Roald Dahl Retrospective Episode 1: The BFG (1989) vs. The BFG (2016)

In the premiere episode of the Roald Dahl Retrospective, Patricia
and Arun look back at all of the movie adaptations based on the
British children's book author Roald Dahl in honor of the
upcoming remake of The Witches in October 2020. The first
adaptation they cover is a bit out of order and unorthodox
looking at both adaptations of the 1982 book of The BFG. One is
done by the British animation studio Cosgrove Hall in 1989 and
the other is done by Disney and directed by Steven Spielberg in
2016.  Both versions are about a little orphaned girl named
Sophie who is kidnapped by a giant after seeing him wandering
around London in the middle of the night. Not wanting to be
discovered by humans, the giant takes Sophie into his home in
Giant Country where he tells her that she will stay with him
forever. The giant is luckily a friendly giant who protects her
from the other giants who eat humans. One day, a giant wanders
around London kidnapping and eating children and Sophie comes up
with an idea to stop them once and for all.  


The 1989 Cosgrove Hall version was received with positive reviews
in the box office making 3 million pounds ($3.7 million dollars)
and is one of the few adaptations Roald Dahl himself loved. It
was said that after the credits rolled, he gave a standing
ovation to the film. The movie was unknown for most countries
until it was released on VHS and DVD years later. It has since
become a cult classic. The live action 2016 Disney version made
over $180 million dollars out of a $140 million budget and
received mostly mixed to positive reviews. Which version is
better? Listen and find out.