Wes Anderson has won his first-ever Oscar. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar took home the gold for Best Live Action Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards, marking a much-deserved victory for the eight-time nominated filmmaker. Based on the 1977 Roald Dahl work of the same name, the film is part of a collection of four shorts — alongside The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and Poison — directed by Anderson for Netflix. 

Anderson has been thinking of adapting Henry Sugar, a story that captivated him as a child, for two decades. There was only one problem: The filmmaker struggled with how to tell the story without using Dahl’s magical words.  And then it finally clicked — he didn’t have to. “When I finally had the moment of inspiration, the idea was: ‘I am equally interested in the way Dahl tells the story as I am in the story itself,’ ” Anderson told Netflix. “If I do it using his words, his descriptions, then maybe I know how to do it.” So Anderson set out to adapt four of Dahl’s short stories in a bold and unpredictable way — with the cast reciting Dahl’s words directly to the audience while acting them out, and set pieces cycling in and out as if in a stage play. It’s a new perspective on Anderson’s signature aesthetic.

Each film stars a rotating cast of actors taking on multiple roles. You’ll find recent Anderson collaborators Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Rupert Friend (Asteroid City), as well as new partners Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Dev Patel (The Green Knight), Richard Ayoade (The Mighty Boosh), and Ben Kingsley (Hugo). “I like the idea, right off the bat, of having a little company play the whole film,” Anderson told Netflix. “They took it and did it. You hand it to them, and then you step back and watch.”

You can find out more about each short film below.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

Logline: A beloved Roald Dahl short story about a rich man who learns about a guru who can see without using his eyes and then sets out to master the skill in order to cheat at gambling.
Cast: Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl, Policeman), Benedict Cumberbatch (Henry Sugar, Max Engelman), Dev Patel (Dr. Chatterjee, John Winston), Ben Kingsley (Imdad Khan, Croupier), Richard Ayoade (Dr. Marshall, Yogi)
Runtime: 39 minutes

The Swan

Logline: A young adult Roald Dahl short story about a small/brilliant boy ruthlessly pursued by two large/idiotic bullies.
Cast: Rupert Friend (Narrator), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Asa Jennings (Peter Watson)
Runtime: 17 minutes

The Rat Catcher

Logline: A lesser-known Roald Dahl short story about a professional rodent exterminator. 
Cast: Richard Ayoade (Editor/Reporter), Ralph Fiennes (Rat Man), Rupert Friend (Claud)
Runtime: 17 minutes

Poison

Logline: A well-known Roald Dahl short story about a man who discovers a poisonous snake asleep in his bed.
Cast: Dev Patel (Woods), Benedict Cumberbatch (Harry), Ralph Fiennes (Roald Dahl), Ben Kingsley (Dr. Ganderbai)
Runtime: 17 minutes