# The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More
**The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More** is a 2024 American anthology film on Netflix that combines four short films written and directed by [Wes Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/wes-anderson), each adapted from a [Roald Dahl](https://www.edgepedia.org/roald-dahl) story: *The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar*, *The Swan*, *The Rat Catcher*, and *Poison*[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/81725557). The lead film, about a wealthy gambler who masters the ability to see without using his eyes in order to cheat at gambling, won the [Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-live-action-short-film) at the 96th Academy Awards[2](https://www.t3.com/news/netflix-to-release-roald-dahl-collection-as-a-movie-after-oscar-win-out-this-week).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Four Wes Anderson short films combined into one anthology title on Netflix[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/81725557) |
| Release | Individual shorts on Netflix September 27–30, 2023; combined anthology on March 15, 2024[3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/what-to-watch/every-roald-dahl-adaptation-on-netflix-in-2026-whats-coming-next/) • [4](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-three-more-sets-re-release-on-netflix/) |
| Runtime | 88 minutes 6 seconds for the combined film, shorter than the 92-minute combined total of the separate titles[4](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-three-more-sets-re-release-on-netflix/) |
| Source | Roald Dahl's 1977 collection *The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More* and other Dahl stories[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/07/wes-anderson-roald-dahl-benedict-cumberbatch-netflix-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar) |
| Cast | Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/81725557) |
| Award | Best Live Action Short Film, 96th Academy Awards; Anderson's first Oscar and Netflix's only win at the 2024 ceremony[2](https://www.t3.com/news/netflix-to-release-roald-dahl-collection-as-a-movie-after-oscar-win-out-this-week) |
| Producers | Steven M. Rales, Jeremy Dawson, and Wes Anderson[6](https://whichott.com/uk/movie/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-three-more-2024-1259365) |
## Spoilers
### The four shorts
The anthology gathers four films Anderson made for Netflix from Dahl's adult short fiction. *The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar* is the longest at about 39 to 40 minutes; *The Swan*, *The Rat Catcher*, and *Poison* each run 17 minutes[3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/what-to-watch/every-roald-dahl-adaptation-on-netflix-in-2026-whats-coming-next/) • [7](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/wes-andersons-roald-dahl-quartet-abounds-in-audacious-artifice-and-stinging-political-critique). The title story follows Henry Sugar, a rich man who learns of a guru who can see without using his eyes and sets out to master the skill to cheat at gambling[8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RdncisZ_QA). The individual shorts were released on Netflix over four consecutive days beginning September 27, 2023[3](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/what-to-watch/every-roald-dahl-adaptation-on-netflix-in-2026-whats-coming-next/).
A small repertory cast plays multiple roles across all four films. [Ralph Fiennes](https://www.edgepedia.org/ralph-fiennes) appears in each short, including as Roald Dahl himself narrating from his writing hut; [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/benedict-cumberbatch) plays Henry Sugar and a make-up artist; [Dev Patel](https://www.edgepedia.org/dev-patel) plays Dr. Chatterjee and John Winston; Ben Kingsley plays Imdad Khan, a croupier; and Richard Ayoade and Rupert Friend take further parts[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar/) • [10](https://www.redbrick.me/review-the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar/).
## Production and release
Anderson's adaptation was announced in January 2022, twelve years after his stop-motion Dahl adaptation *Fantastic Mr Fox* (2009)[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/07/wes-anderson-roald-dahl-benedict-cumberbatch-netflix-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar). Netflix had acquired Dahl's full catalog from the Roald Dahl Story Company in September 2021, after licensing 16 of Dahl's best-known titles in 2018[5](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/07/wes-anderson-roald-dahl-benedict-cumberbatch-netflix-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar).
**A short film by design.** Anderson originally planned *Henry Sugar* as a feature but found along the way that its proper length was much shorter, which led him to film the other three shorts as well[11](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/82/93/00979/10-13-2023.pdf). The films were shot on a stage in 16mm[12](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/6/lqmlm9o69wfxwqk0wmjttubcl9qucd). *The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar* premiered at the [Venice Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/venice-film-festival) as an out-of-competition entry, Anderson's first Venice premiere in 16 years[13](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/NEWS/THE-WONDERFUL-STORY-OF-HENRY-SUGAR-NETFLIX-MOVIE-WHAT-WE-KNOW-SO-FAR-09-2023/) • [14](https://www.vogue.com/article/wes-anderson-the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-interview-venice-film-festival).
