I REMEMBER BEING momentarily dumbfounded the first time I saw a photograph of Roald Dahl.
My adoration for the author meant I had inadvertently elevated him to the realm of the mythical, so when I was shown a photo of a normal looking, grey-haired man in school one day, I could hardly believe it.
Like so many of us, Roald Dahl is responsible for my childhood love of books, and what made his creations so much more captivating was knowing that the adults in my life enjoyed his work almost as much as us kids; thereby bridging a gap – however small – between us and the older generation.
So, it’s highly likely that the news that Netflix is set to create an exclusive new slate of original animated event series, based on the books, will thrill generations, old and young today.
Netflix and The Roald Dahl Story Company jointly announced that Netflix is extending the Roald Dahl universe of stories for global family audiences and will bring together the highest quality creative, visual, and writing teams.
Commenting on the announcement, Roald’s widow, Felicity said: “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.”
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.
Melissa Cobb, Vice President of Kids & Family Content at Netflix, added: “Immersing ourselves in the extraordinary worlds of Roald Dahl stories has been an honour and a massive amount of fun.”
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.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG, The Twits, and many other beloved titles will be adapted, with production set to commence on the first of the Netflix Dahl animated series in 2019.
