Netflix has revealed the animated film The Twits – an animation adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book of the same name.
The film follows the story of Mr. and Mrs. Twit, the unpleasant owners of a perilous amusement park Twitlandia, as they swiftly rise to power in their town. When the Twits take control of their town, two courageous orphans team up with a family of magical animals, matching the Twits’ mischief with tricks of their own to save the city. The film is an entertaining adventure that also delivers a timely message about cruelty and compassion between the chaotic couple.
The film is set to release on the streaming platform on 17 October 2025 and written, directed, and produced by Academy Award nominee Phil Johnston (Ralph Breaks the Internet) and animated by Jellyfish Pictures (The Boss Baby, The Bad Guys). The other crew members of the film include co-directors Katie Shanahan and Todd Demong, producer Maggie Malone, producer Daisy West, and writer Meg Favreau.
The book adaptation has been translated into 41 languages and has sold 16 million copies globally and is set for an animated movie release on Netflix.
Speaking about the project Johnston remarked, “I’ve always been attracted to reprehensible characters. I don’t know what this says about me, and I really don’t want to look into it. 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 would be the first of Dahl’s works to be adapted as an animation on screen in a line up of other projects by Netflix of the author’s titles coming soon including an animated adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
David Byrne, the iconic musician and frontman of the legendary post-punk band Talking Heads, penned and produced three original tracks for the film “We’re Not Like Ev’ryone Else,” “Lullaby,” and “The Problem Is You.” All of these are performed by the cast of The Twits. Paramore’s lead vocalist Hayley Williams collaborated with Byrne as both co-writer and performer on the end-credits song, “Open the Door.”
The animated film features a voice cast, including Margo Martindale whose work also includes The Americans as Credenza Twit, Johnny Vegas (Ideal) as Jim Twit, Natalie Portman famously known for her lead role in Black Swan as Mary Muggle-Wump, Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) as Pippa, and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (Never Have I Ever) as Beesha Balti. They are joined by Ryan Lopez (Primos) as Bubsy Mulch, Jason Mantzoukas (The League) as Mayor Wayne John John-John, Timothy Simons (Nobody Wants This) as Marty Muggle-Wump, Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien) as The Sweet-Toed Toad, Nicole Byer (Nailed It!) as Beverly Onion, Mark Proksch (What We Do in the Shadows) as Horvis Dungle, Rebecca Wisocky (Ghosts) as Dee Dumdie-Dungle, and Charlie Berens (Green and Gold) as Gorb Klurb.
