How to watch Matilda 1996 – where is it streaming?

Cameron Frew
The cast of Matilda 1996

With the musical streaming on Netflix, viewers may be looking to watch the original 1996 Matilda – here’s everything you need to know about how and where you can watch and stream it.

Matilda the Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s novel and Tim Minchin’s stage show of the same name, “tells the story of an extraordinary girl, with a vivid imagination, who dares to take a stand to change her story with miraculous results.”

In our review, we said it was “loud, bright, and garish, and if they can cope with the darker strands of the story, kids are going to love it.”

The story was famously adapted by Danny DeVito in 1996’s Matilda – so, where can you stream it?

Where can you watch the original 1996 Matilda?

In the US, Matilda is available to rent or buy digitally on Amazon Prime and other on-demand platforms. It is currently not available to stream via Netflix or any other service.

However, in the UK, Matilda is available to stream on Netflix, as well as Sky Cinema and NOW TV. Don’t worry, though – if you’re in the US, you can easily use a VPN to access UK Netflix.

Here’s a bit of nostalgia, since it’s Christmas:

Unlike the musical, the 1996 movie is set in America. It stars Mara Wilson as the titular girl, alongside DeVito and Rhea Perlman as the Wormwoods, Embeth Davidtz as Miss Honey, and most unforgettably, Pam Ferris as Miss Trunchbull.

Emma Thompson takes up the hammer in the new film, and while it was always going to be a challenge to live up to such an iconic performance, fans have hailed her as “amazing” and “fantastic.”

There’s one major difference compared to the past version: Matilda’s brother Michael doesn’t just fail to make an appearance, but he’s been cut from the story altogether. You can read more about that here.

Matilda the Musical is streaming on Netflix now. You can find out how to watch it here.

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