The Twits. (L to R) Johnny Vegas as Mr. Twit, Margo Martindale as Mrs. Twit, in The Twits. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
Netflix’s latest Roald Dahl adaptation succeeds at preaching a positive message to its very young target audience, but offers very little for those outside of it.
The Twits, directed by former Disney writer Phil Johnston and adapted from Dahl’s 1980 novel, is a story about building bridges between the good and evil in the world, a topic that contains a lot of depth and could apply to audiences of all ages. Ultimately, the film isn’t very interested in that depth, looking for the simplest way to get the message across.
In a change from Dahl’s work, the film follows a pair of orphans, an older girl named Beesha and a younger boy named Bubsy, who happen upon the Twits and get caught up in their evil schemes. The Twits’ plans to make an amusement park (which is an OSHA-uncompliant hell) end up with them rising to power in their small town. The parallels between a pair of idiots becoming political and thought leaders won’t be lost on older viewers, though very little is done with it beyond the escalation of the hijinks and stakes for the youngsters.
The Twits is also another animated film whose humour feels focus-tested and whittled down to its simplest elements, making it play better both for children and for audiences around the world. Jokes that are dialogue-heavy and specific are difficult to explain and translate, but slapstick needs no translation. It’s done to a decent level here, but it lacks the spontaneity that great comedy needs. The Twits’ sense of humour is just the opposite, a collection of very expected and well-worn gags that don’t take the risk of going over the heads of children.
The Twits. (R)Ryan Lopez as Bubsy in The Twits. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
The film’s art style is a good example of The Twit’s sole interest in its youngest viewers. It opts for a blend of various visual ideas. It has a bit of Tim Burton’s gothic design in some of the buildings and a lot of the film’s colour palette, as well as a very Nickelodeon-like slimy, grimy texture to everything. Both of these ideas are softened to help produce a sense of ‘yukiness’ that’s gross, but not gross enough to turn children off.
On one hand, it’s impressive that Johnston and his team were able to find that specific line. As maligned as it is, making films and TV for children is really difficult to get right, so much study and fine-tuning go into making something that can transfix a child the way that something like Bluey does. However, as an adult animation head watching this alone, it had very little visual appeal. As intentional as the darkness and grimness are in The Twits, it doesn’t make it any easier to sit through. There is some light to break up the dark in the form of the Muggle Wumps, magical monkeys that the Twits have captured to power their mean-spirited theme park, but their designs end up clashing with the world in an equally displeasing way.
As difficult as it is to get on the film’s level for adults, The Twits offers a lesson to children that’s becoming increasingly important in this political landscape – one of empathy. Johnston looks to impart the message that the world is full of magic and idiots in equal parts, and both deserve love and empathy as much as each other. There could be a way of expressing this through more universal means, but if the goal is to teach children, then it can be considered mission accomplished.
The Twits. (L to R) Margo Martindale as Mrs. Twit, Johnny Vegas as Mr. Twit, in The Twits. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2025
As animation fans, we have had to reckon with Hollywood’s lack of willingness to make films that aim higher than being passable children’s entertainment. This means that when films like The Twits come along, they can be met with immediate backlash as being another example of the type of film we’ve had for the past few decades. Films like Spider-Verse have opened up what animation can be in the West and set an expectation that every animated feature has to look and feel just like it.
However, there will always be a need for something as straightforward and simple as The Twits. It may not sweep award shows and become a cult classic, but it will do its job as a fable that children can take important lessons from. The animation landscape will always have a place for films like The Twits; we wish they could co-exist alongside more ambitious efforts.
Watch The Twits If You Like
- James and the Giant Peach
- Chicken Run
- The Willoughbys
What did you think of The Twits? Let us know in the comments down below.
