The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More Soundtracks: This is Netflix’s feature-length anthology cut combining Wes Anderson’s four Roald Dahl short films — The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan, The Ratcatcher, and Poison — into a single ~99-minute release, titled The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More. Correction from an earlier version of this page: the four shorts originally premiered individually on Netflix from September 27–30, 2023 (not “March 15”), and the March 15, 2024 date refers only to this later repackaged anthology cut.
The film is directed by Wes Anderson and written by Anderson, based on the short stories of Roald Dahl.
Quick Facts
| Title | The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More |
| Type | Anthology of four short films (fantasy/comedy) |
| Director | Wes Anderson |
| Composer | Alexandre Desplat |
| Release Date | Individual shorts: Sept 27–30, 2023 on Netflix. Combined anthology cut: March 15, 2024 |
| Platform | Netflix |
| Status | Released. Henry Sugar won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 96th Oscars |
The anthology’s four segments are based on Roald Dahl short stories. Its combined cast includes Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend, and Richard Ayoade. Henry Sugar marked Wes Anderson’s first competitive Academy Award win, though he had been nominated eight times previously (including Best Animated Feature for Fantastic Mr. Fox).
Who Composed the Score? (Correcting a Past Error)
An earlier version of this page incorrectly credited “The Swingle Singers” as the composer of this anthology. That is not accurate. Alexandre Desplat composed the original score for all four Roald Dahl shorts, including Henry Sugar. Desplat is Wes Anderson’s regular composer, having scored The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, and The French Dispatch. He is a two-time Academy Award winner (The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Shape of Water) with eleven total Oscar nominations, making him one of the most decorated film composers working today.
The Swingle Singers are a vocal ensemble formed in 1962. Their 2003 recording of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte, K. 588, Act I Scene 2: No. 10, Terzettino ‘Soave sia il vento'” (arranged by Jonathon Rathbone) is a licensed piece of music used briefly within Henry Sugar — it plays roughly three minutes in, as Roald narrates Henry’s journey to the countryside — but the group did not compose the film’s score. The anthology also features an original song written by Jarvis Cocker, “Roald Dahl’s Rules for Being a Fiction Writer.”
Featured Music
| Piece | Artist/Segment |
|---|---|
| Original score (all four segments) | Alexandre Desplat |
| “Così fan tutte, K. 588… ‘Soave sia il vento'” (licensed, used in Henry Sugar) | The Swingle Singers |
| “Roald Dahl’s Rules for Being a Fiction Writer” (original song) | Jarvis Cocker |
For a full deep dive on the Oscar-winning first short specifically — including its cast breakdown and dedicated FAQ — see our standalone Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar soundtrack guide.
Where to Stream
Alexandre Desplat’s score selections and Jarvis Cocker’s song are available via Spotify and Apple Music search for the individual short titles. The full anthology and all four individual shorts stream on Netflix.
Cast
Across the four shorts, the ensemble includes Ralph Fiennes, Benedict Cumberbatch, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley, Richard Ayoade, and Rupert Friend, with Anderson regulars rotating through narrator and character roles in his signature direct-address style.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who really composed the music for Henry Sugar and Three More?
Alexandre Desplat, Wes Anderson’s longtime composer, scored all four Roald Dahl shorts. The Swingle Singers are not the composer — their 2003 Mozart recording is one licensed piece of music used within the Henry Sugar segment.
When did Henry Sugar and Three More actually come out?
The four individual shorts premiered on Netflix between September 27 and September 30, 2023. They were later combined into a single feature-length anthology cut, released March 15, 2024 — not “March 15” of an unspecified future year as an earlier version of this page implied.
Did this anthology win an Oscar?
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (the first and title segment) won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
What are the four shorts in the anthology?
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, The Swan, The Ratcatcher, and Poison, all directed by Wes Anderson and based on Roald Dahl short stories.
Where can I watch the anthology?
Both the combined anthology and the four individual shorts are streaming on Netflix.
Related reading: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar Soundtrack (single-short guide) | Netflix streaming guide | Movie Soundtrack hub