Beloved Roald Dahl movie Matilda a popular rewatch on Netflix

Roald Dahl is responsible for a number of classic children's books, many of which have been turned into popular movies, including Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the Gene Wilder version), Wes Anderson's stop-motion Fantastic Mr. Fox and the Steven Spielberg adaptation of The BFG, to name a few. But one of the more popular ones from the '90s is seeing a revival on Netflix — 1996's Matilda.

The story of Matilda, originally published in 1988 before being adapted into a movie, follows an intelligent young girl gifted with a keen intellect and physic powers, which she puts to good use to deal with her crude, distant family and her sadistic headmistress. The movie version starred Mara Wilson as Matilda, Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman as Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, Embeth Davidtz as Miss Honey, Pam Ferris as Miss Trunchbull and, in a fun cameo, Paul Reubens (best known for his character Pee Wee Herman). DeVito also directed the movie.

Matilda earned strong praise from critics (it has a 91% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes), with legendary film critic Robert Ebert calling the movie “heartfelt and sincere” in his review.

The movie arrived on the streaming service on April 1 as part of the lineup of what's new on Netflix in April. By April 5 it had found its way into the daily Netflix top 10 for movies watched in the US, including multiple days in the top five.

This is not to be confused with Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical, which is a Netflix original movie that premiered on the streaming service at the end of 2022. That is based on a Broadway musical inspired by the book. That movie also received a strong critical appreciation (92% on Rotten Tomatoes), but many people were excited that the original Matilda was now available on Netflix. 

Danny DeVito also noticed that his movie has risen up the Netflix charts. 

The enthusiastic reception of Matilda on Netflix affirms that Roald Dahl's work still resonates with those who read the books or saw the movies originally, as well as inspiring new generations. And there's more on the way. 

Wes Anderson is diving back into the world of Dahl by adapting The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar with Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel and Ben Kingsley, per Variety. In addition, while not a direct adaptation of Dahl's work, Timothée Chalamet is starring in Wonka, a musical prequel inspired by Dahl's eccentric candy maker from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; that movie is scheduled to be released on December 15.

Matilda is now streaming on Netflix, but is also available to rent via digital on-demand.