The BFG

Mark Rylance Director: Steven Spielberg Steven Spielberg

Overview

Steven Spielberg directed this adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved novel, which centers on the unlikely friendship between a lonely orphan named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) and the titular "big friendly giant" (brought to life via a motion-capture performance from Mark Rylance). Together, the pair explore Giant Country and collect dreams; later, they try to warn the Queen of England (Penelope Wilton) about the threat posed by the other giants, who, unlike the vegetarian BFG, eat children for sustenance. The BFG made its world premiere at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, and is dedicated to the memory of screenwriter Melissa Mathison (who also wrote the script for Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial). Rebecca Hall, Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, and Rafe Spall co-star. ~ Jack Rodgers

Product Details

Release Date:	11/29/2016
UPC:	0786936849059
Original Release:	2016
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Time:	1:58:00
Sales rank:	17,647

Special Features

Gobbelfunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG - A whoopsey-splunkers tutorial on the BFG's gloriumptious Gobblefunk; Melissa Mathison: A Tribute

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Mark Rylance	The Big Friendly Giant
Ruby Barnhill	Sophie
Penelope Wilton	The Queen
Jemaine Clement	Fleshlumpeater
Rebecca Hall	Mary
Rafe Spall	Mr. Tibbs
Bill Hader	Bloodbottler
Olafur Darri Olafsson	Maidmasher/Cook
Adam Godley	Manhugger/Lout #1
Michael D. Adamthwaite	Butcher Boy/Danish Driver
Daniel Bacon	Bonecruncher/Lout #2
Jonathan Holmes	Childchewer/Pub Landlord
Chris Gibbs	Gizzardgulper/Late Night Walker
Paul Moniz deSa	Meatdripper/Lout #3
Marilyn Norry	Matron
Callum Seagram Airlie	Danish Boy
Haig Sutherland	Danish Boy's Father
Shauna Hansen	Danish Boy's Mother
Denise Jones	Danish Driver's Wife
Gabrielle Rose	Cook
Anthony Ingram	Footman
Chris Shields	General #1
Matt Frewer	General #2
Geoffrey Wade	General #3
John Emmet Tracy	Palace Staff #1 (aka Footman)
William Samples	Palace Staff #2 (aka Footman)
Andy Thompson	Palace Staff #3 (aka Footman)
Paul Stuart Barnhill	Palace Staff #4 (aka Footman)
Lucia Ryan	Orphan Girl #1/Sophie Understudy
Julia Elizabeth Torrance	Orphan Girl #2
Cal Davis	Piper #1
Kyle Maloney	Piper #2
Michael McLeod	Piper #3
David Orr	Piper #4
Zachary Read	Piper #5
David Glover	Piper #6
Joshua Callagan	Piper #7
Todd Biffard	Pipe Drummer

Technical Credits

Melissa Mathison

Steven Spielberg	Director,Producer
Sven Abmub	Animator
Michael Aerni	Animator
Tanseer Ahmed	Animator
Balaji Anbalagan	Animator
Kristian M. Antonelli	Animator
Mike Aslin	Animator
Kirby Atkins	Animator
Christopher Beach	Art Director
Samantha Becker	Associate Producer
Kris Bergthorson	Set Decoration/Design
Debaprasad Bhowmik	Animator
Emil Bidiuc	Animator
Bill Campbell	Animator
Kristie Breslin	Production Manager
Timmy Broderick	Producer
Nancy Brown	Set Decoration/Design
Christina Bruce	Special Effects Supervisor
Blair Burke	Animator
Andrew Butterfield	Animator
Kelvin Cai	Special Effects Supervisor
Jonathan D. Carey	Animator
Rick Carter	Production Designer
Mira Caveno	Set Decoration/Design
David Caeiro Cebrian	Special Effects Supervisor
Ludovic Chailloleau	Animator
Michael Chen	Animator
James Yuhsiu Chen	Animator
Aric Cheng	Set Decoration/Design
Tom T.H. Chou	Animator
David Conley	Executive Producer
Ryan Cronin	Animator
Stefan Dechant	Art Director
Christopher Dias	Animator
Julie A. Drake	Animator
Christina Erdos	Animator
Kevin Estey	Animator
Kate Forrest	Animator
Carlos Fraiha	Animator
Camilo Duarte Franco	Animator
Shaun Friedberg	Animator
Sagar Funde	Animator
Nina Gold	Casting
Brian Goodwin	Special Effects Supervisor
Samantha Haines	Production Manager
Douglas Higgins	Art Director
Stephen Hutchinson	Special Effects Supervisor
Lucas Janin	Special Effects Supervisor
Joanna Johnston	Costumes/Costume Designer
Michael Kahn	Editor
Janusz Kaminski	Cinematographer
Mike Kelt	Special Effects Supervisor
Kathleen Kennedy	Executive Producer
Kristie Macosko Krieger	Executive Producer
Chet Leavai	Special Effects Supervisor
Weta Digital Limited	Animator
John Madden	Executive Producer
John Madden	Executive Producer
Frank Marshall	Producer
Melissa Mathison	Associate Producer,Screenwriter
Sam Mercer	Producer
Brett D. Miller	Special Effects Supervisor
Rebecca Milton	Art Director
Jay Mitchell	Set Decoration/Design
Yann Moalic	Special Effects Supervisor
Nicky Muir	Production Manager
Alex Nowotny	Special Effects Supervisor
Cornelius Porzig	Special Effects Supervisor
Eddy Purnomo	Special Effects Supervisor
Margot Ready	Art Director
Gary Rydstrom	Sound/Sound Designer
Sam Baker	Animator
Christopher Scarabosio	Sound/Sound Designer
Sebastian H. Schmidt	Special Effects Supervisor
Scott Schneider	Set Decoration/Design
Michael Siegel	Executive Producer
Adam Somner	Asst. Director,Co-producer
Robert Stromberg	Production Designer
Jonathan S. Swartz	Special Effects Supervisor
Sandy Coco Taylor	Production Manager
Mariko Tosti	Production Manager
Samantha Waite	Production Manager
Callum Webster	Set Decoration/Design
John Williams [composer]	Score Composer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The BFG
1. The Witching Hour
2. Snatched
3. Giant Country
4. Dreams
5. Frobscottle and Whizzpoppers
6. Fleshlumpeater
8. A Giant Frolic
7. Whoopsey Big Secrets
9. Dream Country
10. Dream Catching
11. Happy Dreams
12. Brave Sophie
13. Time To Hunt
14. Mixing The Dream
15. Her Majester The Queen
16. The Royal Breakfast
17. The Plan
18. Capture!
19. A Heart's Desire
20. End Credits

