FilmJuiceTo celebrate the release of The BFG, we’ve got TWO Blu-ray copies to Give Away!
For your chance to win, simply email your answer to the question below to competitions@filmjuice.com
Which beloved children’s author wrote The BFG?
A) Julia Donaldson
B) JK Rowling
C) Roald Dahl
Entries close 3rd April 2024
Revisit the magic of this wonderful and inspiring tale about young orphan Sophie and the Big Friendly Giant starring David Jason (Only Fools and Horses), as the voice of the BFG along with a stellar cast including Angela Thorne (To the Manor Born), Frank Thornton (Are You Being Served?), Mollie Sugden (Are You Being Served?) and Ballard Berkeley (Fawlty Towers). Now there’s a reason to feel hopscotchy!
The film was nominated at the 1990 BAFTAS for Best Children’s Programme (Entertainment/Drama) but lost to Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. Which was fair enough. Was a good show.
The BFG premiered on ITV on Christmas Day 1989 and was brought to life by Cosgrove Hall Films who also created Count Duckula, Chorlton and the Wheelies and the world’s greatest secret agent Dangermouse (also voiced by David Jason and one of the first British cartoons to become popular with American audiences). Whilst squibbling about The BFG for The Sunday Times, Patrick Stoddart said it “puts its already celebrated British animators, Cosgrove Hall, into the Disney class“.
Created before computer based animation, the sky in the alien looking land of the giants was made by getting a fish tank, bleeding paint into it and filming it with an overcranked 35mm camera.
Roald Dahl based Sophie on his 5 year old granddaughter, Sophie (former supermodel and author). When Cosgrove Hall Films were creating the character of Sophie, 12 year old Sophie Dahl wore John Lennon glasses so the development of the character grew from there. David Jason who is best known as Del-Boy in Only Fools and Horses named his daughter Sophie-Mae after Sophie from the film. Had he had a boy he would have called him Damien Trotter. Lovely jubbly!
Synopsis: Follow the adventures of lonely orphan girl Sophie as she meets her twenty-five foot high prince and is whisked off into the wonders of Dreamland. Tasked with harvesting dreams and blowing them into the minds of children with his magical trumpet, the Big Friendly Giant pulls Sophie into his magical Giant Country, full of snozzcumbers and whizzpoppers, to help him defeat the evil gargantuan grumps who are filling the heads of England’s children with fear and dread. Together, and with the help of Her Majesty the Queen, Sophie and BFG deliver the most spectacular dreams imaginable.
Voice cast: David Jason, Amanda Root, Angela Thorne, Don Henderson,
Frank Thornton, Mollie Sugden, Michael Knowles, Ballard Berkeley, Myfanwy Talog, Jimmy Hibbert.
Extras: Roald Dahl Interview, Interview with Brian Cosgrove, Gallery, Songs, Storyboards, Before / After Restoration.
