RUBY BARNHILL

MARY AND THE WITCH'S FLOWER (2018)
Starring Hana Sugisaki, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Kate Winslet, Ruby Barnhill, Jim Broadbent and Ewen Bremner. Directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi.

Mary, bored and lonely while spending the summer with her great aunt, follows an odd cat into the nearby woods. There she stumbles upon flowers imbued with a magical juice that transforms Mary’s humble little broomstick. Whisking her above the clouds, the broomstick takes her to a secret place where she finds Endor College – a school of magic! At Endor, Mary discovers that all is not as it seems – there are experiments that horrify! All too soon she confronts great danger – and a life-changing choice.

REVIEWS Mary And The Witch's Flower - More magic required

THE BFG (2016)
Starring Ruby Barnhill, Mark Rylance, Rebecca Hall, Jemaine Clement, Bill Hader, Penelope Wilton, Marilyn Norry, Chris Shields, Matt Frewer and Geoffrey Wade. Directed by Steven Spielberg.

The BFG, while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler and Fleshlumpeater on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realise that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams. Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows, but Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary, that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.

REVIEWS The BFG - A joyous, gentle and beautiful children's classic