Plot
Told through the framing device of a Italian-accented firefly named Pippa telling a story to her son, Jeremy, inside Mr. Twit's beard. She presents Mr. and Mrs. Twit, a couple who hate each other. Their only joy and connection is an amusement park called Twitlandia. But on its grand opening day, it gets shut down for numerous violations. Vowing revenge, they steal a liquid hot dog meat truck and use it to fill up the water tower, causing an explosion and a flood throughout the town, called Triperot.
The story shifts to two orphans: Beesha, a 12-year-old Indian-American girl, and Bubsy, her friend, who is about to be adopted. But after the Twit's meat flood, Bubsy's potential parents fear he's contaminated and look elsewhere. After giving a pep talk to Bubsy, she realizes the cause of the scandal was the Twits and fulfills Bubsy's other wish of going to Twitlandia. When the two children arrive, they are callously greeted by the Twits, who openly admit their crime.
The children then encounter the Muggle-Wumps, a family of colorful monkey-like creatures from Loompaland, that were locked by the Twits in a double-decker bus-themed cage. The Muggle-Wumps plead to be freed as the Twits torture them to keep the park running. With their power of deep empathy, Beesha and Bubsy understand the Muggle-Wumps. The rescue fails, but Beesha secretly recorded the Twit's confession, so the police arrest the couple. The orphans come back to their house to find a key to free the Muggle-Wumps, and meet a Sweet-Toed Toad who speaks in reverse. The Twits are then bailed out by a family, who want them to help the struggling town, once a capital city for fun, and let them go. Back in the house, Beesha and Bubsy manage to find the key and free the Muggle-Wumps. The Twits chase them to their orphanage.
After taking care of the head of the orphanage, the meek Mr. Napkin, the Twits get into the main bedroom, where the children and creatures are hiding, and manage to prank the Twits to where they fall out of the building. The Twits try to negotiate with Beesha. But she says they can only enter the orphanage if they are the mayor of the town. The orphans and the Muggle-Wumps enjoy themselves until they see the Twits run for the mayoral election at the last minute. They manage to both eliminate their opponent, Mayor Wayne John John-John, by making him eat 'the Triperot Cake', not knowing it was made with laxatives, causing his butt to inflate like a balloon that later explodes with a massive fart. They manage to get the townsfolk on their side when Beesha crashes the election. The Twits, now having an outlet for their park, promise that once Twitlandia opens, everybody in Triperot will become billionaires. Marty Muggle-Wump, the patriarch of the Muggle-Wump family, vomits sentient furballs called Florbnorbles from anxiety.
In a heartfelt conversation with Mary Muggle-Wump, the mother, Beesha admits she wants her parents to come back. Mary reassures Beesha is a good girl and that she doesn't have to do things alone. The next morning, the Twits, now co-mayors, start to attack the orphanage with the help of the citizens. The orphans use up a storm of florbnorbles to fight back, scaring everyone away except the Twits. Mr. Napkin, having licked the Opposite-Toed Toad's feet, uncharacteristically fights off the Twits with cheese spray.
Even though Beesha already has a family in the orphanage, she still misses her real parents, who left her there to protect her. So Mr. Twit pretends to be Mr. Napkin and calls to tell her that her parents are in a bowling alley so they can trap her. They use their enraged mob to move the orphanage to Twitlandia and start using them in a dancing park-opening act. Beesha, having escaped, is motivated by the Sweet Toed Toad and decides to save her new family. Twitlandia is reopened, with the citizens ecstatic. Beesha manages to get the Twits to lick the Sweet Toed Toad's feet and uncharacteristically free the Muggle-Wumps. They then admit to lying about saving the town and apologize by blowing up their park.
The orphans and the Muggle-Wumps plan to end the Twits once and for all with a prank. They start changing their living room, while the park goes down in flames. The Twits arrive home and think they're standing on the ceiling, because the whole room was rearranged to look upside down. They stand on their hands to correct themselves, but are stuck to the floor due to the glue the orphans applied to their heads. The orphans party in victory and mock the Twits' fate, saying they will shrink to death due to gravity. Beesha realizes they can no longer understand the Muggle-Wumps anymore, so they fix their revenge and free the Twits.
In an epilogue, Mr. Napkin returns the orphanage to where it was. The Muggle-Wumps sell their tears to be industrialized and help fund the entire orphanage. The town's reputation as a place for fun is reinstated with the help of the Flobnorbles. Beesha now lives happily with her newfound family. After a balloon prank goes wrong, Pippa and Jeremy are freed from Mr Twit's beard while he and Ms. Twit end up flying into the mouth of a giant Sweet-Toed Toad.
