The BFG (2016) — PICK

Pete’s Dragon (2016) — PICK

It has been a good year for live-action/computer-generated (CG) family-film fantasy — and among the latest Blu-ray releases are two excellent ones about young orphans with giant fantastical friends. Both are slow, atmospheric tales that are more about mood and emotion than plot or action. I can easily imagine some viewers, adults and children, impatiently feeling like “nothing happens.” Others will watch entranced, grateful for something beyond typical mindless entertainment.

First, there’s Steven Spielberg’s The BFG, lovingly adapted from Roald Dahl’s story by E.T. screenwriter Melissa Mathison — a delightful romp about a young orphan named Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) who is plucked up from her London orphanage and carried off to Giant Country by what turns out to be a Big Friendly Giant (played via performance-capture by Mark Rylance).

The BFG is literally about dreams, which the BFG captures and bottles in jars and sometimes blows into children’s minds. Some are good dreams; others are scary dreams. And The BFG knows there’s a place for both. In keeping with this, there are other giants in Giant Country that are even bigger than the BFG — and not nearly so friendly.

Then there’s Pete’s Dragon, a soulful story of tragedy and friendship, with hints of E.T. and The Iron Giant.

It’s also about how magic, even the magic of imagination, enchants the world — and how “Just because you don’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not there.”

Bonus Pick: The Jungle Book is now streaming on Netflix.