After the Oscar win on March 10, 2024, Netflix repackaged the four shorts into a single continuous film released globally on March 15, 2024, with a runtime of 88 minutes 6 seconds; the shorts also remained available as independent titles[4](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-three-more-sets-re-release-on-netflix/). The anthology adds an original song by [Jarvis Cocker](https://www.edgepedia.org/jarvis-cocker), "Roald Dahl's Rules for Being a Fiction Writer"[15](https://www.thewrap.com/wes-anderson-oscars-short-film-henry-sugar-netflix/).
## Style
The films are staged with deliberate theatricality. Actors deliver Dahl's text in rapid narration, often directly to the camera, taking turns as narrator; sets change on screen between moments, and stagehands appear to hand characters props[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar/) • [11](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/82/93/00979/10-13-2023.pdf). Reviewers have described the effect as a pop-up storybook or a cinematic stage play[16](https://www.scenebygreen.com/2023/10/16/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-other-roald-dahl-shorts-2023/) • [11](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/82/93/00979/10-13-2023.pdf).
Anderson kept Dahl's wording largely intact, saying that no one who is not the author should be modifying somebody else's book; his fidelity to the text ran counter to the publishers' recent edits of offensive language from Dahl's work, a revisionism Anderson denounced[17](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/2023/09/23/wes-anderson-on-his-new-roald-dahl-film-no-one-who-is-not-the-author-should-be-modifying-somebody-elses-book/).
## Reception and awards
*The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar* received a Metascore of 85 on Metacritic, based on 31 critic reviews, a rating the site labels "universal acclaim"[9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar/). At the 96th Academy Awards in March 2024, the short won Best Live Action Short Film, Anderson's first Oscar after earlier nominations, and Netflix's only win at that ceremony[2](https://www.t3.com/news/netflix-to-release-roald-dahl-collection-as-a-movie-after-oscar-win-out-this-week). In his statement, Anderson thanked the Dahl family, the Netflix team, and his cast, and credited a corridor meeting with [Owen Wilson](https://www.edgepedia.org/owen-wilson) at the University of Texas when he was 18[4](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-three-more-sets-re-release-on-netflix/).
## References
1. [The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More, Netflix Official Site](https://www.netflix.com/title/81725557)
2. [Netflix to release Roald Dahl collection as a movie after Oscar win, T3](https://www.t3.com/news/netflix-to-release-roald-dahl-collection-as-a-movie-after-oscar-win-out-this-week)
3. [Every Roald Dahl Adaptation on Netflix in 2026 & What's Coming Next, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/what-to-watch/every-roald-dahl-adaptation-on-netflix-in-2026-whats-coming-next/)
4. ['The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More' Sets Re-Release on Netflix, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-three-more-sets-re-release-on-netflix/)
5. [Wes Anderson to make new Roald Dahl adaptation with Benedict Cumberbatch, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jan/07/wes-anderson-roald-dahl-benedict-cumberbatch-netflix-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar)
6. [The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2024), WhichOTT](https://whichott.com/uk/movie/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-three-more-2024-1259365)
7. [Wes Anderson's Roald Dahl Quartet Abounds in Audacious Artifice and Stinging Political Critique, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/wes-andersons-roald-dahl-quartet-abounds-in-audacious-artifice-and-stinging-political-critique)
8. [The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar | Official Trailer | Netflix, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RdncisZ_QA)
9. [The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar/)
10. [Review: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Redbrick Film&TV](https://www.redbrick.me/review-the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar/)
11. [Entertainment section, October 13, 2023, University of Florida libraries](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/02/82/93/00979/10-13-2023.pdf)
12. [Wes Anderson's 'The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar' is 37 Minutes, World of Reel](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/6/lqmlm9o69wfxwqk0wmjttubcl9qucd)
13. [Wes Anderson's The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Netflix Movie: Everything We Know, What's on Netflix](https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/NEWS/THE-WONDERFUL-STORY-OF-HENRY-SUGAR-NETFLIX-MOVIE-WHAT-WE-KNOW-SO-FAR-09-2023/)
14. [Dispatch From Venice: Wes Anderson on 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar', Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/article/wes-anderson-the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-interview-venice-film-festival)
15. [Wes Anderson's Oscar-Winning Short Repackaged Into Anthology, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/wes-anderson-oscars-short-film-henry-sugar-netflix/)
16. [The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More (2023), Scene by Green](https://www.scenebygreen.com/2023/10/16/the-wonderful-story-of-henry-sugar-and-other-roald-dahl-shorts-2023/)
17. [Wes Anderson on his new Roald Dahl film, The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/2023/09/23/wes-anderson-on-his-new-roald-dahl-film-no-one-who-is-not-the-author-should-be-modifying-somebody-elses-book/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Science fiction and fantasy films (individual works) › Science fiction and fantasy films of the 2020s › Fantasy films of the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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