The Messed Up Origins of MATILDA

[@JonSolo]

Thanks to Liquid I.V. for sponsoring this video! New customers can use my discount code JONSOLO or link bit.ly/4bdZHsX for 20% off.

[@RIZIKIBENOIT]

Do Next The Messed Up Origins Of The Great Mouse Detective Please. 😊❤🙏

[@FernandoMata-t4t]

Can you do animal farm next please🙏 comparing the animated movie and live action one to the original book in honor of the upcoming andy serkis adaptation ?

[@Bmat_10]

This has nothing to do with Matilda, but can you do one about Irish folklore, specifically about halflings faeries or fairies like in the movie The Watchers.I just saw the movie and would love to know more about it.

[@camerinerowe9282]

Can you these: The Witches by Roald Dahl Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl The BFG Ronald Dahl The Goose Girl by Grimm Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl The Twits by Roald Dahl

[@mousemd]

The only Matilda I know is Waltzing. Not sure which gen this book/movie was aimed at? After the Boomers

[@kimquijano9385]

Made me tear up realizing how Danny devito treated little Mara in the set. A stark contrast to how those kids in nickelodeon were treated by that other guy.

[@KenMasters.]

Danny Devito's "Twins" co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger did the same to a child actress on the set of Commando.

[@tamiausten873]

​@@KenMasters. Did what same? Same like Danny or like Nickelodeon? 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️ Why must everyone on TV be evil? 😭😭😭

[@KenMasters.]

@@tamiausten873 Same as Danny of course, not Dirty Danny of Nick.

[@kittyKatfish]

It was multiple people from nickelodeon

[@jocelynecupcake]

It wasn't just "that other guy" it was most of Nickelodeon. They still get treated like that today even though he's not working there.

[@simlover00]

17:53 when I learned that Danny and his wife treated her like a daughter on the set because her mom was in hospital, I loved them even more for that. They made her feel so special ❤

[@erikarussell1142]

Danny devito and Rhea pearlman are both treasures. RIP Maura’s mama.

[@ciarangleeson2880]

Mara, not Maura. And her mom was named Suzie, just so you know.

[@erikarussell1142]

@@ciarangleeson2880 ok ty

[@mariafox9226]

Rhea actually made me cry in the Barbie movie.

[@Zebra_fandomfella03]

Don't forget Mara Wilson

[@erikarussell1142]

@@Zebra_fandomfella03 Absolutely!!!!!!

[@Rairyuujin]

Miss Trunchbull jumping down and rocking the whole house will always be a haunting and badass sight to behold!

[@JonSolo]

Tallyho!!!

[@chromxrobinandcorrinxcamil9031]

>:)

[@marcellaacone7085]

I always wonder if she was a good person: her strenght and control would be cool. But, no, she is not a good woman, she is evil and she loves to maltreat and torture kids. In my dreams there's a Trunchbull's doppelganger that's all good, but strong as well.

[@chsparkle]

That's definitely an epic moment.

[@LucyAdroit]

That was one of the funniest parts for me

[@retrox2776]

A thousand memories filled my head all at once. 90% of them being Devito

[@Ando1428]

True

[@pierrebuieii3908]

The guy is weird I say

[@majemwe]

​@@pierrebuieii3908 While she was filming the movie her mother was in the hospital dying of cancer and Danny Devito fathered her and his wife mothered her on the set

[@blueraccoon1088]

I can imagine him voicing the transformers gears

[@enriqueramirez0615]

​@@pierrebuieii3908 weird but comedically lovable.

[@yugenheorte6828]

My fave qoute from the movie is when trunchball says "im glad i was never a child" or something like that

[@KrunchWorld]

That's in the book as well

[@witchboy89]

Children are disgusting, glad i never was one.

[@zabrizzL]

Haha yes

[@Vampirelilianfitzroy]

I was a nanny for a few years and I would always jokingly say this to the kids and tease them, they would giggle and think it was the absolute height of hilarity.

