A lot of people know The BFG as that book you were supposed to read in elementary school, but never did, or as the Roald Dahl book that isn't Matilda, and now the title has a brand new meaning as Steven Spielberg's newest film. Despite Dahl's book being a children's lit classic, it's safe to say that a lot of kids today don't know the story of The BFG, which was originally published in 1982. (For those of you still confused, BFG stands for "Big Friendly Giant.") Spielberg's movie adaptation — the first live action adaptation of the book and only the second film adaptation ever made — is sure to put The BFG back on the map, but for now, fans are still wondering, what is The BFG about?
Lucky for fans of Dahl's original The BFG, the movie stays pretty true to the book. Both follow Sophie, a young orphan who lives in a miserable orphanage under the guidance of the mean Mrs. Clonkers. One night, she is whisked away by the BFG and taken to Giant Country. At first, Sophie isn't too happy to be taken by a giant — giants, after all, are known to eat children — but the BFG befriends her when he tells her that he doesn't eat humans. Instead, the BFG lives off a vegetable called snozzcumber and blows bottled dreams into the heads of children at night. Other, bigger giants, however, do eat humans, and there's no question they would object to Sophie's friendship with the BFG.
The BFG takes Sophie with him to Dream Country where he catches dreams to give to children, and introduces her to a magical world. In their adventures, they end up starting a war in Giant Country and Sophie convinces the BFG to report the giants to the Queen of England and have the giants that eat humans rounded up and jailed by officials. (Yes, the BFG has a meal with the Queen of England, and, yes, it's a hilarious visual.)
On a more thematic level, star Mark Rylance who plays the BFG, said in an interview with ABC News that the movie was really the story of "a very loving friendship." In an interview with Wired , Spielberg said that the film was really about "the oneness of opposites" and "a celebration of the privileges of childhood and all the things you can get away with when you're a kid."
So, if you're a BFG newbie getting ready to buy a movie ticket, know that you're in for a celebration of childhood involving dreams, one orphan girl, one friendly giant, and a lot of mean, people-eating giants. You're welcome.
Images: Walt Disney Studios
