Last year, Netflix bought the Roald Dahl Story Company. Three years before that, the streaming platform acquired the rights to turn a huge list of Dahl’s beloved and classic stories into animated series—including two Taika Waititi-created Charlie and the Chocolate Factory series.
But first: Matilda. Or, to be precise, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, a film based on the stage musical based on the Dahl book. Matthew Warchus, who directed the musical in London and New York, directs the film, which has music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. Newcomer Alisha Weir stars as plucky Matilda, who faces off with the terrifying Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson).
The rest of the cast includes Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) as Miss Honey; Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough as Matilda’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood; and Sindhu Vee as Mrs. Phelps.
Matilda is the story of a clever little girl surrounded by idiot adults. School is no better than home; at school, she has to contend with Trunchbull, a nightmare headmistress who basically tortures students. Smart, bookish Matilda has only her teacher, Miss Honey, for support—until she discovers she has a way to fight back.
In 1996, the novel was adapted into a film starring Mara Wilson as an iconic Matilda and Danny DeVito as Mr. Wormwood. The musical debuted in 2010, and arrived on Broadway in 2013. The trailer for this new version is full of tiny children singing about being revolting, which makes me love them all; I wish to watch this film immediately.
Matilda arrives on Netflix this holiday season.
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