Summary
Matildais one of the most beloved books and movies thanks to its characters and tone, though it does have some sad elements – and one theory adds to this by changing Matilda’s backstory, making her story a lot sadder. Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novelMatildais a favorite of children and adults alike, and in 1996, it was adapted into a film. Directed by Danny DeVito,Matildaintroduced the audience to the title character (played by Mara Wilson), a young child with extraordinary abilities.Matildawas a critical success though not a box office one, but it’s now considered a 1990s classic.
Matilda is a six-year-old girl who is neglected by her family: father Harry (DeVito), a shady car dealer, mother Zinnia (Rhea Perlman), who only cares about her appearance, playing bingo, and spending money, and brother Michael, who bullies her all the time. Because of this, they never notice Matilda is a genius, and she begins to develop psychokinetic abilities. Matilda goes through more mistreatment at school, but finds support in her friends and her teacher, Ms. Honey (Embeth Davidtz). If all this wasn’t sad enough already, a theory makes it even worse by changing Matilda’s backstory.
Matilda Cast: Where They Are Now
The 1996 Matilda cast featured many talented actors, including Mara Wilson, Embeth Davidtz, Pam Ferris, and Danny DeVito. What are they doing now?
Matilda Theory Claims She Was A Government Experiment
Matilda Wasn’t A Naturally Gifted Child, After All
Neither Dahl’s book nor DeVito’s movie explainswhy Matilda had those powers, so it’s unknown if any other family members had the same but were dormant or if she was the only one. Unsurprisingly, this, along with some details from the movie, has made way for various theories about Matilda’s origins, and among them is one that claims Matilda was an experiment of the government. The theory, shared onReddit, breaks down different parts of the movieMatildathat support this idea, starting with the nursery scene.
The theory suggests the Wormwoods weren’t Matilda’s biological parents, and they were chosen by the government to be her parents as they needed her to be with a “dumb” family to better study her development.
The author of the theory explains that the opening line inMatilda, which says “everyone is born, but not everyone is born the same”, impliesMatilda was made for a government experiment. The theory suggests the Wormwoods weren’t Matilda’s biological parents, and instead, they were chosen by the government to be her parents as they needed her to be with a “dumb” family to better study her development.Matilda’s first “power” was her survival instinct, which she developed at a very early age, and she also showed morale when she figured out her father’s shady businesses.
Matildaexplained the FBI was keeping a close eye on Harry, but the theory says this was actually a cover as they were keeping an eye on Matilda.
The biggest element that could support this theory is the FBI agents who began investigating Harry and his business.Matildaexplained the FBI was keeping a close eye on Harry, but the theory says this was actually a cover as they were keeping an eye on Matilda.The agents were following the development of Matilda’s powers, and the videotape they were carrying when they entered the Wormwoods’ garage actually contained evidence of Matilda’s powers – more so as she had just had her “party” with all the flying objects.
Is That Pee-Wee Herman In Matilda? Cameo Explained
When Matilda confronts two FBI agents who are investigating her father, one of them is a very familiar face who plays a peculiar comedic character.
Adding to this is one of the agents’ comments, who said Matilda would end up in “a good orphanage”, even though only Harry would be arrested. The theory goes on to add that Ms. Honey was the only adult who wasn’t part of the government nor knew about the experiment who noticed her extraordinary abilities, which is why she connected so authentically and lovingly with her.
What Happened To Matilda After The Movie
Matilda Was Last Seen Living Happily With Ms. Honey
Ms. Honey and Matilda finally had the loving family they had always wanted, and it was implied they lived a happy life after the events of the movie.
At the end ofMatilda, Harry, Zinnia, and Michael moved to Guam to run away from the FBI, but Matilda decided to stay with Ms. Honey and gave her the adoption papers to make it legal.Matilda was last seen living happily with Ms. Honey, who took over the school after Trunchbull ran away from town. Ms. Honey and Matilda finally had the loving family they had always wanted, and it was implied they lived a happy life after the events of the movie. There are no details that could point at a different outcome, though awild theory suggests Matilda became Carrie White.
Within the theory of Matilda being a government experiment, the author explainsthe FBI let her live with Miss Honey but still kept an eye on Matilda, though whether they stopped at some point or not is unclear. Perhaps the government got all the information they needed at some point and simply stopped following Matilda around, and she never knew the truth behind her powers and her family.
How This Theory Affects Matilda’s Book More Than The Movie
The Core Message Of Matilda Is Clearer In The Book
The main message of the book is that anyone can be goodhearted, smart, and special regardless of their family background.
As interesting as this theory is, it ends up affecting the book more than its film adaptation. The theory, although with some flaws, makes Matilda’s story sadder than it already was in both the book and the movie, as even after her happy ending with Ms. Honey, she would still have been under surveillance – and, of course, the fact that she was an experiment is enough to make her story more tragic as she was used her whole life. However, it affects the book more than the movie as the main message of the book is that anyone can be goodhearted, smart, and special regardless of their family background.
Matilda Book Differences: 6 Changes The 1996 Movie Made
Most people are familiar with the 1996 Matilda film adaptation. However, there are many differences between the movie and Roald Dahl’s book.
The theory takes this away as the Wormwoods weren’t Matilda’s parents, and she was placed with them to experiment with her, though the message stands with Ms. Honey, who also had a cruel childhood with Trunchbull. In the end, it’s up to every reader and viewer to decide ifMatildawas a government experiment or, simply, a naturally gifted child.
Matilda
Matilda is the 1996 live-action movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel of the same name. It tells the story of Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson), a child prodigy who develops telekinetic powers while dealing with her abusive family and her school’s dictatorial principal Miss Trunchbull (Pam Ferris) with the help of her teacher Miss Honey (Embeth Davidtz). Danny DeVito directs the film and plays Matilda’s father, Harry.
