If you were to try and create the perfect summer movie, that was also a family movie, in a laboratory setting, there are a few ingredients you would need. Certainly you’d want Disney, the undisputed king of the family film and the current owner of the galaxy on board. Next, you’d need a director, somebody known for making great family films that stand the test of time. Steven Spielberg, the man behind E.T., would do nicely. You’ll want a script from somebody who can do the job, and since E.T. is working out so well, we’ll use that writer. Finally, let’s base the script on the work of one of the most beloved authors of children’s books ever. Put all that together, and you have The BFG.
Everything in this trailer look right. We have a spooky night, a scared little girl, and a giant, which of course they’re not going to show us yet. This is the guy behind Jawsafter all. It does everything a trailer is supposed to do, which is to make you curious, and make you excited, without actually showing you much of anything. The film’s title is going to be all that’s necessary to get most people excited.
The BFG or “Big Friendly Giant” is a children’s book by Roald Dahl, the slightly mad mind behind Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The trailer really just shows what will likely be the opening few minutes of the film. In the book, the giant takes the young girl, named Sophie, to “Giant Country” — a place full of other giants, many significantly less friendly than our protagonist. Most giants eat children, but the BFG chooses not to, so he’s a bit of an outcast, much like our heroine, who lives in an orphanage.
The screenplay is written by Melissa Mathison, the original writer of Spielberg’s E.T.this is their first collaboration since that film’s release in 1982, which, coincidently, was the same year Dahl had The BFG published. It has since become an incredibly popular children’ story. Unfortunately, this will also be Mathison’s last film, as shepassed away from cancer last month.
While Steven Spielberg has produced a handful of films with Disney in the past this will be his first job directing one for the Mouse House. It seems like the perfect material for a collaboration between the two. While Spielberg hasn’t done a great deal of “fun for the whole family” movies, he’ll always be associated with it, and this one just looks to be an amazing collaboration among, well, giants.