SWEET NEWS: WONKA COMING TO HOME VIDEO SOON

Experience the magical origin of the world’s most famous chocolatier when “Wonka” debuts for purchase and rental Digitally at home on January 30. On January 30, “Wonka” will be available for early Premium Digital Ownership at home for $24.99 and for 48-hour rental via PVOD for $19.99 SRP on participating digital platforms where you purchase or rent movies, including Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, and more. On February 27, “Wonka” will be available to own on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD from online and physical retailers. “Wonka” will also continue to be available to own in high definition and standard definition from participating digital retailers. 

Based on the extraordinary, iconic character at the center of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how a young chocolate-maker, armed with nothing but a hatful of dreams, manages to change the world, one delectable bite at a time. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, as he becomes the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker.

"Wonka" is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America [MPAA] for some violence, mild language and thematic elements. The feature presentation has a runtime of 116 minutes. Bonus content on the home video release of "Wonka" includes:

Unwrapping Wonka: Paul King’s Vision 

Revered director P aul King takes you on a deep dive into his experience adapting the beloved story of Wonka.

The Whimsical Music of Wonka 

Composer Joby Talbot and songwriter Neil Hannon take you into the studio to illuminate the craft behind the wondrous songs of the film. 

Welcome to Wonka Land 

Production designer Nathan Crowley and the rest of the “ Wonka ” crew discuss creating the magical sets that transport audiences to the worlds of the film. 

Hats Off to Wonka

Costume designer Lindy Hemming breaks down the inspiration and intention behind each of the character’s wonderful costumes. 

Wonka’s Chocolatier 

Chocolatier Gabriella Cugno provides an in - depth look at the creatin of the beautiful chocolates seen in “ Wonka".

WONKA

I grew up loving the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder and Peter Ostrum. The Roald Dahl novel the movie is based on was also a beloved book that I read a number of times during my childhood. So, my inner kid is geeked that a new movie, WONKA, is being released from Warner Bros. Pictures that explores Willy Wonka's early life and how he started the Chocolate Factory. 

WONKA arrives at movie theaters on December 15, 2023. Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.

   

From Paul King, writer/director of the “Paddington” films, David Heyman, producer of “Harry Potter,” “Gravity,” “Fantastic Beasts” and “Paddington,” and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the “Paddington” films, “Jurassic World: Dominion”) and Luke Kelly (“Roald Dahl’s The Witches”), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible. 

Starring alongside Chalamet are Calah Lane (“The Day Shall Come”), Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key (“The Prom,” “Schmigadoon”), Paterson Joseph (“Vigil,” “Noughts + Crosses”), Matt Lucas (“Paddington,” “Little Britain”), Mathew Baynton (“The Wrong Mans,” “Ghosts”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water,” the “Paddington” films, “Spencer”), Rowan Atkinson (the “Johnny English” and “Mr. Bean” films, “Love Actually”), Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”), with Oscar winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite,” “The Lost Daughter”) and Hugh Grant (“Paddington 2,” “A Very English Scandal”). The film also stars Natasha Rothwell (“White Lotus,” “Insecure”), Rich Fulcher (“Marriage Story,” “Disenchantment”), Rakhee Thakrar (“Sex Education,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Tom Davis (“Paddington 2,” “King Gary”) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (“Paddington 2,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Mary Poppins Returns”). 

While Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has inspired movies did you know that there is a sequel book by Roald Dahl that hasn't been made into a film? I remember being delighted by this second book as a kid as well. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator is available on amazon.com and if you appreciate Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory you should check it out. 

Last seen flying through the sky in a giant elevator in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie Bucket's back for another adventure. In Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, when the giant elevator picks up speed, Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the gang are sent hurtling through space and time. Visiting a space hotel, battling the dreaded Vermicious Knids, and saving the world are only a few stops along this remarkable, intergalactic joyride. Would you be interested in seeing a Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator movie? Are you planning on seeing WONKA on the big screen? That is a YES to both of those questions for me! 

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Roald Dahl's THE BFG -- the animated movie

 ** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review **

This year The Roald Dahl Literary Estate is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of the beloved children's book author who gave the world with wonderful stories such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and The BFG, with Roald Dahl Day on September 13, 2016.  Joining in the celebration PBS has recently released a digitally restored version of the 1989 animated movie, ROALD DAHL'S THE BFG on DVD.  This cartoon version of the popular children's book would be a nice to treat to include in your family's own Roald Dahl Day party or a similarly themed event at a school or your local public library.  To help you join in this year's worldwide celebration of the author's life on September 13th, a FREE downloadable party pack is available to download from the official Roald Dahl website.  Pick up a copy of ROALD DAHL'S THE BFG from the Shop PBS online store and download the Roald Dahl Day party pack to host your own fun event.