[@ShiftyMcGoggles]

@@KrunchWorld Not going to lie, that's incredibly dark, considering what usually happens to cause people to never be a child.

[@teresawalker7288]

As a parent I have and will continue to read the books the way they were first printed. If you are communicating with your children you should be prepared to ask if they understand the meaning and context. And you should be prepared to answer questions. We should not censor everything lest we have even more ignorance in our world.

[@rebeccabriggs9452]

100% agreed!

[@ViviannaM-ep7bq]

@teresawalker Hear hear!

[@gelusvenn5063]

Explaining and creating understanding are SO much better than just rearranging things haphazardly.

[@evelynnart37]

Have you actually read the changes? The majority of changes are minor at best.

[@yearsofexp]

@@evelynnart37 Sure, you can keep making small changes throughout time, editing and censoring and editing and censoring over decades and decades, but you'll lose the historical context in which those texts were written in AND lose the ability to help children understand how and why we changed as a society. You shouldn't censor just because of Presentism. If you do, you don't grow as a person and arbitrary changes rewrite history. History is what it was, for good or bad, and changing it because it MIGHT make someone uncomfortable instead of just growing from it is part of why we, as a society, have become mentally weaker.

[@shaunalennon3144]

If Miss Trunchbull's ideal school is on that has no children, she should have opened a college.

[@heatherturner2366]

I would love to see how that would work out in the real world

[@KenMasters.]

She wants to oppress and bully kids, not college students.

[@1987AnimeBoy]

That's what I was thinking too.

[@taylornusteling8692]

True, but then she wouldn't have been able to terrorise or abuse children though. 🤣😂

[@marcellaacone7085]

It's weird how in real life such people work with kids.

[@Cottontailart]

Devito did an amazing job on this movie, I could rewatch it a million times and never get bored

[@MalO.ver1.0.x]

Welcome to my world then. :D

[@erikarussell1142]

The people in history who have burned or heavily edited books, were never the good guys… just putting that out there. As a parent, I love my children reading challenging, and mystifying literature. Things that challenge their way of thinking and take them on a trip. One of my favorite books is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’

[@JonSolo]

What I find interesting is there are people on both sides of the political spectrum burning and banning books for different reasons, yet they both accuse each other of being the book burners!

[@snintendog]

@@JonSolo we only ever see one side and they flipflop their positions though.

[@erikarussell1142]

@@JonSolo I suppose you’re right, I just think that the loss of information and knowledge is astounding and sad. Everyone always thinks they’re doing what’s best for everyone else I ‘spose…

[@regulargoat7259]

@@JonSolo Notable politically motivated book burning incidents in the 21st century: Egypt, 2001: gay literature being destroyed by the right wing Baghdad, 2003: looters, including american soldiers, burned down an islamic library containing some of the oldest copies of the qu’ran. The war was started by the right wing, and the christian right celebrated. Montreal, 2004- anti-Semitic attack targeting a jewish library (attacking jews in canada =/= justice for palestinians and no left winger would celebrate that- after all, anti-semitism in all its forms is frowned upon by lefties, their quarrel is with a government, not a people) Italy, 2006- members of the religious right burned copies of the Da Vinci’s code because that very clearly fictional novel depicted Jesus as having had children, which was apparently sacrilegious. Germany, 2006- members of a far-right political party burned copies of The Diary of Anne Frank and US flags at a party thrown by the political party itself. Various locations across the USA in 2006- Harry Potter books burned during the satanic panic, as the religious right feared that magic shown in the books would turn children into satanists or lefties. Israel, 2008- government official organises the rounding up and burning of copies of the bible’s New Testament. Forcing someone into a specific state religion is an auth-right thing to do. Not all right-wingers are Christian, nor like Christians. NC, USA, 2009- a church tried to restrict access to any versions of the bible they thought were heretical- again, forcing a single religion onto a group of people rather than allowing them the freedom to choose for themself is auth-right. Bagram Bible incident, 2009- an illegal and unauthorized program to turn afghans into christians was stopped by the military. Military intervention and burning of literature is hated by the left wing, but I’ll mark this one down as centrist. Florida 2010 and 2011- qu’rans burned by christian nationalists, a right wing ideology. Libya, 2011- copies of the Green Book, one that promoted socialism, was burned. Not all socialism is a left wing utopia since authoritarianism often sneaks up, but to americans socialism = left wing, so i guess those protestors were right wing. Amsterdam, 2011- left wing protestors torch the cover of a certain book I can’t name here because of its offensive title, but leave the contents unharmed because actually burning books is again, a bad thing in the left wing’s opinion. Azerbaijan, 2013- left wing author Akram Aylisli’s writings on the horrors of the armenian genocide were burned because the Azerbaijani right found it offensive. Would you like me to go on? Right wing book burnings outnumber left wing ones by a landslide, because the right wing’s strategy must be inherently anti-free speech and anti-intellectual as to spread bigotry and suppress anti-corruption and anti-fascist uprisings.

