Netflix unveils Roald Dahl animation slate

Netflix is creating an exclusive slate of original animated event series based on the books of Roald Dahl, such as Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and The Twits.

Melissa Cobb

Netflix has partnered with The Roald Dahl Story Company to develop the content, which the streaming giant described as a “first-of-its-kind slate of premium animated event series and specials.”

The list of Dahl’s work in the agreement also includes Charlie & the Great Glass Elevator, George’s Marvellous Medicine, Boy: Tales of Childhood, Going Solo, The Enormous Crocodile, The Giraffe & the Pelly & Me, Henry Sugar, Billy & the Minpins, The Magic Finger, Esio Trot, Dirty Beasts and Rhyme Stew.

Production is set to begin on the first of the Netflix/Dahl animated series, which are aimed at a family audience, in 2019.

Netflix said it intends to remain faithful to the “quintessential spirit and tone of Dahl while also building out an imaginative story universe that expands far beyond the pages of the books themselves.”

“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 Dahl’s widow, Felicity.

“Immersing ourselves in the extraordinary worlds of Roald Dahl stories has been an honour 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, VP of kids and 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,” said 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.”

Endeavor Content represented the deal.

Cobb will headline C21’s Kids Content Futures conference, which takes place on November 30 as part of Content London 2018. For more information and to book online, click here.