Film

The BFG

Name: The BFG
Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, TV Movie, Adventure
Released: 1990
Cast: David Jason, Amanda Root, Angela Thorne, Ballard Berkeley, Michael Knowles

Other titles called The BFG: the 2016 film.

Fairy tale

A 1990 animated adaptation of Roald Dahl's beloved novel. Sophie, an orphan, is whisked away by the Big Friendly Giant and discovers his magical dream-blowing enterprise. What follows is a whimsical, occasionally dark journey through the world of giants, complete with Dahl's signature blend of wonder and menace. Charming voice work and fluid animation make this feel like a proper storybook come alive.

TMDb rating

3.2

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love Roald Dahl's gentle, slightly eccentric invention and want an animated fable where a lonely child and a shy giant trade big, odd ideas across one unhurried night.

Skip it if you need zippy pacing or polished modern animation, since this is a modest 1990 TV movie with long stretches of quiet conversation and a budget that shows.

What it asks of you: Plan on about an hour and a half, with a leisurely pace, a soft tone and very little rush; it lingers on wonder and chatter more than on action.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The NeverEnding Story1984

A fantasy adventure where a boy enters a magical world through a book, discovering that imagination itself is under threat. It has the same sense of wonder mixed with genuine peril, and both celebrate the power of stories to save us.

But The pacing feels slow by modern standards, and the emotional core relies on you caring deeply about a fictional world—which doesn't click for everyone.

Matilda1996

Another Roald Dahl adaptation with the same darkly comic tone, eccentric characters, and a vulnerable child protagonist finding magic in an ordinary world. Rhea Perlman's Trunchbull is as grotesque and wonderful as any Dahl villain.

But The live-action aesthetic feels dated, and some of the broad comedy will seem corny if you're watching as an adult without nostalgia for it.

The Chronicles of Narnia1988

BBC's adaptation has the same earnest, slightly creaky charm—a magical world accessed through a portal, children as heroes, and a great villain. It's faithful to the text and captures the lonely grandeur of fantasy literature from this era.

But The special effects are visibly low-budget even by 1988 standards, and it moves at a deliberately theatrical pace that can feel static.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The BFG

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Witches1990

Same author, same year, same belief that children's stories should scare and delight in equal measure.

Also released in 1990, also adapted from Roald Dahl, also about a child in peril from magical beings—but here the tone is genuinely unsettling. Both films trust that darkness and whimsy can coexist, but this one leans much harder into the horror of it. Watch them back-to-back to see how Dahl's work can be interpreted two completely different ways.

But The makeup and practical creature effects are nightmarish in a way The BFG never is. If you're watching for comfort and warmth, this will wrong-foot you entirely.

Labyrinth1986

A girl must navigate a magical labyrinth filled with strange creatures and rules. Both films feature protagonists who grow through encountering fantastical worlds, and both are visual feasts created with tangible puppetry and practical effects.

But It's more surreal and darker in tone than The BFG, and David Bowie's presence can overshadow the story if you're not in the mood for '80s camp.

The Tale of Despereaux2008

An animated fairytale with similar Dahl-ish sensibility: a small, gentle hero in a world of larger, crueler characters. There's the same balance of sweetness and shadow, with lush animation and a story about goodness in dark places.

But It's a bit soft and saccharine in places, and the pacing drags in the middle section—not every scene earns its length.

The Dark Crystal1982

Jim Henson's dark puppet-fantasy is visually extraordinary and genuinely strange. Like The BFG, it creates a fully realized world of creatures and danger, but it goes far stranger and more unsettling, which adds texture to that sense of wonder.

But It's deliberately slow and meditative; if you want plot momentum, this isn't it. And some of the puppet design is genuinely grotesque in ways that might disturb young viewers.

Spirited Away2001

A girl enters a magical bathhouse and must navigate a world of spirits and strange rules to survive and help her parents. Studio Ghibli captures that same Dahl-like tone: whimsical, dangerous, and deeply imaginative, with animation that breathes.

But It's Japanese animation, so the pacing and storytelling rhythms are different from Western fantasy. Some viewers find it slow or confusing on a first watch.

Charlotte's Web2006

A gentle story about friendship between a pig and a spider, voiced by E.B. White's own words. It shares The BFG's warmth and belief in the power of words and kindness, with genuine emotional stakes beneath the sweetness.

But It's deliberately sentimental and quiet; there's minimal plot conflict, and if you need action or excitement, this will feel like it drags.

The Secret of Roan Inish1994

A girl uncovers magical family secrets on an Irish island. It has the same lyrical, folktale quality as The BFG, with practical effects and a commitment to making the magical feel real and lived-in rather than glossy.

But It's slow, atmospheric, and deeply Irish in its sensibility; it won't appeal to anyone looking for conventional adventure or clear plot momentum.

The Tale of The Princess Kaguya2013

Both use animation to create fully realized worlds where displacement and wonder are inseparable. Both are about children learning that magic doesn't fix anything—it just makes the world bigger.

Studio Ghibli's hand-drawn masterpiece about a girl taken from her humble home and forced into an alien, glittering world. Like The BFG, it's about a gentle protagonist navigating a place where the rules are strange and the powerful don't always understand her. The animation is transcendent watercolor work.

But It's a Japanese film with subtitles, and it's meditative and lengthy—the pacing assumes patience and contemplation, not excitement. It also builds to a melancholic ending that rejects the fantasy altogether.

A Monster Calls2016

Both feature a benevolent magical creature whose role is to help a child survive loneliness through imagination and story. Both understand that the point isn't the magic—it's what the magic allows you to feel.

A boy dealing with his mother's illness is visited by a tree-monster who tells him dark, beautiful stories. It looks nothing like The BFG—it's live-action and modern—but it captures the same alchemy: a fantastical being arriving to help a lonely child process something too big to handle alone. Grief and magic braided together.

But It's explicitly about parental death and is emotionally devastating in a way children's fantasy usually avoids. If you're watching The BFG for escapism, this will undo that entirely.