Roald Dahl fans won’t need to wait much longer for the newly reimagined Roald Dahl’s The Witches as it premieres exclusively on HBO GO and On Demand on Astro from this Friday, 29 January!
Starring the devastatingly-beautiful Anne Hathaway (“Les Misérables”, “Ocean’s 8”) as the Grand High Witch alongside charming newcomer Jahzir Kadeem Bruno as Hero Boy, this heart-warming childhood classic gets the full theatrical treatment from Oscar-winning director Robert Zemeckis (“The Polar Express”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”, “Forrest Gump” and the “Back to the Future” trilogies) and an accomplished team that includes producers Alfonso Cuarón (“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”) and Guillermo del Toro (“Rise of the Guardians”, “Book of Life”), scriptwriter Kenya Barris (“Barbershop 3: The Next Cut”) and composer Alan Silvestri (“Ready Player One”, “The Mummy Returns”).
Streaming straight to home screens, the power ensemble also features Octavia Spencer (“The Help,” “Onward”) as Grandma, Stanley Tucci (“The Devil Wears Prada” and “The Hunger Games” films) as hotel manager Mr Stringer, Kristin Chenoweth (TV’s “Glee”, “American Gods”) as Daisy the mouse and Chris Rock (“Madagascar”) who narrates Hero Boy’s experience as an adult.
In addition to the impressive cast, not a single detail is missed in creating an authentic and engaging experience as set designers, prosthetic specialists and costume experts took inspiration from a bygone era and fused it with brilliant effects to draw viewers into a real and believable world where witches are real! From vintage prints and authentic period props to fancy wigs and dramatic physical transformations, it’s a modern masterpiece that’s not to be missed!
“It’s a diabolical story,” said Zemeckis, who was thrilled by the opportunity to reimagine the beloved novel. “Roald Dahl’s books are like all great children’s books—they’re not really children’s books. They have children in them that are the main characters, so kids enjoy them, but readers of all ages enjoy his books, and this movie is for everyone.”
In this reimagining of the beloved Roald Dahl story, Zemeckis tells the darkly humorous and heart-warming tale of a young orphaned boy who, in late 1967, goes to live with his loving Grandma in the rural Alabama town of Demopolis. As the boy and his grandmother encounter some deceptively glamorous but thoroughly diabolical witches, she wisely whisks our young hero away to the Grand Orleans Imperial Island Hotel, an opulent seaside resort. Regrettably, they arrive at precisely the same time that the world’s Grand High Witch has gathered her fellow witches from around the globe to carry out her nefarious plan to turn the world’s children into mice.
Naturally, Hero Boy is not about to let this happen without a fight, and he teams up with a newfound friend, Bruno Jenkins, to demonstrate astounding bravery in facing the evil witches, who are truly terrifying when their fancy wigs, elegant gloves and pretty shoes are whipped off to reveal bald heads, claws and toeless feet!
To catch this amazing visual extravaganza, download the HBO GO app from App Store or Play Store on your device or access HBO GO via Astro or at https://www.hbogoasia.my/. HBO GO is available on Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV, Samsung Smart TV - and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.
Finally, as a special treat for HBO GO users, get more of the amazing Anne Hathaway as she takes on a variety of roles. From cat thief to entrepreneur, catch this talented actress in a great collection of movies such as Locked Down, Dark Waters, The Hustle, The Dark Knight Rises, Les Miserables and The Intern!