In ROALD DAHL'S THE BFG, little orphan Sophie is snatched from her bed one moonlit night by a giant who whisks her away on a magical, thrilling, and funny adventure.  Unlike scary giants, the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is a good giant who blows sweet dreams into the bedroom windows of children as they slumber.  When Sophie learns that a monstrous band of not so nice giants is off to England to gobble up innocent boys and girls, she sets out to stop them once and for all with the help of her new, rather large, friend.


If you grew up enjoying Hanna-Barbara cartoons on Saturday morning television like I did, this heart warming animated movie will bring back memories of those types of cartoons which aren't as common anymore. Parents can enjoy this cartoon experience with their kids by watching this film together.  Produced by British animation studio Cosgrove Hall, the UK's equivalent of Hanna-Barbara for children's programming, the fantastic world of Roald Dahl comes to life in this classic animated feature about the amazing power of friendship between a little girl and a big-hearted Giant.  My kids really enjoyed spending an evening munching popcorn while watching this family friendly movie on the living room television set with Mom and Dad.

In addition to the re-released movie, the DVD also includes a never-before-seen Roald Dahl documentary.  In the documentary, Roald Dahl talks about several of the well-known books he has written including The BFG, The Witches and Matilda.  It also includes excerpts from these books read by renowned British stage and voiceover actor Sir Michael Hordern.  By purchasing this entertaining movie from Shop PBS you are also supporting PBS ability to provide interesting and informative television programming as the proceeds support America's largest public media enterprise.

The BFG -- Movie Review + Coloring Sheets

This year marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Roald Dahl, the author who has delighted generations of children with books such as Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Matilda.  Of all the wonderful stories that Dahl wrote before he passed away in 1990, his personal favorite was The BFG, which tells the tale of a ten-year-old orphan and her encounter with a big friendly giant.  Making his directing debut for Walt Disney Studios, Steven Spielberg has created a movie adaption of The BFG that is a touching tribute to the beloved children's author during this special commemorative year celebrating his life.  My son was exuberant about going to see The BFG and he obviously was not disappointed in the film as he left the theater with a GIANT smile on his face.  To share his jubilation with our A Geek Daddy readers please enjoy these fun The BFG coloring pages:



The movie begins with a young orphan named Sophia lurking around her orphanage alone during the "witching hour" late at night after everyone else has fallen asleep.  Peaking out a window she notices a large, cloaked shadow blowing what appears to be a trumpet into a second story window down the street.  The shadowy figure notices he is being watched and suddenly gigantic fingers pluck the girl from the window of her orphanage bedroom.  Afraid that this little girl will tell adults of what she saw which will lead to them hunting down the creature, Sophia is smuggled away to Giant Land.  While initially afraid that her giant captor will eat her for dinner, she soon finds out that he is a Big Friendly Giant (BFG) who doesn't eat children but rather subsists through eating a foul smelling, nasty looking vegetable known as a snozzcumber.  Though BFG's Gobblefunk language may be a bit odd, Sophia discovers the giant to be a gentle, kind soul who strives to improve children's lives during his visits to the land of humankind.



Unfortunately for Sophia, the other inhabitants of Giant Country love to eat children and soon catch wind of her scent.  As they seek her out, Sophia witnesses BFG's brothers bully and brutalize him as the runt of their band of giants.  Plus Sophia learns that while BFG visits London and the other cities where humans live to blow dreams into sleeping children's heads with his magical trumpet, Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater, and other ferocious giants roam the world secretly snatching children in the dark of night to eat.  She comes up with a plan to ask the Queen of England for help in combating the brutish giants.  Can Sophia and BFG convince Queen Victoria to help them stop the bad giants from eating children once and for all?

Grade school children will definitely enjoy Disney's The BFG because Spielberg faithfully transforms Dahl's text from a book which has captivated young readers for more than 30 years to maintain the ambiance which has made it one of the most popular school age reading books of all time.  The movie is like watching the imagery from a grade school book pop out of its pages and play out in front of you and does a remarkable job of incorporating elements of The BFG's original illustrations by Quentin Blake into the film's live action sequences.  A nice touch to the movie is that it is set in 1982 which is the year the book was published.  Can you notice the details in the movie which highlight the era in which the story is set?

I'm not normally a big fan of 3D movies but The BFG is one that is worth wearing the glasses to see at the theater.  The 3D really helps subtly provide depth to the elements and special effects in a story where height and size play a crucial role in its plot.  The 3D doesn't provide any mind-blowing visual effects but it does enhance the overall viewing experience.

The BFG is rated PG.  The rating is due to younger audiences potentially being sensitive to a dream sequence involving a giant eating a child, scenes with the band of giants beating up and bullying BFG, scenes with the brutish giants searching for Sophia so they can eat her, and references to the bad giants stealing and eating children from around the world.  I would recommend the movie for children 6 to 12 years old which is the same audience for the book.  Younger children could be scared by some scenes and some teens and adults could be bored by the film which is based on a book meant for kids to read.  If your child enjoys Roald Dahl books, and you liked reading them yourself as a kid, this movie is well worth going to see.

