The BFG
- 1989
- 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
7.8K
YOUR RATING
A young orphan girl, Sophie, gets taken away to a faraway land populated by Giants and Dreams.A young orphan girl, Sophie, gets taken away to a faraway land populated by Giants and Dreams.A young orphan girl, Sophie, gets taken away to a faraway land populated by Giants and Dreams.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 nomination total
David Jason
- The BFG
- (voice)
Amanda Root
- Sophie
- (voice)
Don Henderson
- Bloodbottler
- (voice)
- …
Mollie Sugden
- Mary
- (voice)
Frank Thornton
- Mr. Tibbs
- (voice)
Myfanwy Talog
- Mrs. Clonkers
- (voice)
Sharon Campbell
- The Balladeer
- (voice)
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This film is a real 80's delight. I rediscovered it while watching it with my kids. It's so much of it's time. There's an innocence in the animation and story. Nobody questions why a big creepy giant would want to hang around with a little girl. Which is is great!! The times we live in are so paranoid this film makes us remember why we all need a granddad figure of out own.
David Jason's performance as the BFG is remarkable. At first I didn't realise it was him. I think he gives it that extra something that really shines through.
The beginning was really Richard William's like, with the cloaked giant running through the streets. It makes me realise how good Cosgrove Hall could be. It would be fun to check out more of their stuff again. Especaily Danger Mouse.
David Jason's performance as the BFG is remarkable. At first I didn't realise it was him. I think he gives it that extra something that really shines through.
The beginning was really Richard William's like, with the cloaked giant running through the streets. It makes me realise how good Cosgrove Hall could be. It would be fun to check out more of their stuff again. Especaily Danger Mouse.
I have two criticisms of this movie, one is that the animation sometimes is a little flat, and the second is that Sophie and the Queen while well voiced by Amanda Root and Angela Thorne are more interesting in the book(which I loved as a kid). The best aspect was the wonderful voice work of David Jason, one of the most talented British actors alive today. His BFG is somewhat charming, but especially in the whizzpopping scene where he is hilarious, and his grammatical errors are a delight to hear, as some of them are very silly. The child-eating giants like the Fleshlumpeater and the Bloodbottler were very well done, and I also really liked the music. Sure it isn't Oscar-worthy material, but it is still a pleasure to listen to. I do prefer the book, but this adaptation, while not perfect, is not bad at all. 8/10. Bethany Cox.
When I first saw this film I must have been about eight and loved it! It made me laugh and due to the fantastic writing talents of Roald Dahl I can still remember the storyline. The film remains faithful to the book, something most Dahl adaptations fail to do, (eg. the witches in while being a great film has a different ending to the book) and the animation, while not being up to todays standards, doesn't interfere with the viewing of the film. David Jason's unique voice (Count Duckular) is memorable in this role as the BFG. Overall I would say this was a fantastic family film, definately aimed at children but true to the book which is something any 5-12 year old Dahl fan will love.
All I can say is that i used to love this film when I was little! I thought it was brill! Watching it a couple of months ago I spoiled it cos it's not that good when you're older. It's based on the book by Roald Dahl and the book is much better but I think you could say that about most films which are based on books! Worth watching if you're a small child (which I very much doubt you are)(he he), otherwise i'd read the book (whatever age you are!)
It's hard to actively dislike this adaptation but compared to the funny and grotesque novel by Roald Dahl, there's a definitely a lack of energy to the film. It's all very well scrubbed and nicely behaved, lacking the bite that the best versions of his children's books have, such as "Matilda" or "The Witches". The film was originally made for TV and sadly the animation has a decidedly flat look. There's no real sense of danger, even when the brutish man eating giants are on screen. Vocal work is effective but no one stands out. A pity because the Cosgrove Hall company has produced some of the funniest, most iconoclastic cartoons ever put on UK TV. So watch some Count Duckula or Dangermouse instead to appreciate their talents.
Did you know
- TriviaAccording to Brian Cosgrove, when Roald Dahl saw his first screening of the film in Soho, when it ended and the lights went up, Dahl stood up and clapped.
- GoofsBFG states that humans are the only animal to kill each other. In fact, there are a vast number of animals which kill other animals of the same species. Cats, which the BFG specifically mentions, are well known for killing members of their own species (BFG has said that he has little education.)
- Quotes
Queen Of England: [after hearing a whizzpopper for the first time] I think... on the whole... I prefer the bagpipes.
- Crazy creditsThe credits roll over stills from the movie.
- Alternate versionsThe version of the film which aired on ITV and was released on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray omits a scene that takes place after Sophie and The BFG leave Dream Country, but before they get to his Dream Cave. They approach the other giant's domain again, and Sophie is somehow separated and placed in peril when she accidentally sits upon a giant dragonfly that flies off and drops her among the sleeping giants, who begin to stir from her scent. The BFG rescues her before they awake and begin scouring the land, convinced there is a human present. The shot of the giants departing is later reused in the film as part of the Queen's nightmare of them and their heinous acts.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The BFG (2009)
- How long is The BFG?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Le bon gros géant
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £3,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime
- 1h 31m(91 min)
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content