We've all experienced the excitement and horror of finding out one of our favorite childhood books is being turned into a film. Giddy panic races through our mind as we walk into the theater. We think "Oh no. Are they going to do a good job? Are they going to stick to the storyline? What if they change everything?!"
Upon seeing the trailer for "The BFG," I did not think any of these things. Now, I haven't read the book since elementary school so my mind was a bit fuzzy on some parts of the story, but for the most part, the trailer seemed spot on for what I had always envisioned. Originally published in 1982, Roald Dahl's "The BFG" tells the story of Sophie, a young orphaned girl living in London, who unexpectedly sees a giant outside her window one night during "the witching hour." The giant sees Sophie as well, and reaches into the window of her bedroom, snatches her up, and whisks her away to giant country where he lives among nine other giants. The BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is quite unlike his giant counterparts though; he is much smaller in size, has enormous ears, and spends his time catching and conjuring up dreams rather than rushing out every night to gobble up "human-beans."
Sophie and the BFG eventually form a sweet friendship; the BFG protects Sophie from the other giants and Sophie accompanies the BFG on his dream-catching sprees. While the BFG knows how to read and write (more or less), his way of speech is quite humorous, using words such as "crumpscuttle," "fizzwiggler," and "swogswalloped." Sophie says he spoke beautifully, though.
The BFG spoke just this way in the film as well. His voice, his accent, and his ears were just as a had always pictured them. While I've never really seen a lot of CGI movies, I think Disney did an amazing job of creating the BFG and mixing him into the rest of the live-action film. The other giants were portrayed just as terrifying as I had imagined as well: The Childchewer, The Bloodbottler, and, "the horriblest of them all, 'The Fleshlumpeater'" were all as frightening as their book descriptions (and their names). Sophie's character is equally deserving of praise; portrayed by Ruby Barnhill, Sophie was as full of ambition and bravery as she was in the book. Her resilience and willingness to help rid the world and the BFG of these child-munching giants made her into a fiery protagonist of the story. It was her small voice that told the BFG that a change was needed. It was her small voice (and a carefully constructed nightmare) that alerted the Queen of England to the real reason behind all the "kidsnatchings." It was her small voice that eventually lead to the capturing of the giants, entrapping them in a pit and forcing them to eat only snozzcumbers. Disgusting, slimy snozzcumbers.
While there were some aspects of the film that veered from the original storyline, I think that Disney did a fantastic job in recreating one of Dahl's most memorable and beloved works. The story stayed true to its values: that friendship is a beautiful thing, that humor is a huge part of happiness, and that you are capable of doing anything you put your mind to.
I urge you to go and watch this film! But, if you truly want to get the most out of it, read the book. Simply watching the movie is not enough. There is a special type of appreciation that comes with reading this story straight off the pages. More than anything, the book calls for the reader's own imagination to make the story as fantastic and strange as Roald Dahl had wanted it to be. Books give the reader so much freedom to imagine the scenes, the voices, the characters, the magic, and the adventure and ultimately let you create the story for yourself.
“There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be.”
-Roald Dahl
