemaine Clement. This film hits theaters on July 1, 2016.
Source: Walt Disney Trailers
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