Roald Dahl, who penned classics such as Matilda and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is widely regarded as one of Britain’s most influential children’s book authors.
Even three decades after his death, Dahl’s darkly comic whimsical best-sellers continue to be reimagined for new generations. With the arrival of Timothée Chalamat as the young chocolatier, Willy Wonka in Wonka, a recent Anne Hathaway-led adaptation of The Witches and Tim Minchin’s musical interpretation of Matilda, Dahl’s stories are having a major revival on the big-screen.
Dahl’s eclectic short stories, revolting rhymes and novels have provided fruitful inspiration for directors to explore the pivotal themes of life, which are often excluded or censored from children’s art, such as community, purpose, hatred, death and grief. Each story boasts the unique ability to intertwine a heart-warming, whimsical quality with darkly comic take on the human experience.
Acclaimed auteurs from Wes Anderson to Tim Burton have adapted the author's rich tales into beloved feature and short films, with Anderson releasing the Academy-award nominated stop-motion animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox and Burton’s live-action take of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. More recently, Anderson revisited some of Dahl’s short stories from the 70s in a string of short films for Netflix, including The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Scarlett Johansson.
From Danny Devito in Matilda to Jeremy Irons and Robbie Coltrane in Danny, the Champion of the World, some of the finest actors have appeared in these adaptations of the weirdly, wonderful children’s stories.
However, the earliest adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was turned into a screenplay by the author himself. In 1971, Dahl transformed his best-selling book into the cherished family film, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory fronted by Gene Wilder.
From the deliciously strange animation in James and the Giant Peach to the endearing live-action version of Esio Trot with Judi Dench and Dustin Hoffman, there’s something for everyone in this eclectic list. Here is every Roald Dahl adaptation to catch up with after Wonka and where to stream them.
