We’re Still Fighting Over This Ranking of Roald Dahl Movies

Steven Spielberg's adaptation of The BFG, out this weekend, is the 10th film based on a children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. Though they’re not typically blockbuster successes, movies based on Dahl’s works often become cult classics. And since he's created so many beloved characters and stories, there's always an argument over which Dahl film adaptation is the best. So we decided to rank them once and for all. (Yes, we had an, ahem, animated discussion while it was happening.) We know what you're thinking: There's only one choice for the top spot and it has a division of Nestlé named after it. But we're taking into account all of Dahl's stylistic strengths—social commentary, plucky child leads, dark comedy, etc.—and judging the films adapted from his books not on how well one element stands above the rest, but how they complement each other. Also, we restricted the list to just include movies adapted from Dahl's novels for children, eliminating his screenplays and films based on his writing for adults. But that still leaves an indelible list of wonderful stories to grade. Here's each Dahl adaptation—from the worst to the best.