Prepare to be shocked, because Netflix’s The Twits is not your typical feel-good family animation. Instead, it’s a boldly bizarre, beautifully grotesque dive into the twisted world of Twitlandia—a decaying amusement park dripping with grime, rigged with deadly rides, and ruled by the most despicable couple you’ll ever love to hate. But here’s where it gets controversial: Is this the kind of 'family' entertainment we’ve been waiting for, or has it gone too far? Let’s find out.
Directed by Phil Johnston, the mastermind behind Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia, alongside co-directors Katie Shanahan and Todd Kunjan Demong, this film reimagines Roald Dahl’s shortest and strangest tale as a full-blown animated adventure. Johnston describes it as ‘more inspired by than adapted from’ the source material, and that’s where the magic—and the mischief—begin.
‘The book is just 76 pages,’ Johnston told Cartoon Brew ahead of its October 17 release. ‘It’s a series of sketches of the Twits being awful to each other and to animals. The challenge was taking these two hilariously hateful characters and building an entire world around them.’ And what a world it is—a maximalist collage of stolen junk, from refrigerators to entire trucks, that feels both disgustingly alive and oddly captivating.
And this is the part most people miss: Beneath the chaos, The Twits is a modern morality tale. Voiced by Margo Martindale and Johnny Vegas, Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the epitome of cruelty, yet their rise to power in the city sets the stage for a battle of wits between them and two brave orphans, backed by a family of magical animals. It’s classic Dahl—sharp, naughty, and unapologetically real. ‘It’s a story for our times,’ Johnston says, ‘about cruelty and empathy, and how we can fight one with the other.’
But don’t expect a Disney-fied version of Dahl’s dark humor. After years at Disney, Johnston was ready to push boundaries. ‘I could never have made this movie there,’ he admits. ‘Netflix let me flex stranger muscles, darker ambitions, and blend highbrow themes with lowbrow comedy. It’s like we made a strange baby, and I’m still surprised they’re releasing it.’
This film also marks the first major project in Netflix’s Roald Dahl storytelling universe, following their 2021 acquisition of the Dahl estate. Here’s the controversial question: Will this become a Marvel-style cinematic universe, or will each filmmaker get to interpret Dahl’s work in their own unique way? Johnston leans toward the latter, celebrating the freedom to explore Dahl’s ‘naughty and sharp-edged’ tone through animation, live-action, and everything in between.
Visually, the film is a masterpiece of the grotesque. Production designer Rémi Savva and the team had to create a world that’s ‘ugly, but cinematically attractive.’ Their solution? Lean into the chaos. The Twits’ house, for example, is lit by walls of stolen televisions and built from a hodgepodge of junk. ‘It’s disgusting, but also kind of beautiful,’ Johnston says. ‘I wanted it to feel alive, like a living, moaning creature.’
The character designs are equally striking. Mrs. Twit isn’t just a hag—she’s a frustrated performer, a diva who never made it. Her upright triangular shape contrasts with Mr. Twit’s inverse design, all beard, belly, and spindly legs. ‘The shapes tell you who they are,’ Johnston notes. ‘He’s sprawled out, unconcerned. She’s sharp and ambitious.’
Amidst all the filth, there’s warmth too, especially in the orphanage scenes, painted in gentle pastels. ‘Dahl’s world is mean, and kids are small in it,’ Johnston says. ‘But they find family—people who choose to love them. That theme of found family was really important.’
Behind the scenes, the collaboration between Johnston, Shanahan, and Demong was seamless. ‘Todd’s great with action, Katie’s brilliant with emotion,’ Johnston says. ‘We were totally in sync.’ Even when the project shifted from a limited series to a feature film mid-production, the team rallied with the motto ‘Twits Not Dead Yet.’
So, is The Twits a small-screen film? Johnston doesn’t think so. ‘I wish everyone could see it on a huge screen,’ he says. ‘It’s packed with detail, but the heart of it—that mix of comedy, horror, and empathy—should come through anywhere.’
Here’s the final thought-provoking question: Is The Twits Netflix’s strangest animated gamble, or is it a bold return to Dahl’s unapologetically weird and real storytelling? Let us know in the comments. As Johnston puts it, ‘It’s a strange baby. But it’s ours.’
