Twenty-five years ago, the classic children’s fantasy comedy “Matilda” hit theaters around the world to delight a generation – and remains in the popular imagination as one of the best productions of the 1990s.
Despite the commercial failure (which failed even to cover the $ 36 million budget), the film received a very favorable reception from specialist critics, who praised the loyalty to Roald Dahl’s novel of the same name and to the staging of the legendary Danny. DeVito – who always wanted to return to the fun world for a sequel.
The plot centers on the young owner, a bright kid who grew up among rude and ignorant parents. Both ignore their daughter, to the point of forgetting to enroll her in school. This way Mathilde is always at home or at the bookstore, where she usually stimulates her imagination. When Matilda finds out that she has magical powers, Harry decides to send her to school. The place is controlled with an iron fist by Headmistress Agatha Trunchbull, prompting Matilda to use her special talent to protect her friends and teacher.
To celebrate your birthday, CinePOP has separated a list with several behind-the-scenes curiosities, which you can check out below:
Contrary to what we realized in the film, DeVito and Rhea Perlman, who played Matilda’s parents, were very close to Mara Wilson in the production. According to Wilson, the two let her stay at home while her father worked and her mother was in the hospital treating her cancer. The photo of Mrs. Honey (Embeth Davidtz), Magnus, is actually a portrait of Dahl, author of the original book. Wilson was having so much fun in the sequence in which she danced on “Little Bitty Pretty One”, that DeVito asked the cast and the creative team to dance with her on set.
Wilson’s mother sadly passed away while filming from cancer. She thought for years that her mother never got to watch the final cut. However, years later, DeVito revealed that he showed her the first cut of the film before his death. Pam Ferris, who brought the horrific Mrs. Trunchbull to life, remained the character even after the director said “cut”, wanting to scare the kids on set so that the fear was real during the shoot. Matilda, when describing her love for Charles Dickens to Mrs. Honey, accidentally misses the pronunciation and says “Darles Chickens”. The dialogue mentions another Dahl novel, ‘The Good Giant Friend’, in which the main character constantly misses the name of the legendary English author.
Bob Hoskings, Tim Allen, Joe Pesci, John Goodman, Robert De Niro and Bill Murray were all considered for the role of Harry Wormwood. Eventually, DeNiro decided to reprise the role. DeVito originally wanted twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen to bring the main character to life, as their children were huge fans of the “Three Is Too Much” sitcom. However, they were not available as they were working on “Daddy’s Girlfriends”.
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Winona Ryder was one of the top picks for the role of Ms. Darling, especially since she and DeVito worked on “Getting Real”. However, she turned down the project due to scheduling conflicts with the historical drama “The Witches of Salem”. Rosie O’Donnell was also considered for the role. The film suggests that Matilda kept her powers after the end. In the book, however, she loses her skills upon entering a room where she faces far greater intellectual challenges.
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