Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- whimsical
- gentle
- comforting
- family movie night
- children's viewing
What critics said
Critics and later appraisals broadly regard the film as a charming, inventive, and faithful Roald Dahl adaptation with distinctive Cosgrove Hall animation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The BFG communicates through distinctive nonsense vocabulary and whimsical verbal inventions drawn from Roald Dahl's storytelling style.
The BFG is feared as a giant but proves vegetarian, compassionate, and devoted to protecting Sophie.
Sophie is taken from the orphanage into the secret Giant Country, where the central adventure unfolds.
The plot explicitly uses dreams and dream delivery as part of the BFG's mission and Sophie's relationship with him.
Films like The BFG, and why
The Witches
whimsical children's fantasy, inventive creature design, and a gentle outsider protecting a child
Spirited Away
family-friendly animated fantasy centered on a child entering an imaginative otherworld
My Neighbor Totoro
warm fantasy adventure featuring a benevolent giant figure and a child protagonist
James and the Giant Peach
storybook animation, playful nonsense language, and a child confronting threatening creatures
Movie Details
- Director
- Brian Cosgrove
- Release Date
- 1990-12-25
- Runtime
- 87 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (176)
Cast
- David Jason
- Amanda Root
- Angela Thorne
- Ballard Berkeley
- Michael Knowles
- Don Henderson
- Mollie Sugden
- Frank Thornton
- Myfanwy Talog
- Jimmy Hibbert
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The BFG about?
- An orphan and a kindly dream-collecting giant join forces to protect humanity from the monstrous inhabitants of Giant Country.
- What is The BFG like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The BFG as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The BFG violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The BFG as mild.
- What did critics think of The BFG?
- Critics and later appraisals broadly regard the film as a charming, inventive, and faithful Roald Dahl adaptation with distinctive Cosgrove Hall animation.
- Which films are like The BFG?
- Films with a similar feel include The Witches, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and James and the Giant Peach.
- How long is The BFG?
- The BFG runs 87 minutes.
- Where can I watch The BFG?
- In United States, The BFG streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
