Willy Wonka is coming to Netflix. No, not the Gene Wilder film of the same name. Instead, the streaming service has a new agreement with the Roald Dahl Story Company that will allow Netflix to create a new slate of animated films based on the classic children’s stories from the famous author.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” “The BFG,” and “The Twits” are just several of the projects that Netflix is going to team up with the Roald Dahl Story Company to produce. Utilizing the “highest quality creative, visual, and writing teams,” the streaming service hopes that its new slate of projects will capture the hearts and minds of children all over the world.
“Our mission, which is purposefully lofty, is for as many children as possible around the world to experience the unique magic and positive message of Roald Dahl’s stories,” said Roald Dahl’s widow, Felicity Dahl, “This partnership with Netflix marks a significant move toward making that possible and is an incredibly exciting new chapter for the Roald Dahl Story Company. Roald would, I know, be thrilled.”
Netflix will launch multiple “event series” and specials adapting some of the classic tales for all ages and families to enjoy. The streaming service says the goal is to stay faithful to the spirit and tone of the Dahl stories, but build out an “imaginative story universe that expands far beyond the pages of the books themselves.”
“Immersing ourselves in the extraordinary worlds of Roald Dahl stories has been an honor and a massive amount of fun, and we are grateful for the trust the Roald Dahl Story Company and the Dahl family have placed in our team to deliver more moments of shared joy to families around the world,” said Melissa Cobb, Vice President of Kids & Family Content at Netflix. “We have great creative ambition to reimagine the journeys of so many treasured Dahl characters in fresh, contemporary ways with the highest quality animation and production values.”
“Netflix is known for innovative and high-quality storytelling,” added Gideon Simeloff, Strategy Director for The Roald Dahl Story Company. “There is no other place in the world that can deliver animated entertainment for the whole family at such quality and scale.”
The Netflix/Roald Dahl Story Company agreement includes “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” “The BFG,” “The Twits,” “Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator,” “George’s Marvellous Medicine,” “Boy – Tales of Childhood,” “Going Solo,” “The Enormous Crocodile,” “The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me,” “Henry Sugar,” “Billy and the Minpins,” “The Magic Finger,” “Esio Trot,” “Dirty Beasts,” and “Rhyme Stew.”
The first animated project should be launching sometime in 2019. The brief teaser is below: