History Heartwarming / Matilda

--> '''Matilda''': I love it here! I love my school; it isn't fair! Miss Honey, please don't let them...
--> '''Harry Wormwood''': [interrupting] Get in the car, Melinda!
--> '''Matilda''': Matilda!
--> '''Harry Wormwood''': Whatever.
--> '''Matilda''': I want to stay with Miss Honey.
--> '''Zinnia Wormwood''': Miss Honey doesn't want you. Why would she want some snotty, disobedient kid?
--> '''Miss Honey''': Because she's a spectacularly wonderful child, and I love her!

--> '''Matilda''': Here, I've got the adoption papers right here!
-->'''Zinnia Wormwood''': Where did you get those?
-->'''Matilda''': [Gives her a triumphant look] From the library! I've had them since I was old enough to xerox!

--> '''Harry''': Hey you! You're going to school.\\
'''Matilda''': I am?!\\
'''Harry''': First thing tomorrow.\\

'''Harry''': Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're going to get a real good education at this place.

--> '''Miss Honey''': ...*That* is the biggest hug in the world. [{{Beat}}]. Matilda, I think you're going to hug all of the air out of me.

[[folder:Meta]]
* Mara Wilson's [[http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/04-2013/being-matilda_64967.html glowing review of the musical]], which touches on her struggle to release herself from her identity as Matilda while also acknowledging how she loved being Matilda.
* In 2013, Sony commissioned a new restoration for a Blu-ray release. Danny [=DeVito=] celebrated by inviting the cast over for tea and even recreating Bruce's punishment which brought warm fuzzy feelings to any kid who watched it growing up and now can see the child actors have grown up too. Some footage from this reunion turned up in the Blu-ray bonus features, showcasing how close the actors still feel to each other.
-->'''Mara Wilson:''' When I think about the movie on its own, one of the messages there is you can make your own family. And it's funny, because I did sort of feel like on the set of ''Matilda'', we ''were'' very familial...
** Of particular note is how impossibly nice Pam Ferris, who played Miss Trunchbull, is during the tea party. As mentioned above, she surprises Bruce Bogtrotter's actor with a small chocolate cupcake--and then a ''giant'' cake!--to recreate their scene together; she does something similar with Amanda Thripp's actress, pretending that her earrings are the dangling pigtails that set her off in the movie. Ferris remembers every single one of her lines and can barely keep from giggling as she recites them, much to the delight of the rest of the guests. It's the epitome of MeanCharacterNiceActor, and speaks to just how ''sweet'' she is.
* According to Mara Wilson's appearance in WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's review of the film, she's very proud of the movie, and she thinks that Danny [=DeVito=] really cared about staying true to the spirit of the original book. In the commentary, she also reveals that the Trunchbull's actress (Pam Ferris) was in fact a very sweet woman, the sort to want to share pictures of cats with her castmates.
* Mara Wilson had grown up believing that her mother died of breast cancer before she had the opportunity to see the movie, but found out much later to her surprise and delight that Danny [=DeVito=] sent her an advance copy, which she watched with great pride in her daughter's performance.
* Honestly, how much Danny [=DeVito=] did for Mara Wilson during the filming of the movie. During the filming of Little Bitty Pretty One, she kept getting nervous during filming. Danny said "You know what the issue is? You're the only one dancing!" So off camera during that scene, the entire cast and crew are also dancing, the camera man doing a very minor foot jig so he didn't shake the camera. It was all done to calm her nerves.
* Once again, Danny [=DeVito=] here. He and his wife let Mara stay over at their house whenever her parents needed to go to the hospital for medical reasons. All so that they would have one less thing to worry about while battling cancer.
* Mara Wilson struggled through undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder during and for a number of years after the making of ''Film/{{Matilda}}''. She read a young adult fiction book in the late 1990s about a teenage girl with OCD called ''Kissing Doorknobs''. Mara recognized herself in the character's quirks, and confided in her father that she thought she might have OCD. She was formally dignosed with the disorder and given medication and therapy, which saved Mara's life. Later, she looked at the author of the book, Terry Spencer Hesser, who turned out to be the mother of Mara's friend, ''Kira'' Spencer Hesser, who played Hortensia in the movie.
* Notably, the movie is one of the very few adaptations of Roald Dahl's work to have the unambiguous approval of the Dahl Estate. His widow loved the script and had little to no changes, which is the only reason it was allowed to be made.
[[/folder]]

* Honestly how much Danny [=DeVito=] did for Mara Wilson during the filming of the movie. During the filming of Little Bitty Pretty One, she kept getting nervous during filming. Danny said "You know what the issue is? You're the only one dancing!" So off camera during that scene, the entire cast and crew are also dancing, the camera man doing a very minor foot jig so he didn't shake the camera. It was all done to calm her nerves.

