The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (film)

Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
Promotional release poster
Directed byWes Anderson
Screenplay byWes Anderson
Based on"The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar"
by Roald Dahl
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobert Yeoman
Edited by
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release dates
  • September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01) (Venice)
  • September 20, 2023 (2023-09-20) (United States)
  • September 27, 2023 (2023-09-27) (Netflix)
Running time
39 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Roald Dahl's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, or simply The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, is a 2023 American fantasy short film[2] written, co-produced, and directed by Wes Anderson, based on the 1977 short story "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" by Roald Dahl. It is the second film adaptation of a Dahl work directed by Anderson, following Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009).[3] It stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the titular character alongside Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, and Richard Ayoade. The story sees a rich man learning about a clairvoyant guru who could see without using his eyes through the power of a particular form of Yoga, then setting out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.

The film is the first of a four-part series of shorts adapted from Dahl's short stories, including "The Swan", "The Rat Catcher", and "Poison".[4] Development on the project began in January 2022, with most of the cast signed on. Principal photography took place in London that month. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar was originally reported to be a feature film until Anderson clarified in June 2023 that it would be one of a collection of short films.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2023, and received a limited theatrical release on September 20, 2023, followed by being released on Netflix on September 27, 2023.[5] The other three Anderson shorts based on Dahl stories premiered on Netflix on succeeding days: The Swan on September 28, The Rat Catcher on September 29, and Poison on September 30.[6]

The film won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards.[7]

On March 15, 2024, the film was released in a full length film anthology along with the other three shorts titled The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More.

  1. ^ "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar". Netflix. September 27, 2023. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (August 24, 2023). "Wes Anderson's 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Sets Netflix Release Date and Shares New Art". IndieWire. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ Shafer, Ellise (September 1, 2023). "Wes Anderson Confirms 'Henry Sugar' Short Film Collection Will Include 'The Swan,' 'Poison' and 'The Rat Catcher'". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "Wes Anderson Revisits Roald Dahl in 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter. September 14, 2023. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
  5. ^ Bergeson, Samantha (August 24, 2023). "Wes Anderson's 'Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar' Sets Netflix Release Date and Shares New Art". IndieWire. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  6. ^ "You're Invited to a Week of New Wes Anderson Shorts This September". Netflix Tudum. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  7. ^ Sundby, Alex (January 29, 2024). "See the full list of Oscar nominations for 2024 Academy Awards - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 9, 2024.