Fantastic Mr. Fox is a wonderful marriage of two fantastically creative minds: Roald Dahl and Wes Anderson. The two kings of their mediums were destined to combine at some point and with the right material. After the major success of Mr. Fox, another combination of Dahl and Anderson should have been inevitable. Here we are in 2023 with- not one, not two, not three, not five, but four mini adaptations of Dahl’s stories.
Netflix has blessed us with Poison, The Rat Catcher, The Swan, and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar– four shorts directed by Anderson. Three of the four are around seventeen minutes long, with Henry Sugar coming in under 40 minutes. The flicks are quick and simple and are wonderful doses of Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl. Here are a few of my thoughts on what I am calling The Wes Flurry. There is not a whole lot for me to spoil, but I would still say proceed with caution just in case I say something surprising.
Four Short Films from Wes Anderson
The Cast
Wes Anderson has a rotating cast within all of his films, and while these shorts only featured one former collaborator (Ralph Fiennes), it is really nice to see him work with some actors he has not worked with yet. In these shorts there is a small cast of the same six men.
Benedict Cumberbatch in Wes Anderson’s 2023 short film The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar. Image provided courtesy of Netflix Studios.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars in Henry Sugar and Poison. Dev Patel is featured in Poison and Henry Sugar. Rupert Friend appears in The Rat Catcher and The Swan. Richard Ayoade narrates The Rat Catcher and appears in Henry Sugar. Sir Ben Kingsley co-stars in Poison and Henry Sugar with Cumberbatch. Finally, we have Fiennes acting in all four as either a character or as a physical stand in for Roald Dahl.
This small group is effective and a good group to rotate. Rotating these actors, or any actors who would have been cast here, is a great deal. Keeping the cast minimal through these four stories helps enhance the feeling that these are stories by the same person. While I do not have much to complain about performance-wise, I am impressed with how well everyone did in their respective stories. Cumberbatch, Patel, Friend, Ayoade, and Kingsley all narrate a different story, and they all do decent jobs.
Dev Patel was my favorite of the bunch with his narration on Poison. Everyone’s fast paced narration was gripping and fun, but for some reason I can’t pin down- Dev was the most gripping. Maybe it was his facial reactions, his delivery of each line, the strength of the script, etc. Whatever it was, he held me in tight. This cast is a good cast and with everyone backed by an Anderson/Dahl script they all gave the best that we could ask for.
The Swan
Quickly I want to go in the order that I watched them and give a few short thoughts on each. First I started with The Swan. It was the first option and was 17 minutes so I figured I would get it out of the way. Narrated by Rupert Friend, the story of two bullies hunting down and harassing Peter Watson is a brutal story. Despite the quirky Anderson cinematography, this story hurts the heart.
Rupert Friend in Wes Anderson’s 2023 Netflix short film The Swan. Image provided courtesy of Netflix Studios.
At first, I was blinded by my excitement to be consuming more Wes and Roald. As things progressed it dawned on me that this story is so dark and depressing. Murdering a beautiful swan, merciless bullying, and a possible glimmer of hope taken away in the end all make this a rough experience in 17 minutes.
While the story is rough, the minimalist set design and stripped back feeling of a theater performance is lovely. Since Anderson’s set designs are almost always complex with a simple design, there was never any doubt there would be anything more than what was needed. The set primarily consisted of one long path with walls of wheat. Good stuff. There is not much else for me to say about this one. I liked it. Yes, things started off on a dark note, but that is okay. 7/10.
The Rat Catcher
Ralph Fiennes looks like the definition of “Evil Guy” in this. Not a villain, but an evil guy. He has long hair, soulless eyes, an uncanny resemblance to respected thespian Ralph Fiennes, and sharpened fingernails that can cut a ghost. It is a great look for Fiennes. Anyway, this short is narrated by The IT Crowd alumnus Richard Ayoade. Out of all four shorts, this one was the weakest for me.
While not bad, by any means, I think this would have been higher on my list if the runtime was longer. The Swan was a cruel but emotional story, and while there was definitely some grizzly emotion (and a stop motion rat) on display, it did not connect with me too much.