* Notably, the movie is one of the very few adaptations of his work to have the unambiguous approval of the Dahl Estate. His widow loved the script and had little to no changes, which is the only reason it was allowed to be made.

* Matilda's brother waving to her from the back of the car.

* The end of the film version of Matilda features this scene at the end when Matilda's family is forced to leave the country.:

--> "A fine writer will always make you feel that," Mrs Phelps said. "And don't worry about the bits you can't understand. Sit back and allow the words to wash around you, like music."

* As per usual, Mrs. Phelps, the local librarian, gets to provide some heartwarming moments. Not only does she foster Matilda's love of reading--something common to every version of the story--but she also eagerly asks for Matilda to tell her the stories that she dreams up. Given that Matilda feels completely isolated from her family and isn't in school yet, Mrs. Phelps is the only person in the world who makes her feel like she has something important to say, giving her a voice and confidence in herself.

** Of particular note is how impossibly nice Pam Ferris, who played Miss Trunchbull, is during the tea party. As mentioned above, she surprises Bruce Bogtrotter's actor with a small chocolate cake to recreate their scene together; she does something similar with Amanda Thripp's actress, pretending that her earrings are the dangling pigtails that set her off in the movie. Ferris even remembers every single one of her lines and can barely keep from giggling as she recites them, much to the delight of the rest of the guests. It's the epitome of MeanCharacterNiceActor, and speaks to just how ''sweet'' she is.

* Mrs. Phelps, the kind old librarian. When Matilda asks for help in finding the children's books, Mrs. Phelps directs her to the right room and offers to find her one with a lot of pictures. She keeps an eye on Matilda as she comes to the library every day and later tells her how she can get a library card to take books home. She acts like the loving grandparent Matilda more than likely doesn't have.

** It's also a relief that Amanda misses the fence and manages to scoop up a series of flowers as she's landing, which she also looks quite proud about. Then she gives the flowers to Miss Honey. D'aww...

* Lavender and Matilda's friendship some highlights:

!!The book

!!The movie

!!The musical

!!Meta

* Mara Wilson struggled through undiagnosed obsessive-compulsive disorder during and for a number of years after the making of ''Film/{{Matilda}}''. She read a young adult fiction book in the late 1990s about a teenage girl with OCD called ''Kissing Doorknobs''. Mara recognized herself in the character's quirks, and confided in her father that she thought she might have OCD. She was formally dignosed with the disorder and given medication and therapy, which saved Mara's life. Later, she looked at the author of the book, Terry Spencer Hesser, who turned out to be the mother of Mara's friend, ''Kira'' Spencer Hesser, who played Hortensia in the movie.

* Once again, Danny [=DeVito=] here. He and his wife let Mara stay over at her house whenever her parents needed to go to the hospital for medical reasons. All so that they would have one less thing to worry about while battling cancer.

* Mrs Phelps the librarian, the first kindly adult to interact with Matilda and introduce her to adult literature. Matilda talks to her about the books she's read and says that she feels as if she is actually there in the book watching it all happen.

* Mrs. Phelps, the kind old librarian. She keeps an eye on Matilda as she comes to the library every day and later tells her how she can get a library card to take books home. She acts like the loving grandparent Matilda more than likely doesn't have.

* The montage at the end of Miss Honey and Matilda having fun playing blind man's bluff now that The Trunchbull is run out of school and Matilda's parents have fled the country. It's unbelievably sweet.

* When Harry does take Matilda to school, and bargained with Miss Trunchbull to send Matilda there in exchange for a car. It's the only time you see a somewhat heartwarming moment between the two. When she hugs him, he does act annoyed but not in the cruel way and even makes the effort to drive her there so she'd know the way. Sure we all know it goes downhill from here, but it's the thought that counts.

* The montage at the end of Miss Honey and Matilda having fun now that The Trunchbull is run out of school and Matilda's parents have fled the country. It's unbelievably sweet.

* Matilda and her friends doing a normal kid activity: hunting for amphibians in the local pond. Then they look up the newt lavender caught in a textbook.