Matilda the Musicalhas just been released on Netflix, and the irreverent musical movie packs plenty of fun and childhood magic into its two-hour runtime. Itsets itself apart from the classic 1996iteration of Roald Dahl’s story with the inclusion of thirteen musical numbers from the stage production version.
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Composed by Australian comedian and musician Tim Minchin, the songs inMatilda the Musicalweave themselves through the narrative and inject life into the story and its characters. With a mix of slower more emotional pieces, theatrical ensemble performances, and beautifully powerful solos,Matilda the Musicalhas something for everyone.
13Chokey Chant
The Chokey is an infamous feature of Crunchem Hall, and this song serves as the musical’s introduction to it. Though the Chokey itself doesn’t feature much in this adaptation, audiences get a glimpse of the box of horror during this song sung by the older students.
The chant is helmed by theTikTok famous Red Beret Girlplayed by Meesha Garbett, whose official character name is Hortensia. “Chokey Chant” is less than a minute long and, though entertaining, is probably the weakest song in the film.
12The Hammer
“The Hammer” occurs shortly after the audience gets their first glimpse of the terrifying Miss Trunchbull played by Emma Thompson. This song gives an insight into the headmistress’s past as a successful Olympic hammer thrower.
The song also successfully demonstrates her control over the school and the obedience of the other students as they carry out her bidding and her tune, in this case. The song is fun, campy, and entertaining but fails to showcase Thompson’s theatrical skill as well as her other song.
11I’m Here
This emotional performance between Matilda and her imagined Escapologist is a sweet but heartbreaking addition to the film. Before knowing the escapologist’s true identity, Matilda imagines herself as his daughter as a way to cope with her own abusive family.
Moreover, Matilda’s strong emotions as she tells herself this storytrigger her psionic powersfor the first time. This song and the scenes that accompany it are incredibly compelling but are ultimately outshone by countless other stellar songs in this musical movie.
10My House
Miss Honey’s main solo is a story of reclaiming space in a harsh world that has made her feel unwelcome. “My House” begins as another of the slower, more emotional pieces that round out this musical.
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However, it develops into a powerful ballad as Matilda realizes that Miss Honey is the true daughter of the escapologist. His lines from “I’m Here” weave into the song and create a bittersweet duet of love, loss, and reclamation. Though not the best song in the film, it is still one that carries a lot of heart.
9Miracle
As the opening song of the film, “Miracle” successfully grabs attention with its lyrics, choreography, and varied and powerful vocals. It opens with the boasting of newborns that their parents believe they’re the most special baby on the planet. It then cuts to the parents singing their praises.
This provides a great juxtaposition to Matilda’s parents who are less than impressed with their own little miracle. The momentum of the song builds into a theatrical ensemble performance that sets the scene for Matilda’s family dynamic before cutting to Matilda herself all grown up.
8Still Holding My Hand
This song was specifically written for the musical movie to wrap up the narrative in a more screen-appropriate way. As a duet between Miss Honey and Matilda, it tells the story of their respective trauma from their childhoods and the magical discovery of each other.
The scenes it plays behind show Matilda and Miss Honey setting their lives up together after the banishment of Miss Trunchbull and the departure of the Wormwoods. This song is a sweet inclusion to the film thatdeals with healingand happiness after a struggle.
7The Smell Of Rebellion
Thompson’s portrayal of the cruel Miss Trunchbull shines in this solo song that comes halfway into the film’s narrative. Like manygood movie musical villainsongs, it’s campy, flamboyant, and varied in tone and style.
It oscillates between a cruel musical manifesto against children, an 80s style ballad about horses, and a quick-paced incantation punctuated with landmine blasts. Thompson, an iconic British actress known for her roleas a Hogwarts professor, handles all these styles with perfection.
6Bruce
Bruce Bogtrotter is one of the more memorable characters in theMatildastory, and in this adaptation, he gets his very own musical number. As he attempts to eat the ginormous chocolate cake forced upon him by Miss Trunchbull, the students of Crunchem Hall sing this song to cheer him on.
This ensemble performance is similar to Miracle in its embracement of theatrical elements and breaking of traditional movie realism. Though some lyrics do edge towards fat-shaming, this song is undoubtedly a dazzling number.
5Naughty
Serving as the main ‘I Want’ song for the protagonist of the movie, “Naughty” introduces viewers to this new version of Matilda and what she stands for. The song tells the story of a well-read little girl with an ironclad sense of right and wrong.
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Alisha Weir is charming as this bolder version ofthe beloved Roald Dahlcharacter, and the song itself is a great reminder of the wondrous nature of childhood. In this song, Matilda reminds viewers that even the littlest of people can do a lot.
4School Song
The song that showcases composer Tim Minchin’s talent as a wordsmith best is undeniably “School Song”. Delivered through the repetition of the alphabet, this song serves a warning to Matilda and Lavender that Crunchem Hall isa terrible school.
“School Song” is an incredibly catchy number and showcases the talent of the ensemble cast well. Hortensia features heavily in this song as does the main prefect played by Sadie Victoria Lim. The ingenuity of the lyrics make it one of the best songs.
