Composed by Australian comedian and musician Tim Minchin, the songs in Matilda the Musical weave 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 Musical has something for everyone.
13 Chokey 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 the TikTok 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.
12 The 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.
11 I’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.
10 My 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.
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.
9 Miracle
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.
8 Still 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 that deals with healing and happiness after a struggle.
7 The 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 many good movie musical villain songs, 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 role as a Hogwarts professor, handles all these styles with perfection.
6 Bruce
Bruce Bogtrotter is one of the more memorable characters in the Matilda story, 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.
5 Naughty
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.
Alisha Weir is charming as this bolder version of the beloved Roald Dahl character, 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.
4 School 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 is a 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.
3 When I Grow Up
Another song that captures the magic of childhood is “When I Grow Up”. Sung by Matilda’s cast of classmates including Lavender Brown, Amanda Thripp, Eric, and Nigel, the song is about all the things these students hope to achieve and retain when they’re grown up.
This song is a great reminder of the starry-eyed disposition that children have and the firmness of their belief that they won’t grow old and boring. Miss Honey also features in this song, showing that even grown-ups still dream of the things they want to be one day.
2 Quiet
One of the top songs in this musical movie is “Quiet”, the song through which Matilda realizes her control over her powers. It begins with intense momentum as Matilda sings about how she feels different from those around her, and how loud the world sounds to her ears.
The song then drops from this powerful crescendo into a delicate tune as Matilda withdraws into her mind. “Quiet” typifies Matilda’s experience of using her imagination as an escape from the awfulness around her. It is an emotional song that is sure to tug at the heartstrings of the audience.
1 Revolting Children
Minchin’s writing of this celebratory number is a triumph in capturing the rebellious nature of schoolkids and gives children everywhere a revolutionary anthem built just for them. With lyrics about the power of the collective and standing up to oppressors, the song is a great reclamation of control by the students of Crunchem Hall.
“Revolting Children” is not only one of the catchiest songs in the film, but it also showcases the talent of the ensemble cast too. The teaser of this song is where Hortensia, known as Red Beret Girl, first went viral onlinefor her dancing prowess. The choreography and scale of this scene make it undoubtedly the best performance and one of the most memorable songs in the film.
Matilda the Musical is available now on Netflix.
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