‘The Twits’ Review: Netflix’s Animated Roald Dahl Adaptation Goes From Grossly Generic to Surprisingly Political
Some Roald Dahl fans, like the author, preferred the cozy creepiness of 'The Witches' or the whimsical 'James and the Giant Peach.' Others, however, found 'The Twits' more appealing with its gross-out humor and the novel's premise of revulsion. The book, written in 1980, was inspired by Dahl's hatred for beards, a prejudice that has since been criticized. The story follows a cruel couple and their imprisoned magical monkeys, which some found too sordid for a classic status.
The film adaptation, directed by Phil Johnston, is an animated version of the story, with a live-action version previously scrapped. Johnston, known for children's films like 'Wreck-It Ralph' and 'Zootopia', may have drawn inspiration from his inner 'garbage pail kid' for this project. The movie introduces a new cast of characters and sets the story in the present day, maintaining the text's gross fascinations.
The film features a seedy couple, voiced by Margo Martindale and Johnny Vegas, who pull mean pranks, keep intelligent monkeys captive, and menacingly target local children. They plan to open an amusement park with health code violations, adding a crasser and less whimsical tone to the story. While the voice performances are spirited, the film's animation and songs are sub-par compared to Disney or DreamWorks' output.
The narrative includes two stock-character-like orphan kids, Beesha and Bubsy, which gives the film a generic kiddie-movie quality. The story also introduces a modern twist: the Twits' campaign to restore a city's past greatness, which resonates with contemporary issues like Trumpism and collective derangement. The film allegorizes these themes, speaking to the feeling of watching bad people in power and selling a false narrative about returning to a lost Eden.
Despite its flaws, the film has strong, timely moral arguments. Alan Tudyk's performance as a sad-sack amphibian, Sweet Toed Toad, is notable. The magical monkeys, Muggle-Wumps, are charming and lively, voiced by Natalie Portman and Timothy Simons. The sentient hairballs coughed up by the Muggle-Wumps are also endearing, even if they exist primarily for merchandising purposes.
What starts as a minor, forgettable film can suddenly distinguish itself, with its flaws embraced or waved away. The author suggests that this perspective shift may be an example of 'Twits Derangement Syndrome' and encourages readers to think critically about the film's creative merits and its political analogies.
