News
The BFG on Blu-ray and 12-6-16
BURBANK, Calif., Sept. 23, in the year of our Lord
2016 — This month, the world celebrates the 100th
anniversary of the birth of Roald Dahl, beloved children’s
author of family favorites like “Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “Matilda” and Dahl’s
personal favorite, “The BFG,” as well as World Dream Day, an
annual event honoring “the dreamer, visionary and innovator in
all of us.” It seems a fitting time to announce the in-home
release of “The BFG,” Disney’s fantasy adventure film directed
by Steven Spielberg, on Dec. 6 on Digital HD, Blu-ray™, Disney
Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand.
As dreamers around the globe gear up for Sunday’s World Dream
Day, an annual holiday honoring “the dreamer, visionary and
innovator in all of us,” it seems a fitting time to announce the
in-home release of “The BFG,” Disney’s fantasy adventure film
directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring a dream-collecting
Big Friendly Giant. This heartwarming tale for the whole family
arrives home for the Christmas season on Dec. 6 on Digital HD,
Blu-ray™, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand.
“The BFG” unites the talents of three of the world’s greatest
storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – to
bring to life the classic tale of a courageous little girl named
Sophie (newcomer Ruby Barnhill) and a gentle and charming Big
Friendly Giant (OscarŽ-winner Mark Rylance) who introduces her
to the wonders and perils of Giant Country. Spielberg employs a
new, hybrid style of filmmaking blending live-action and
performance-capture techniques, resulting in genuine, heartfelt
performances and super-photorealistic animation.
Families and fans will be swept away by this spectacular
adventure and delight in extensive bonus features, including a
behind-the-scenes look at the making of “The BFG” hosted by Ruby
Barnhill and featuring Steven Spielberg; a charming, all-new
short; a fun and whimsical tutorial on the Big Friendly Giant’s
unique language of Gobblefunk; a touching tribute to
screenwriter Melissa Mathison; and more.
Spielberg’s directorial debut with The Walt Disney Studios was a
labor of love, as he’s been a fan of Dahl’s for years. In fact,
he read “The BFG” to his own children when they were younger.
According to Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship; it’s a
story about loyalty and protecting your friends; and it’s a
story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant
solve his biggest problems.” “The BFG” is a Golden Phizzwizard*
come true for Spielberg, Dahl fans and audiences around the
world.
Bonus features include**:
BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD:
• Bringing “The BFG” to Life – Ruby Barnhill (Sophie) hosts a
phizz-whizzing journey through the making of “The BFG.” This
behind-the-scenes documentary details the film’s progression
through interviews with Roald Dahl’s daughter Lucy Dahl,
screenwriter Melissa Mathison, executive producers Kathleen
Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Kristie Macosko Krieger, and
numerous members of the talented cast and crew.
• The Big Friendly Giant and Me – Sophie wasn’t the first “bean”
in Giant Country—many illustrations were created as if drawn by
a little boy who was there long before Sophie. This charming,
in-world short will bring the drawings to life with animation
and narration, recounting the friendship and the dreams shared
between the boy and the Big Friendly Giant.
• Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG – A
whoopsey-splunkers tutorial on the meaning of the gloriumptious
gobblefunk in “The BFG.”
• Giants 101 – Jemaine Clement (Fleshlumpeater) and Bill Hader
(Bloodbottler) introduce us to the loathsome giants in “The
BFG,” along with movement choreographer/motion capture performer
Terry Notary, who collaborated with the actors and Director
Steven Spielberg prior to filming to develop their movements and
character traits.
• Melissa Mathison: A Tribute – An homage to Melissa Mathison,
the extraordinary, OscarŽ-nominated screenwriter of “The BFG”,
whose talent and heart were as immense as the giants in “The
BFG.”
DIGITAL/VOD:
• John Williams: Scoring A Dream – A journey through the film’s
concept art and memorable moments, interwoven with the sights
and sounds of legendary composer John William’s scoring session.
DVD:
• Gobblefunk: The Wonderful Words of The BFG and Melissa
Mathison: A Tribute
Disney and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Walden
Media, present the fantasy adventure film “The BFG,” the
first-ever motion picture adaptation of Roald Dahl’s resonant
tale of childhood, the magic of dreams and the extraordinary
friendship between a young girl and a big friendly giant.
Directed by three-time Academy AwardŽ winner Steven Spielberg,
the film reunites the director with his OscarŽ-nominated
collaborator on “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” Melissa Mathison,
who adapted the children’s author’s timeless adventure for the
big screen. “The BFG” is produced by Spielberg, p.g.a., Frank
Marshall, p.g.a., and Sam Mercer, p.g.a., with Kathleen Kennedy,
John Madden, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Michael Siegel serving
as executive producers.
The film stars three-time Tony AwardŽ, two-time Olivier Award
and OscarŽ winner Mark Rylance as the Big Friendly Giant;
newcomer Ruby Barnhill as Sophie, the orphan who befriends him
and is swept into a world of rampaging giants; Penelope Wilton
as The Queen; Jemaine Clement as Fleshlumpeater, the most
fearsome giant from Giant Country; Rebecca Hall as Mary, The
Queen’s handmaid; Rafe Spall as Mr. Tibbs, The Queen’s butler;
and Bill Hader as Bloodbottler, another unruly giant from Giant
Country.
The creative team is comprised of some of Spielberg’s longtime
collaborators, including: two-time OscarŽ-winning director of
photography Janusz Kaminski; two-time Oscar-winning production
designer Rick Carter; three time Oscar-winning editor Michael
Kahn, A.C.E.; and Oscar-nominated costume designer Joanna
Johnston, with legendary five-time Oscar winner John Williams
composing his 24th score for a Spielberg-directed film.
Joining them is two-time OscarŽ winner Robert Stromberg as
production designer and four-time Oscar winner Joe Letteri from
Weta Digital, the visual effects company founded by Peter
Jackson, as senior visual effects supervisor.
DISC SPECIFICATIONS:
Product SKUs: Digital HD/SD, Blu-ray Superset
(Blu-ray+DVD+Digital Copy),
Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and Video On-Demand SD/HD
Feature Run Time: Approximately 117 minutes
Rating: PG in U.S., PG in CE, and G in CF
Aspect Ratio: Blu-ray Feature Film = 1080p High Definition /
Widescreen 2.39:1
DVD Feature Film = Widescreen 2.39:1
Audio: Blu-ray = English 7.1 DTS-HDMA & 2.0 Descriptive Audio,
Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks
DVD = English, Spanish and French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language
Tracks,
English 2.0 Descriptive Audio
Languages/Subtitles: Blu-ray = English SDH, Spanish and French
DVD = English SDH, Spanish and French