Menu

Disc #1 -- The BFG
   Play
   Bonus Features
      Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words Of The BFG
      Melissa Mathison: A Tribute
   Scene Selection
   Set Up
      Languages
         English 5.1 Dolby Digital
         English 2.0 Descriptive Audio
         Français 5.1 Dolby Digital
         Español 5.1 Dolby Digital
      Subtitles
         Subtitles: None
         English For The Hearing Impaired
         Français
         Español
   Sneak Peeks

Editorial Reviews

After teaming up for the understated Cold War drama Bridge of Spies, director Steven Spielberg and actor Mark Rylance join forces once again for a very different kind of movie. The BFG, a fantasy film based on a children's story by Roald Dahl (author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Fantastic Mr. Fox), centers on a precocious orphan named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) who spots something truly unbelievable in the middle of the night: a giant creature (played by Rylance with the help of some special effects) who quickly snatches the little girl from her bed in order to keep his existence a secret. While he might seem like a force to be reckoned with in the human world, Rylance's vegetarian leviathan -- called "the BFG" for "the big friendly giant" -- is constantly picked on and teased by the larger, meat-eating members of his race in his home country. As Sophie joins the BFG on his travels, the pair have some traumatic run-ins with giant, dim-witted bullies with names like Bloodbottler and Fleshlumpeater (played by versatile comedians Bill Hader and Jemaine Clement, respectively). When the other behemoths begin to take children from their beds for the purpose of eating them, Sophie gets the BFG to control the Queen of England's dreams (a special talent of his) in order to prompt her, and the military forces of the Crown, into action. For readers who don't find that plot description fanciful enough, Spielberg and his creative team have also brought to vivid life the city streets of England at dusk, a dreamscape full of orbs that represent our nighttime visions, and the secluded land of the giants. As for the human components of the story, the heavy lifting falls on the shoulders of Rylance and relative newcomer Barnhill (whose only previous acting credit was a recurring role on the British TV series 4 O'Clock Club). In a charming, wide-eyed performance reminiscent of Mara Wilson's turn in Matilda (another Dahl adaptation), Barnhill manages to imbue her character with a great deal of wit and wonder. Viewers are able to go on a hero's journey along with Sophie, watching as her independent streak crystallizes into a sense of leadership and she evolves from a victim of circumstance to the person driving the plot forward. Much less surprising is Rylance's terrific performance as the title character, which is equal parts heartwarming and devastating. The CGI necessary to animate the BFG can't mask the British theatre veteran's gift for conveying a tremendous amount of emotion in a single facial expression. The movie mostly succeeds in translating this highly imaginative yarn to the big screen, as it skillfully traces Sophie's journey from her orphanage to a behemoth's lair to the Queen's abode. However, the film becomes a little too breezy just as it should be ramping up for a thrilling climax. Spielberg weirdly packs most of the big emotional moments into the first half of the story, which means that there's little sense of catharsis at the end since the BFG has already confronted his demons. Essentially, the movie builds toward a treacly letdown rather than a genuine emotional release. While the narrative peters out at an inopportune moment, Rylance and Barnhill remain capable guides through a fantastic world that represents our everyday obstacles and fears. Aimed squarely at the heartstrings and imaginations of young viewers, The BFG mostly hits the mark as a touching and visually appealing experience.

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