Netflix (via Toonado.com) has unveiled a first official look at its upcoming animated take on one of Roald Dahl's slightly more obscure - and definitely a little stranger - novels, The Twits, the idea for which the legendary children's writer reportedly conceived due to his hatred of beards!
We had no idea this project was even in-development, but this will mark the first time this tale has ever been adapted for the screen (there have been several stage shows).
The image spotlights the horrendous Mr. and Mrs. Twit, who have been reimagined as the owners and operators of an amusement park called Twitlandia.
In Dahl's book, the titular pair are retired circus trainers who keep a family of pet monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, who they attempt to cruelly train by forcing them to stand on their heads for hours on end. The Twits are hideous, vindictive, spiteful people who live together in a brick house without windows, and continuously play nasty practical jokes on each other.
The animated film was co-directed and produced by Zootopia and Wreck-It Ralph scribe Phil Johnston, who also wrote the screenplay alongside Meg Favreau. Katie Shanahan (Milo Murphy's Law) and Todd Demong (How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World) also share directing credits.
"I’ve always been attracted to reprehensible characters," Johnston tells the streamer. "I don’t know what this says about me, and I really don’t want to look into it. Point is, The Twits was my favorite book when I was a kid. I love the Twits and their terrible tricks. I love that they lack self-awareness and personal hygiene and any inkling of human decency. And I love this movie because it reminds us that twits like the Twits, whose default emotions are anger and vengeance, can’t be allowed to win in our world."
This is just one of several planned adaptations of Dahl’s work for Netflix. Others include Wes Anderson’s live-action short The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and an animated retelling of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Check out the image at the link below, along with a synopsis.
"This story follows Mr. and Mrs. Twit — who are the miserable owners of a dangerous amusement park — and their meteoric rise to power in their town. The Twits’ takeover leads to an ongoing conflict between them, two children, and a community of magical animals who are determined to stop them."
The Twits has not been given an official release date, but is not scheduled to premiere on Netflix until 2025.