Richard Ayoade (Back), Rupert Friend (Front left), and Ralph Fiennes (Front Right) in Wes Anderson’s 2023 Netflix short film The Rat Catcher. Image provided courtesy of Netflix Studios.
Negativity aside, The Rat Catcher is still a uniquely Dahlian/Andersonian story that works quite well on many levels. The simple setting mixed with the fun camera work made this quite the visual treat for me. The shot of the three men from inside the pipe was really simple, but cool. I think that is pretty much all I have to say on this one.
I do not want to use the word disappointing, but I will use short to describe how I feel. If this was closer to a 30-minute-long story I think I could have sunk my teeth into this one more. However, with that said, I think The Rat Catcher is still a great addition to everything. 6/10.
Poison
Dev Patel is a fantastic actor. As a true testament to his skill, he does the same thing that everyone else does in these shorts, but better than everyone else. While I thought the pacing and intensity of this short were already at a pretty high level, it was Dev’s swift and buttery narration that made it all a bit more uneasy.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays an Englishman on a holiday in India and while he lays in his bed a snake crawls up his stomach. Cumberbatch gets Patel to seek help and to phone his doctor. Clocking in, again, at only 17 minutes, this short is impressive.
Sir Ben Kingsley (Left) and Dev Patel in the 2023 Netflix short film Poison. Image provided courtesy of Netflix Studios.
In the time it takes to give a Chihuahua bath, Wes Anderson packs in his quick comedy with some funny camera work and a growing agony of anxiety. Throughout each of the stories Anderson kept the props to a minimum. In this story, it makes sense not to put a snake of any kind on Cumberbatch in his pajamas. So, while there would not be anything there physically, why was this still so intense?
The race to get Dr. Ganderbai (Kingsley) was made to feel like a real necessity. Patel trying everything he can to hold the snake off while they wait for Ganderbai is tense. Cumberbatch moving only his face muscles and whispering the entire time enhances the deadly feelings. It all just works. This whole short is so great. While I think The Rat Catcher could have been a bit longer, Poison was just right. Poison is my favorite out of the four and I give it a 9/10.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
This was clearly intended to be the start of the viewing experience, but I like buildup, so I went with this last, and I am glad I did! All of these shorts are fun (yet super dark) adventures that are nice little fixes of Wes Anderson. Henry Sugar is basically a full Anderson movie, and I could not be happier it was only 37 minutes long.
This is a mini-Wes Anderson movie. Thank you, Wes Anderson, very cool. Of everything that Anderson has made over his whole career, I think I would describe this as his most “Fascinating” project to date. It has been a few days since I first viewed Henry Sugar and since then I think they nailed it. The story comes from Dahl’s series of short works aptly titled The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More. I have not read this story, but I think they nailed the title.
This truly is a wonderful story. Everything starts off sleazy, but as this story continues, everything gives way to a world that is, in every sense, wonderful. At the end of everything I found myself smiling for a while. Many of Anderson’s films make me smile for long periods of time after a viewing and it is nice knowing this is a quicker access to an Anderson smile if I need it.
Ben Kingsley achieves sweet old-man status through his story, and you can’t help but want to hang out with and learn from him. Cumberbatch is a sleazy jerk for a while, but after some time I started respecting his hustle. Roald Dahl’s mind was an infinitely creative place. Most of his stories that I am familiar with have a happy ending, but in a much-deserved way. Henry Sugar ends on a very satisfying and deserved end. Good stuff, Henry. Good Stuff. 9/10.
Wes Anderson Short Films Wrap Up
In a normal review I try to point out some stuff I did not like. Since this is not a normal review, and I took most of my negativity out on The Rat Catcher, there is not a lot to complain about. If anything, I want more of these. Are they flawless masterpieces of cinema and storytelling? Not really.
However, they are perfect amounts of imagination, fantastical storytelling, and quick yet effective filmmaking. For that I beg, plead, and wish for Netflix to make more mini films from acclaimed directors. Love, Death, & Robots is more of a David Fincher looking anthology series monster, but more stuff like this would be cool.
You can now check out all four Wes Anderson short films on Netflix. For more movie reviews and movie rankings check back here at Respect My Region!
