Entertainment

Sophie Steals The Show In 'The BFG' Full Trailer

by Courtney Lindley

A 24 foot tall giant with extraordinary hearing does not sound like the stuff of childhood dreams, but if you grew up loving Roald Dahl's The BFG, you would strongly disagree with that statement. Thankfully for you, Disney has decided to take another stab at an adaptation of the beloved character — and this time with Steven Spielberg on board. The full trailer for The BFG (stands for "Big Friendly Giant" in case you're out of the loop) features the affable giant, his home, his snozzcumber's, and even his dream horn. Though all of those things are great and certainly pulling at my nostalgic heart strings, the giant isn't what's getting me excited for this film. It's the young female protagonist at the helm of the story, Sophie.

The newest BFG trailer begins with a recap of what we've already seen in the teaser trailer from a few months ago. It's narrated by Sophie, played wonderfully by newcomer Ruby Barnhill. Sophie discusses something called "the witching hour" — an hour when apparently, the "boogie man comes out." But naturally, instead of the boogie man, the BFG shows up and takes Sophie with him to Giant Country.

Sophie seems (rightly) terrified as she asks the BFG "Where am I?" upon watching him slice a snozzcumber. She manages to put on a brave face shortly thereafter, as we see a close up of Sophie looking wondrously at the fantastical elements of Giant Country. It's a gorgeous shot that hints at the powers of her upcoming journey.

That same sense of wonder can be seen throughout Sophie's expressions in the The BFG's trailer, and it's refreshing to witness a young girl be presented as both cautious and brave. "Why did you take me?" she finally asks the giant toward the end of the spot. He replies, "Because I hear your lonely heart," but I can't help feeling a sense that there's something deeper going on for me as a viewer, watching this girl take the lead on such an adventure.

Maybe it's because ,while Roald Dahl's novels have female protagonists, we haven't seen an adaptation of one of them since 1996's Matilda. The BFG's Sophie seems to be of the same nature. Valorous, but kind. Innocent, but fearless. For little — and even adult — girls who yearn to identify with the characters they see on screen, I can't imagine anyone will be disappointed by a character like Sophie. Watch her and all her magic in the trailer below, and catch The BFG out in theaters on July 1 2016.

Images: Disney; Disney Movie Trailers/YouTube