Matilda (1996)

Story of a wonderful little girl, who happens to be a genius, and her wonderful teacher vs. the worst parents ever and the worst school principal imaginable.

Director:

Danny DeVito

Writers:

Roald Dahl (book), Nicholas Kazan (screenplay),

Stars:

Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mara Wilson	...	Matilda
Danny DeVito	...	Mr. Wormwood
Rhea Perlman	...	Mrs. Wormwood
Embeth Davidtz	...	Miss Honey
Pam Ferris	...	Trunchbull
Paul Reubens	...	FBI Agent
Tracey Walter	...	FBI Agent
Brian Levinson	...	Michael
Jean Speegle Howard	...	Miss Phelps
Sara Magdalin	...	Matilda, 4 Years
R.D. Robb	...	Roy
Gregory R. Goliath	...	Luther (as Goliath Gregory)
Fred Parnes	...	Waiter
Kiami Davael	...	Lavender
Leor Livneh Hackel	...	Julius Rottwinkle

Storyline

A grouchy couple are parents to a very sweet girl, Matilda. Unlike her bratty brother and mean parents, Matilda becomes a very sweet and extremely intelligent 6 year old girl, who is very keen to go to school and read books. After a while, her parents send her to school with the worst principal in the world, a very sweet teacher, and good friends. While trying to put up with her parents' and principal's cruelty, she starts to unwittingly unleash telekinetic powers, destroying a television and making a newt fly onto the principal. With enough practice, Matilda starts to learn to control her telekinetic powers and soon using them on her principal so she can drive her away from the school.

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Plot Keywords:

school | girl | principal | teacher | little girl | 

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Taglines:

A little magic goes a long way.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for elements of exaggeRated meanness and ridicule, and for some mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Roald Dahl's Matilda

Filming Locations:

15811 Youngwood Dr, Whittier, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$36,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£6,003,450 (UK) (17 January 1997)

Gross:

£16,461,008 (UK) (11 April 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Jersey Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS (8 channels) Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the making of segment on the DVD, Danny DeVito reveals that for the chalk to write by itself, they wrote the letters backwards on the opposite side of the chalkboard, then put a magnet on the chalk. They then had someone stand behind the chalkboard and write the words backwards with a device that attracted magnets.

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Goofs

While Matilda cooks the pancakes, they look burnt. As they land on the plates (after being cooked), they look fine and light-coloured.

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Quotes

Written by Trunchbull on the blackboard: If you are having fun, you are not learning.

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Crazy Credits

Newts:

• Mr. Speaker
• Sir Isaac
• Wayne

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Connections

Featured in Special Collector's Edition: Especial sonido (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Little Bitty Pretty One"
Written by Robert Byrd
Performed by Thurston Harris
Courtesy of EMI Records
Under license from EMI-Capitol Music Special Markets

User Reviews

A Quirky and Wonderful Slice of Magic & Youth

Hi hi!

Danny DeVito touches on the viewpoint of children - and their imaginations - in this fantasy come to life: MATILDA.

Who of us as children didn't see the world in the powerful images of youthful, innocent eyes? The horrific Agatha Trunchbull, the kindly librarian, Mrs. Phelps? The annoying big brother 'Mikey', or the wondrous, perfect teacher, Miss Honey? Who of us as children didn't see that some things in life were wrong and wanted to put them right - if only we had magic powers!

Life as a child is fantastic and happy and exciting and scary. And in MATILDA we see all elements of childhood shine through by the intentionally ridiculous, over-the-top performances of Danny DeVito (Matilda's Dad), Rhea Perlman (Mom), and Pam Ferris (Ms. Trunchbull, the principal).

And yes, there is a scary element to the movie: The chase in Ms. Trunchbull's house; the "Chokey"; the spooky scene of Matilda taking back "Lizzie Doll" from Ms. Trunchbull while "haunting" her house. But this is the scariness of youth; shown from a safe distance for even the young audience. And despite the scariness - which kids KNOW exists - Matilda and Miss Honey and all their friends are victorious. Danny DeVito has demonstrated a lesson well-learned from the Disney animated films of yesteryear: The more evil the villain, the more noble and victorious the heroine.

To miss seeing MATILDA is to miss a heart-warming, hand-clapping, magical trip back to your childhood fantasies and ideals.