Film Reviews

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023) and Three More — a delightful confection of short films

Wes Anderson’s four shorts adapting the stories of Roald Dahl…

The meticulously crafted worlds of Wes Anderson are delightfully whimsical and globally renowned for their distinctiveness — making them the perfect setting for Roald Dahl’s subversive humour, evocative imagery, and eccentric characters. In his stop-motion animation Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Anderson brought audiences and fans of the author to a rapturous childlike state, but his relationship with the Dahl estate didn’t end with that beloved portrayal of the Fox family.

After securing rights to 1977’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More from Dahl’s daughter and grandson, Anderson teamed up with Netflix to release four short film adaptations. And these stories are the ultimate marriage of Wes Anderson’s distinct aesthetic and Dahl’s garrulous storytelling.