‘The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar’ Review: Wes Anderson Squeezes Roald Dahl Into a Delightfully Tight Short

This has been a really productive year for Wes Anderson. This summer, we saw the filmmaker release his latest star-studded affair, “Asteroid City,” which got his fans very excited.

Lise Pedersen LYON, France — Four-time Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón and “Time Bandits” helmer Terry Gilliam will join a star director-studded lineup at this year’s Lumière Film Festival including Wes Anderson, Alexander Payne and Wim Wenders. Cuarón (“Roma,” “Gravity”) is returning to Lyon – where he was a guest of honor in 2018 – to present a selection of films by Swiss filmmaker Alain Tanner (“Charles Dead or Alive,” “The Salamander,” “Jonah Who Will Be 25 in the Year 2000”).

Oscar-nominated filmmaker Phil Johnston (Zootopia, Wreck-It Ralph) has adapted The Twits, the children’s novel penned by Roald Dahl in the 1980s, into an animated feature set to hit Netflix in 2025.  

Despite fears for the future of film in the new, seemingly disposable digital era, there are still many auteurs holding on out there in the modern movie landscape. For example, there’s Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan and even Michael Bay (for, as director Tarsem said of the latter’s work, “You may not like it, but you know who made it”). But few directors are as instantly recognizable as Wes Anderson. Nothing happens by accident in a Wes Anderson movie: the camera moves are perfectly choreographed — sideways tracking shots are a specialty — and the sets don’t even begin to aim for realism. Clothes are tailored, hair and makeup is scrutinized all the way down to lipstick and nail polish, and music is key, creating a subtle, sometimes melancholy and always wholly effective emotional backdrop.

With the weather suddenly turning gloomy and winter not all that far away, we all need a little pick-me-up from time-to-time.

Netflix has released the first trailer for Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar – check it out below.Based on the short story by Roald Dahl, the upcoming short film follows wealthy man Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch) who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes, a skill Sugar then sets out to master in order to cheat at gambling.Other cast members include Ralph Fiennes as Roald Dahl, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend and Richard Ayoade.It’s one of four short films arriving on Netflix later this month based on Dahl’s works. Following The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar on September 27, Anderson’s other three shorts include Swan (September 28), The Ratcatcher (September 29) and Poison (September 30).The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar is written, directed and co-produced by Anderson.

Welcome back to the whimsical world of Roald Dahl.

Sophia Scorziello editor Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a rich London bachelor in the trailer for Wes Anderson’s upcoming short film “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” Adapted from a collection of short stories, titled “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More,” by acclaimed children’s fiction writer Roald Dahl, Anderson’s film premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival this year — prompting a four-minute ovation — and will release on Netflix on Sept. 27. “It’s hard to say whether Wes Anderson’s sensibility is perfectly suited to that of Roald Dahl or the other way around,” wrote Peter Debruge in his review out of Venice.

How far would you go to win every bet?  Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Henry Sugar in “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.” The short film, based on a Roald Dahl story, sees a rich man seek his own rewards over doing the right thing; in the process, he seeks out a guru who may give him a gambling advantage.

Earlier this year, Wes Anderson released the highly-anticipated film, “Asteroid City.” That film had a fancy festival debut and earned rave reviews, placing the filmmaker in his familiar awards season territory. But “Asteroid City” isn’t the only Anderson project coming to screens this year.

As is the case every year, September remains a notable film month mainly because so many overlapping and concurrent film festivals are taking place. As Venice, Telluride, and the Toronto International Film Festival begin and come to a close, with others such as Fantastic Fest and the New York Film Festival upcoming, there’s plenty on the horizon for exciting films even if they won’t be playing theatrically, for a few months.

Naman Ramachandran London’s National Theatre has unveiled the complete ensemble cast for Roald Dahl’s “The Witches,” a co-production with the Roald Dahl Story Company. The stage musical is directed by Lyndsey Turner (“The Crucible”), features book and lyrics by Olivier Award-winner Lucy Kirkwood (“Mosquitoes”) along with music and lyrics by Tony Award nominee Dave Malloy (“Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”). Based on the 1983 novel by Dahl, the musical follows an English boy and his Norwegian grandmother in a world where child-hating societies of witches secretly exist in every country.

Kylie Minogue is keeping us dancing all year long.

Wes Anderson fans were surprised when the filmmaker revealed earlier this summer that his upcoming Netflix project “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” is only 37 minutes long. But there’s a good reason for its short length.

Wes Anderson has revealed that his next feature film project will be simpler in terms of its production scale and with a more compact cast, after his ensemble works The French Dispatch and Asteroid City.

Wes Anderson fans were surprised when the filmmaker revealed earlier this summer that his upcoming Netflix project “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” is only 37 minutes long. But there’s a good reason for its short length.

Actor, producer and director Luca Barbareschi is at the Venice Film Festival this year as one the main representatives of Roman Polanski’s new film The Palace.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director The fall movie season officially begins with the Labor Day holiday weekend, but it’s one of summer’s biggest blockbusters that’s set to dominate streaming this September. That would be Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” starring Halle Bailey as Ariel. The film earned a mighty $297 million at the domestic box office over the summer, while its worldwide gross tapped out at the $569 million mark.

British author Roald Dahl has long been referred to as one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century, a seemingly flattering but objectively flawed observation. Dahl is, after all, not just one of the best storytellers for children of the 20th century.

Wes Anderson fans were surprised when the filmmaker revealed earlier this summer that his upcoming Netflix project “The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar” is only 37 minutes long. But there’s a good reason for its short length.