How Sainsbury’s Brought the BFG Back This Christmas

Sainsbury’s has established itself as a craft heavyweight in the Christmas advertising landscape, becoming known for creating impressive worlds and memorable characters. This year was no different, with the supermarket chain reviving and expanding the BFG-centred universe it introduced last year. The brand team saw an opportunity to deepen the world, drawing further on Roahl Dahl’s imagination and reaffirming the belief that festive magic needs to feel handmade and real.

“Last year, we absolutely loved introducing the BFG into the Christmas ad and people had a real fondness for him as a character,” says Stephen Bowes, head of brand communications at Sainsbury’s. “We kept hearing how nicely the BFG and Sainsbury's came together, so it felt like an idea worth returning to. And moving into a second chapter let us build richer and deeper integration across the brand, even down to our clothing ranges.”

What followed was a collaborative, craft-led production between New Commercial Arts, Rogue director Sam Brown, and Electric Theatre Collective, who worked together to create a nostalgic, stop-motion-inspired world reminiscent of Roald Dahl’s writing and perfectly encapsulating the Christmas spirit.

The BFG Pays Off

NCA’s original brief was deceptively simple: to prove that Sainsbury’s has Christmas “covered”, no matter what festive chaos arises.

“Our approach was to ask what that surprise might be in a world that includes the BFG,” ask NCA creative directors, Brad Woolf and Dan Bailey. “Before long, we had a 48-foot-tall giant hoovering up turkeys with a giant duct pipe.”

“But after last year’s ad was released, it became clear very quickly that people loved seeing the BFG back on our screens,” they add. “He’s such a natural fit with Sainsbury’s. We wanted to see what else from The BFG’s rich and colourful world it would be fun to explore.”

A defining – but often overlooked – feature of Sainsbury’s campaigns is its commitment to casting genuine colleagues. This year, that meant selecting Annie, who works in-store by day and stepped into a five-day shoot as the campaign’s protagonist.

“Annie was just phenomenal,” says Stephen. “We’re privileged and lucky to have talented colleagues like Annie, who work hard in store but then can turn up on-set. And she bounced off the giants really well.”

This decision reflects Sainsbury’s long-standing promise to put colleagues at the heart of its advertising – something it does across all of its brand campaigns – and it brought an extra layer of magic to the set.

Devil’s in the detail

The story also introduced a new character, the Greedy Giant, a guileless, overgrown child with a ravenous appetite not for “Human Beans”, but for Christmas food, putting Sainsbury’s seasonal supply at risk.

For this second chapter, bringing the original team was a no-brainer. Sam Brown had shot the first film, and Brad and Dan recognised his appreciation for the BFG’s world. Bringing back Electric Theatre Collective was also obvious, so they could seamlessly pick things up again.
“We kept up a constant dialogue with both the team at Electric and Sam, as we all wanted to see even more of the BFG’s unique charm and personality in this year’s film,” adds Brad & Dan.

They also partnered closely with the Roald Dahl Story Company to honour Dahl’s legacy at every stage of the new giant’s development.

“The other giants are such a significant part of the original book, we always thought they might make an appearance,” Brad and Dan say, “Once Dan and Steve (who wrote the script) gave one of them an appetite for delicious Christmas food, rather than the more traditional ‘Human Beans’ the story was there.”

“He started as a series of playful sketches – an exploration of how a new character could fit into Roald Dahl’s BFG. Familiar, but with his own characteristics,” says David Bryan, animation director at Electric Theatre Collective . “Sam wanted him towering and impressive, but relatable, full of character. We worked collaboratively during the early concept stages, bouncing around ideas about his proportions, silhouette, and the physicality of his gluttony.”

Drawing from classic stop-motion villains and mid-century puppetry, the Greedy Giant was designed to feel tactile and intentionally imperfect, yet still feeling realistic – using “as little CGI as possible”, says Sam.

The Greedy Giant required a different energy than the BFG. “More indulgent visually,” says David. While the BFG is graceful and whimsical, the Greedy Giant is boisterous and childlike. The contrast was important.

“It was imperative that The BFG and the Greedy Giant felt connected and part of the same world,” adds Iain, VFX supervisor. “A lot of this came naturally through the stop-frame behaviours we built in – subtle kinks of fabric, the appearance of scratches and scuffs on surfaces, and the irregular, staccato-like jumps between animated frames. They needed to feel as though they were crafted and animated by the same people – tactile and handmade, yet each with their own undeniable characteristics.”

But building a heavier and larger giant posed new challenges – especially during the shoot.

“He’s a big boy,” says Iain, “Significantly larger than The BFG and probably ten times the weight, especially after he’s gobbled the whole shop! This presented real challenges in framing and composition. We planned every detail meticulously, using augmented reality to visualise both giants in each scene – and understand their relationship to Annie.”

Nostalgia at Christmas

After developing character traits, the team built a BFG puppet and created stop-frame reference sequences. The idea of puppet-scale characters recreated on a massive scale carried across from last year’s ad , with the Greedy Giant based on a model that’s only four feet tall.

“A good Christmas ad is like putting on a new pair of slippers, the shape and texture might be a bit different, but the feeling is familiar,” says director Sam. “NCA kept the warmth of last year’s effort, but injected a bit more humour, action and silliness.”

Sam’s commitment to in-camera solutions also helped to preserve the magic.

“I’m always looking to see how we can create warmth between characters with simple physical interactions,” he says. “Like when Annie holds the BFG’s hand or sits on his knee. We’ll build a full-size hand or knee for her to sit on, then replace it in CGI. Just because you can do something in post doesn’t mean you should.”

“Bringing The BFG back at Christmas is a wonderful reminder of the power of imagination and craftsmanship,” muses David. “In an age when VFX can achieve almost anything, it’s been a real joy to embrace a visual approach that radiates such warmth and nostalgia. It’s a beautiful example of how modern CG and traditional artistry can come together to create something truly timeless.”

Festive Collaborations

Introducing the Greedy Giant shifted the scale of the shoot, requiring Electric to rethink the film’s composition.

“The arrival of a brand-new Giant completely shifted the sense of scale,” says David. “Suddenly, the BFG felt small and delicate. It was crucial he still felt monumental. In one shot, a towering BFG stands in the foreground while the Greedy Giant is conked out in a Sainsbury’s car park, surrounded by heaps of food, trolleys, and clever lighting. It gave him a more commanding presence.”

“What does this mean for the VFX community?” ask David and Iain. “Everything. It doesn’t get any better than this – a creature project that combines traditional VFX with puppetry and stop-frame animation. This is the pinnacle of what we set out to do. What really makes it special, though, is the creative partnership between NCA, Rogue, and Electric. Everyone brings their expertise and passion to the table to produce the very best work. Now, where are those mince pies?”

NCA’s creatives knew they were building on a legacy: “But you can’t really let that affect your decision making on the job,” they say. “We just made the choices that best served the story.”