Production
Development
In February 2003, a feature film adaptation of the book entered development at Vanguard Animation with its founder John H. Williams set to produce. As part of a multi-picture deal with Walt Disney Pictures, Vanguard was set to produce a live-action animated film, with John Cleese and Kirk DeMicco writing the screenplay. [3] In November 2004, it was reported that Mark Mylod would direct the feature, and that Cleese may star in the film. [4] In October 2006, after the executive/regime changes at Disney, the project moved to Working Title Films and Universal Pictures. [5] [6] By January 2012, Vanguard's official website stated that Conrad Vernon would direct the film. [7]
In April 2022, following Netflix's acquisition of the Roald Dahl Story Company, [8] [9] it was reported that a feature film would be released on their service, after having previously announced an animated series based on the book. [10] In September 2023, alongside the release of a first-look image of the film, it was announced that Phil Johnston was directing the feature and co-writing the screenplay with Meg Favreau. [9]
Animation
Animation had begun by September 2023, the same month it was reported that the London-based visual effects and animation studio Jellyfish Pictures with their facilities in Toronto and Mumbai was providing animation services on the film. [9] This marks as the last film Jellyfish Pictures was involved, as the company was shut down 7 months before the release of the film. [12]
Music
In August 2025, it was announced that in addition to Oli Julian composing the film's score, David Byrne would write three original songs for the film: "We're Not Like Ev'ryone Else", "Lullaby" and "The Problem Is You". He also wrote the film's closing credits song, "Open The Door", with Hayley Williams. [13] The original soundtrack for The Twits was released digitally on October 17, 2025, by Netflix Music. The album features three original songs written by David Byrne of Talking Heads and the film's original score composed by Oli Julian (Sex Education, Catastrophe). Byrne also co-wrote the end credits song with Hayley Williams of Paramore.
Original Score
| Track | Title | Composer | Length |
|---|
| 5 | "Not Normal People" | Oli Julian | 0:59 |
| 6 | "Muggle-Wumps Discovered" | Oli Julian | 2:02 |
| 7 | "Muggle-Wumps Escape" | Oli Julian | 1:03 |
| 8 | "Sweet Toed Toad" | Oli Julian | 1:22 |
| 9 | "Cook You in a Pie" | Oli Julian | 0:46 |
| 10 | "Condemned Park" | Oli Julian | 0:31 |
| 11 | "Florbnorbles" | Oli Julian | 0:50 |
| 12 | "Trick Me" (feat. Lloyd Wade) | Oli Julian | 2:57 |
| 13 | "The Twits Steal Loos" | Oli Julian | 0:37 |
| 14 | "Magical Tears" | Oli Julian | 1:39 |
| 15 | "Muggle-Wump Party" | Oli Julian | 1:26 |
| 16 | "Back in Business" | Oli Julian | 1:47 |
| 17 | "The Twits Get Arrested" | Oli Julian | 1:11 |
| 18 | "Riot" | Oli Julian | 0:48 |
| 19 | "I've Got Your Back" | Oli Julian | 1:40 |
| 20 | "The Twits Scheme" | Oli Julian | 1:17 |
| 21 | "Hiding Under the Bed" | Oli Julian | 1:00 |
| 22 | "The Twits on the Stairs" | Oli Julian | 1:05 |
| 23 | "Mouldy Leftovers" | Oli Julian | 0:55 |
| 24 | "The Twits Bake a Cake" | Oli Julian | 0:35 |
| 25 | "Beesha Comes Back" | Oli Julian | 2:50 |
| 26 | "Not on My Watch" | Oli Julian | 0:56 |
| 27 | "Voice Changer 30000" | Oli Julian | 0:48 |
| 28 | "Stealing the Orphanage" | Oli Julian | 1:57 |
| 29 | "Family Toad" | Oli Julian | 0:45 |
| 30 | "Twitlandia" | Erika Dapkewicz | 0:56 |
| 31 | "The Twit Family Extravaganza" | Oli Julian | 0:43 |
| 32 | "Making an Escape" | Oli Julian | 1:02 |
| 33 | "Honest Twits" | Oli Julian | 0:58 |
| 34 | "Fireworks" (feat. Ella Taylor) | Oli Julian | 0:54 |
| 35 | "Upside Down" | Oli Julian | 2:52 |
| 36 | "The Dreaded Shrinks" | Oli Julian | 0:48 |
| 37 | "Saving the Twits" | Oli Julian | 1:05 |
| 38 | "Hate Is Easy" | Oli Julian | 0:39 |
| 39 | "Goodbye to the Twits" | Oli Julian | 1:56 |
Production notes
David Byrne wrote and produced the four original songs, with the first three performed by the voice cast Oli Julian composed the original score, known for his work on Netflix's Sex Education and other comedy series "Open the Door" was co-written and performed as a duet between David Byrne and Hayley Williams of Paramore The soundtrack was produced by Netflix Music and released simultaneously with the film's October 17, 2025 premiere
