Matilda Wormwood is an brilliant and intelligent little girl. Unfortunately, her parents, Harry and Zinnia, fail to see that fact. As time passes, she finally starts school and has a kind teacher, loyal friends, and a terrifying, sadistic headmistress. As she becomes fed up with the constant cruelty, she discovers she has a special gift that she just might be able to use to outwit the unruly adults around her.
Acting
Pam Ferris as Trunchbull: genuinely terrifying, no notes.
Direction
DeVito's Dahl adaptation respects kids' capacity for darkness.
Practical Effects
Pre-CGI telekinesis that still looks better than most modern effects.
Director
Danny DeVito
Mara Wilson
Matilda Wormwood
Danny DeVito
Harry Wormwood / Narrator (voice)
Rhea Perlman
Zinnia Wormwood
Embeth Davidtz
Miss Honey
Pam Ferris
Agatha Trunchbull
Paul Reubens
FBI Agent
Tracey Walter
FBI Agent
Jean Speegle Howard
Miss Phelps
Brian Levinson
Michael Wormwood
Sara Magdalin
Four-Year-Old Matilda
R.D. Robb
Roy
Fred Parnes
Waiter
Kiami Davael
Lavender
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mara Wilson's mother was dying of cancer during filming; DeVito showed her early cuts in the hospital so she'd see the finished performance. She passed away before release.
The chocolate cake scene became a viral eating challenge decades later, proving Gen Z's taste for cinematic chaos matches Millennial childhood trauma.
US
