The trailer for Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical has arrived, and it’s time to get up on your feet and start singing! The Tony Award-winning stage production that transforms the beloved Roald Dahl story into a rocking musical is now available as a video on Netflix. In this longer clip, we get a glimpse at the film’s huge, mystical, and musical passages that build up to Matilda (Alisha Weir) leading a revolution against the oppressive headmistress Ms Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). The trailer begins on a positive note, focusing on Matilda’s vivid imagination and her enthusiasm for reading as a means of escapism. It would appear that she has found a safe haven away from her nasty parents who suppress her creativity and enthusiasm for reading thanks to her inspiring instructor Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch) at Crunchem Hall recognised her talent.
When the music ramps up to a dramatic crescendo, the repressive nature of the school’s environment becomes clear. Thompson’s Trunchbull is really spooky and menacing as she flings a youngster over the fence by the pigtails and displays her cruel nature. But when Matilda chooses to disobey her, it really gets under her skin. She has been hiding telekinetic skills all along, and she utilises them to lead a revolt against the evil Trunchbull in the film’s climactic, epic musical performance. Although Danny DeVito’s adored 1996 film Matilda told the same plot, with a few crucial alterations, this trailer puts considerable emphasis on the film’s musical elements.
The meticulously staged passages in the corridors of the academy and in the cafeteria during the iconic cake scene give the adaption an air of seriousness, as do the images of the youngsters standing rigid and leering as they sing about Crunchem’s atrocities on the playground. Just recently, Matilda, the Musical made its world premiere at the London Film Festival, where it was a critical and audience success, earning a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Matthew Warchus, who earned a Tony for directing God of Carnage and an Olivier for directing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda adaption, oversaw the production that would launch the musical’s record-breaking run on the West End and Broadway.
Along with Weir, Thompson, and Lynch, his ensemble also included Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Sindhu Vee. Tim Minchin composed the score, and director Matthew Warchus reteamed with the musical’s original writer, Dennis Kelly, for the film adaptation. Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan of Working Title and Jon Finn and Luke Kelly of The Roald Dahl Story Company served as producers. After a limited run in cinemas beginning on December 9, Matilda the Musical will bring the musical uprising to Netflix on December 25.