The Japanese have never really warmed to the stories of Roald Dahl, with the exception of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Even then, they're probably not thinking of Dahl, it's more about Johnny Depp and the Wonka Chocolate bars sold at most high-end supermarkets around Valentine's and Christmas.
Now, after the crop of summer blockbusters have come and gone, Walt Disney Japan has chosen the September Silver Week holidays to release "The BFG," one of Dahl's internationally lesser-known stories.
In the hands of another director — Alejandro Inarritu, for example — "The BFG" potentially could have wound up as a terrifying, PG-13 horror: it is, after all, about a kidnapped little girl surrounded by carnivorous giants. But never fear — it's directed by Steven Spielberg, who co-wrote the screenplay with Melissa Mathison of "E.T." fame." BFG" has all the ingredients needed for it to recreate that magical Hollywood bond between a child and a fantastical creature — or at least that's what the media has been led to believe.