The BFG has a run time of 117 minutes and began playing at movie theaters across the United States on July 1, 2016.  For more information on the movie, visit movies.disney.com/the-bfg.  Also visit, roalddahl.com for more information about the author and the Roald Dahl 100th Anniversary Celebration.

The BFG - Activity Sheets + Fun Facts

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and James and the Giant Peach were three of my favorite books to read in grade school and I read each of them multiple times during my youth.  So I'm excited the story by their author that was his favorite published work, "The BFG" has been made into a motion picture by Walt Disney Studios directed by Steven Spielberg. "The BFG" tells the tale of a ten-year-old orphan and her encounter with a big friendly giant and their battle with his brutish brothers in Giant Country. To share my excitement about The BFG arriving at theaters across the USA on July 1, 2016 here are some fun activity sheets and fun facts related to the movie.



FUN FACTS

Roald Dahl's "The BFG" was first published in 1982, the same year as Steven Spielberg's own story about an unusual and transformative friendship, "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial," captured the hearts and imaginations of children and adults.  Melissa Mathison wrote the screenplays for both films.

The BFG is 24 feet tall.  The biggest giant in Giant Country is Fleshlumpeater who is twice as big as the BFG.  If NBA basketball player Lebron James, a forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers who is 6 feet 8 inches tall was standing next to Fleshlumpeater, he would come up to his ankle.

Roald Dahl was exceptionally tall himself, measuring 6 feet, 6 inches in height. 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of Dahl's birth. "The BFG" was Roald Dahl's favorite of all his stories and was originally created as a bedtime story for his grandchildren.  The character Sophie was named after his granddaughter and based upon his daughter Olivia who died at 7 years old from the measles.

Production on "The BFG" was a combination of live action and performance capture (the performance capture techniques were used to bring the story's fantastical characters to life).  Director Steven Spielberg filmed individuals in their performance capture suits acting on the same set with the film's totally human characters as he wanted to see the interaction between them.

ACTIVITY SHEETS 







The BFG is rated PG and has a run time of 117 minutes. It began playing at movie theaters across the United States on July 1, 2016.  For more information on the movie, visit movies.disney.com/the-bfg.

Disney brings Roald Dahl's children's novel THE BFG to the big screen

Four of my favorite children's books growing up were James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory plus its lesser know sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator written by British author Roald Dahl. During his lifetime, Dahl wrote numerous books for both young audiences and adults that have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide and additionally wrote the movie screen plays for 1967's James Bond: You Only Live Twice, 1968's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and 1971's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory based upon his popular book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 2016 would have been the 100th birthday of the author who passed away in 1990.  In a touching tribute to the centennial anniversary of the author's life, Walt Disney Pictures is releasing on July 1, 2016 a movie adaption of a children's book Dahl wrote in 1982 titled The BFG that he had written in dedication to his daughter Olivia who had died at the age of seven from measles encephalitis.



The BFG - short for BIG FRIENDLY GIANT - tells the imaginative story of a young girl and a Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.  In this film directed by Steven Spielberg, a young orphaned girl in London named Sophie sees a mysterious figure outside her bedroom window and slips out of the orphanage to check it out.  Sophia encounters the Big Friendly Giant (BFG) who explains that he nightly travels the Earth blowing dreams into the bedrooms of children and then transports the young girl with him to Giant Country where he shows her the wonders and perils of his homeland.

While initially scared of BFG, the 10-year old girl soon realizes that the Giant is actually quite gentle and charming.  BFG refuses to eat people and primarily eats a foul-tasting vegetable known as snozzcumber to stay alive.  The same can't be said for Bloodbottler, Fleshlumpeater and the other inhabitants who reside in Giant Country that are twice as big and twice as scary as BFG and also have a particular taste for including children in their diet.  Sophie's presence in Giant Country entices these other giants to head to London to go upon a feeding frenzy.

BFG and Sophia head to London to head off the giants and warn the Queen of this precarious situation.  They must convince the Queen and her maid, Mary, that giants really do exist and come up with a plan to get rid of their threat once and for all.

I have to admit not having read The BFG before learning about the upcoming release of this new Disney film.  Based upon my fondness for Roald Dahl's other work and Steven Spielberg's great track record of creating tremendous motion pictures our family will absolutely be heading to the movie theater this summer to see The BFG.  We'll probably pick up a copy of Dahl's book after we've seen the movie to read with my kids and see how it compares to its film adaption.

For more information about Roald Dahl's children's books visit www.RoaldDahl.com which features a great "kids section" that includes a quiz on which Dahl children's character you most resemble ( I'm Willy Wonka! ), craft ideas, and interesting background information about all his books ranging from The Enormous Crocodile to Matilda.

For more information about Disney's The BFG, visit movies.disney.com/the-bfg