Roald Dahl’s ‘The Twits’ Reimagined: A Timely Animated Film With a Twist

Roald Dahl's 'The Twits' has always captivated readers with its strange mix of revolting antics and bizarre humor. Now, Phil Johnston, acclaimed for penning popular children's films like Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia, brings us an animated version of the Dahl classic, complete with contemporary shades.

The film, co-directed by Todd Kunjan Demong and Katie Shanahan, updates the story to modern times and introduces new characters. The Major voice characters include Margo Martindale and Johnny Vegas as the despicable Twits; a cruel couple who torment each other and captivate monkeys, scaring locals, and concoct distasteful ideas of an amusement park.

Some new elements give the film a standard kid-movie vibe, including the introduction of two orphan characters, Beesha (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Bubsy (Ryan Lopez). Admittedly, the film's aesthetics fall short when compared to polished Disney or DreamWorks flicks, and it might appear somewhat passé in the realm of digitally animated films. However, the film's grittiness and rawness do justice to Dahl’s grim storytelling vision and appeal to a new generation enjoying the darker side of comedy.

What's intriguing is the film's political undertone. A city called Triperoot rallies around the Twits, sold on a false narrative of city rejuvenation. The Twits leverage this for their sinister business ventures. Beesha and Bubsy, the child heroes, set out to liberate the city from this delusion - a narrative reminiscent of political feuds in 2025 America.

With the first animation to allude to the collective disillusionment and the rise of dubious characters to power, 'The Twits' does astonishingly well to address this. Beyond familiar themes of belonging, chosen family, and empathy, the pointed political connection makes 'The Twits' rather unique. Alan Tudyk mesmerizes as an eccentric toad, and Natalie Portman and Veep’s Timothy Simons add flavor as Muggle-Wump monkeys. The film goes a step further, impressing viewers with endearing sentient hairballs.

While it initially appears easy to dismiss, the significant moral argument offered by 'The Twits’ puts it on a creative pedestal, making it an entertaining and thought-provoking watch.