Willy Wonka? Mr. Fox? The Witches? They're just a few of the Dahl adaptations worth revisiting as Matilda: The Musical arrives on Netflix
Clockwise from left to right: The BFG ; Fantastic Mr. Fox; Matilda; Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory; The Witches Like so many slightly odd, library-obsessed kids, some of my earliest youthful fantasies were a product of Roald Dahl’s mind. His stories are as terrifying as they are beautiful, and as aspirational as they are painfully, realistically tragic—despite Matilda’s woeful parentage situation and deplorable elementary school, I wanted to live in her shoes nonetheless.
Dahl’s ubiquity among bookish, whimsical youth also presents a real challenge for film adaptations, with no perfectly formulaic answer. Animation highlights Dahl’s absurdity well, but so do the expressive mannerisms of performers like Anjelica Huston, Gene Wilder, and Danny DeVito. Master directors like Wes Anderson, Robert Zemeckis, and even Quentin Tarantino have tried their hand at putting Dahl’s text to screen, to varied effect .
That’s not to mention the subjectivity of taste, which rings particularly true given the affecting, well-drawn nature of Dahl’s diverse characters. From witches to chocolate connoisseurs to well-meaning upstairs neighbors, his characters always had a sparkle that, when captured well on film, translates into magic. When you connect with Dahl characters, whether as a young child or an adult, they stay with you; the same is true for a skillful film adaptation of Dahl’s world.
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