Matilda is a timeless children’s classic, all about a magical girl with a love of reading. But how many of these Matilda facts did you already know? From the inspiration for Matilda to Voldemort’s weird connection to it, here are 20 fascinating facts about the Roald Dahl book! And if you liked these, we’ve got more facts here! How about these fun random facts? Or maybe you’re in the mood for these rad raccoon facts? You might even like these Harry Potter film facts!

1. It Was Published in 1988

Matilda was published in 1988, over 30 years ago! Matilda is by Roald Dahl, who also wrote classics like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits and Fantastic Mr. Fox. It tells the story of Matilda, a little girl with a horrible family and a love for reading. However, Matilda soon discovers she also has some extraordinary powers…

2. It’s Set in Buckinghamshire

Although the film is set in America, the original book is set in the English county of Buckinghamshire…which is also where Dahl was living when he wrote it! The village she lives in is unnamed, but maybe it was meant to be Great Missenden, where Dahl lived. Who knows!

3. Roald Dahl Based Matilda on Himself

Like Matilda, Roald Dahl was a curious child who loved to read. He spent his difficult early childhood in boarding school, away from his family, and learned to escape through reading. In a similar way, Matilda also finds escape through the stories she reads. As far as we know, Roald Dahl didn’t have any magical powers though!

4. It May Be Inspired by an Earlier Book

Matilda isn’t the first book Roald Dahl wrote about a young girl with special powers…In 1968 he released a short story called The Magic Finger. The story is all about a girl who’s finger sends out magical energy when she gets upset, causing havoc in the world around her. She is especially upset when her neighbours are duck hunting. Like Matilda, she wants to help and protect people, and gets angry at injustice.

5. The Library Is A Real Place

If you thought the description of the library in Matilda sounded cool, you’re in luck! Dahl based the library on his real-life local library, in Great Missenden! Dahl often took inspiration from real places around him for his books, and also used Great Missenden to inspire him in Danny, Champion of the World and The BFG. The library Matilda visits in the film is also real – it’s the Pasadena public library in Pasadena, California.

6. It’s a Love Letter to Books

In case you missed it, Roald Dahl loved books! Which is lucky, because he was an author! Roald Dahl was worried that reading was being over taken by TV watching (as seen in the Mike Teavee character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and he wanted to inspire children to read more. He namedrops some classics in Matilda like Animal Farm, Jane Eyre, Great Expectations and Moby Dick, amongst others! You can even check out her reading list on Goodreads!

7. It’s One of the Most Popular Books Ever

Matilda is hugely popular, as the brand new musical film shows, and has never been out of print. It’s sold over 17 MILLION copies, and, behind The BFG, its Roald Dahl’s best selling book!

8. It Became a Film in 1996

In 1996, 8 years after it first came out, Matilda became a film. Set in the US and starring Mara Wilson, the film version is still a classic today, and is memorable for performances from Danny DeVito and the terrifying Trunchbull (Pam Ferris).

9. Pam Ferris Tried to Stay in Character in Real Life

Pam Ferris, who plays the terrifying javelin throwing Miss Trunchbull, wanted to stay in character as much as possible whilst filming so the children didn’t get too relaxed around her…but she said she found it too hard to be nasty to them! She also had to train in hammer throwing, wear a false nose tip and swing a girl round by her ponytails!

10. Danny DeVito Has Multiple Roles in the Film

You’re probably familiar with Danny DeVito as Matilda’s horrible dad Harry Wormwood, but did you know he was also the director of the movie? DeVito said he wanted to make the film after his children read the book, and he and his real-life wife Rhea Perlman took on the roles of the nasty Wormwoods! He also plays the narrator!

11. Winona Ryder Was Asked to Play Miss Honey

Before the role went to Embeth Davidtz, several different actors were considered for the part of the sweet and good natured Miss Honey, including Winona Ryder, Rosie O Donnell, and Mariska Hargitay. And Matilda could have been played by…Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen!

12. The Film Nearly Wasn’t Made

Roald Dahl really hated how the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Witches films turned out, and didn’t want anymore films made of his books. Even though he’d passed away, his estate were still hesitant, and they had to approve the script before they allowed the film to be made. Who knows if Roald Dahl would have liked it – but we definitely do!

13. There Was a Cast Reunion in 2013

To celebrate the remastered DVD release, the cast and crew reunited for a tea party in 2013. As well as re-united the cast also performed some classic scenes from the film, like Matilda’s maths class and Bruce Bogtrotter being forced to eat the giant chocolate cake!

14. The Musical Premiered in 2010

In 2009 the Royal Shakespeare company announced that a musical version of Matilda was in the works. It was first performed in 2010 and then moved to London’s West End in 2011, where its still going, over a decade later! It made its Broadway debut in 2013, and has been performed all over the world!

15. The Music is by Tim Minchin

Tim Minchin is an Australian musical comedian, and the producers of the show got him on board after watching his comedy show and deciding he had the right tone for the musical. It’s not actually Tim Minchin’s first attempt at Matilda – he wanted to write a musical version way back in the 2000s, but couldn’t get the rights! The producers also approached comedy and Strictly Winner Bill Bailey, who couldn’t commit due to other projects. Wonder what his version would have sounded like?

16. The Film came out in 2022

A film of the musical had been planned for a while, but the Covid 19 pandemic delayed filming for a while. It was first reported that it would be made in 2013, originally as an animated show, and then maybe as a sequel to the 1996 Matilda, before being confirmed as an adaptation of the stage musical.

17. There Were Several Actors in Line For Miss Trunchbull

Although the role eventually went to Emma Thompson, the original actor lined up for the part was…Ralph Fiennes! In the stage version, Miss Trunchbull was always played by a man, and the film wanted to do the same, but apparently Emma’s audition was too good to pass up!

18. Matilda Has Harry Potter Connections

You know the drill – if it’s a British film, it’s probably got some Harry Potter actors in it! This is the case for BOTH films – the 1996 adaptation has Pam Ferris (Miss Trunchbull) who would go on to play Harry’s inflatable Aunt Marge. The 2022 film has Emma Thompson (also Miss Trunchbull) who plays the ditzy Professor Trelawney! Not to mention that originally, Trunchbull would have been played by Voldemort himself!

19. Mara Wilson Turned Down a Cameo in the 2022 Film

Danny DeVito and Mara Wilson both expressed interest in returning for cameos when the film was first announced, but sadly, when it was time to film, Mara didn’t want to travel all the way from the USA for one day of work, especially during the pandemic. Sensible call!

20. Matilda Loses Her Powers at the End of the Book

In the 1996 film, Matilda, Miss Honey and Matilda’s magical powers live happily ever after, but the original ending is a little bit different! Matilda’s powers actually fade away in the book, suggesting that now she’d found happiness with Miss Honey, she didn’t need them anymore!