Steven Spielberg’s Imagination And Disney Magic Come Together To Bring Roald Dahl’s Beloved Classic To Life
This month, the world celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Roald Dahl, beloved children’s author of family favorites like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Matilda” and Dahl’s personal favorite, “The BFG,” as well as World Dream Day, an annual event honoring “the dreamer, visionary and innovator in all of us.” It seems a fitting time to announce the in-home release of “The BFG,” Disney’s fantasy adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, on Dec. 6 on Digital HD, Blu-ray™, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand.
As dreamers around the globe gear up for Sunday’s World Dream Day, an annual holiday honoring “the dreamer, visionary and innovator in all of us,” it seems a fitting time to announce the in-home release of “The BFG,” Disney’s fantasy adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring a dream-collecting Big Friendly Giant. This heartwarming tale for the whole family arrives home for the holidays on Dec. 6 on Digital HD, Blu-ray™, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand.
“The BFG” unites the talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – to bring to life the classic tale of a courageous little girl named Sophie (newcomer Ruby Barnhill) and a gentle and charming Big Friendly Giant (Oscar-winner Mark Rylance) who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. Spielberg employs a new, hybrid style of filmmaking blending live-action and performance-capture techniques, resulting in genuine, heartfelt performances and super-photorealistic animation.
Families and fans will be swept away by this spectacular adventure and delight in extensive bonus features, including a behind-the-scenes look at the making of “The BFG” hosted by Ruby Barnhill and featuring Steven Spielberg; a charming, all-new short; a fun and whimsical tutorial on the Big Friendly Giant’s unique language of Gobblefunk; a touching tribute to screenwriter Melissa Mathison (“E.T. the Extraterrestrial,” “The Black Stallion”); and more.
Spielberg’s directorial debut with The Walt Disney Studios was a labor of love, as he’s been a fan of Dahl’s for years. In fact, he read “The BFG” to his own children when they were younger. According to Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship; it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends; and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems.” “The BFG” is a Golden Phizzwizard* come true for Spielberg, Dahl fans and audiences around the world.
Bonus features include**:
BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:
- Bringing “The BFG” to Life – Ruby Barnhill (Sophie) hosts a phizz-whizzing journey through the making of “The BFG.” This behind-the-scenes documentary details the film’s progression through interviews with Roald Dahl’s daughter Lucy Dahl, screenwriter Melissa Mathison, executive producers Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Kristie Macosko Krieger, and numerous members of the talented cast and crew.
- The Big Friendly Giant and Me – Sophie wasn’t the first “bean” in Giant Country—many illustrations were created as if drawn by a little boy who was there long before Sophie. This charming, in-world short will bring the drawings to life with animation and narration, recounting the friendship and the dreams shared between the boy and the Big Friendly Giant.
- Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG – A whoopsey-splunkers tutorial on the meaning of the gloriumptious gobblefunk in “The BFG.”
- Giants 101 – Jemaine Clement (Fleshlumpeater) and Bill Hader (Bloodbottler) introduce us to the loathsome giants in “The BFG,” along with movement choreographer/motion capture performer Terry Notary, who collaborated with the actors and Director Steven Spielberg prior to filming to develop their movements and character traits.
- Melissa Mathison: A Tribute – An homage to Melissa Mathison, the extraordinary, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “The BFG” and “E.T.,” whose talent and heart were as immense as the giants in “The BFG.”
DIGITAL/VOD:
- John Williams: Scoring A Dream – A journey through the film’s concept art and memorable moments, interwoven with the sights and sounds of legendary composer John William’s scoring session.
DVD:
- Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG and Melissa Mathison: A Tribute
Disney and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Walden Media, present the fantasy adventure film “The BFG,” the first-ever motion picture adaptation of Roald Dahl’s resonant tale of childhood, the magic of dreams and the extraordinary friendship between a young girl and a big friendly giant. Directed by three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, the film reunites the director with his Oscar-nominated collaborator on “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” Melissa Mathison, who adapted the children’s author’s timeless adventure for the big screen. “The BFG” is produced by Spielberg, p.g.a., Frank Marshall, p.g.a., and Sam Mercer, p.g.a., with Kathleen Kennedy, John Madden, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Michael Siegel serving as executive producers.
The film stars three-time Tony Award, two-time Olivier Award and Oscar winner Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant; newcomer Ruby Barnhill as Sophie, the orphan who befriends him and is swept into a world of rampaging giants; Penelope Wilton as The Queen; Jemaine Clement as Fleshlumpeater, the most fearsome giant from Giant Country; Rebecca Hall as Mary, The Queen’s handmaid; Rafe Spall as Mr. Tibbs, The Queen’s butler; and Bill Hader as Bloodbottler, another unruly giant from Giant Country.
The creative team is comprised of some of Spielberg’s longtime collaborators, including: two-time Oscar-winning director of photography Janusz Kaminski; two-time Oscar-winning production designer Rick Carter; three time Oscar-winning editor Michael Kahn, A.C.E.; and Oscar-nominated costume designer Joanna Johnston, with legendary five-time Oscar winner John Williams composing his 24th score for a Spielberg-directed film.
Joining them is two-time Oscar winner Robert Stromberg as production designer and four-time Oscar winner Joe Letteri from Weta Digital, the visual effects company founded by Peter Jackson, as senior visual effects supervisor.