[@onemoregames9889]

@@JonSolo ya id say humans have been editing books for a very long time like do most people know of the original stories under the Disney umbrella id even bet a lot of people dont even know a lot of the original movies came from books

[@katieusbrownius]

One difference between the movie and the book, the brother in the book isn't a dick like the rest of the family. He's much less of a character though.

[@ciarangleeson2880]

Yeah, it seems like no one, not even Roald Dahl himself, really knew what to do with Micheal, aside from worshipping his father and being the favourite child. In the book, he really only ever interacted with his old man, although he did wave goodbye to Matilda and Miss Honey at the end, which shows that he had at least some good in him and that he was more civil to his sister than either of their parents, in the movie, he was more of a bully to his sister, in the live on stage musical, he was nice to Matilda, but was too oblivious and slow-witted to the mistreatment she got from their parents, and in the Netflix musical, he was left out of the story, altogether!

[@KenMasters.]

Just like how in both the 1971 and 2005 versions of Wonka: All the kids were friendly with Charlie in the original (and found Veruca Salt to be the most irritating); but in the remake, the kids ignored Charlie and treated him like a good-for-nothing.

[@chsparkle]

@@ciarangleeson2880 I didn't realise he was still a character in the stage version, I've seen the musical film and assumed it was basically the same as the stage while obviously taking advantage of not literally being on a stage, heh.

[@lavinialadlass9432]

That’s a good point, he didn’t make fun of her, but he didn’t really stand up for her either.

[@Logitah]

He's a rather typical golden child who isn't exactly antagonistic towards the scapegoat, but not supportive either. I unfortunately learned as a grownup that families like this are very, very real.. 😑

[@staceynainlab888]

I've always suspected Matilda was one of the inspirations for the Harry Potter books. child is treated badly by their horrible family. Child develops mysterious powers. Child goes to a school that at some point is taken over by a horrible female headmaster and they have to rebel against her.

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

😮 holy crap!

[@Krantzingoing]

That would be a lot of books if I think about it. My primary school best friend was a huge fan of mathilda and HP.

[@YellowBear-kx1ff]

Can you guys imagine a young Hermione Granger reading Matilda and seeing if SHE can move things with her mind like Matilda?

[@ciarangleeson2880]

Holy crap! HOW have I NEVER pictured that before?!

[@Laramaria2]

Yes 😂

[@asahearts1]

I know I've heard this somewhere before...

[@oogentog13]

You just blew my mind! 🤯

[@disneyvillainsfan1666]

Matilda did remind me a lot of Hermione. Especially in the Broadway Musical.

[@ttan2908]

Fun fact: The lady (Pam Ferris) who plays Miss Trunchbull also plays Marge Dursley in Harry Potter.

[@IzzyakaSpookyGurlQueenal-lh3dh]

wow! so she's an icon? Also I kinda wanna meet her

[@rubenarevalo6135]

As a parent and avid reader I would love for my children to read the original books. Because despite what anyone may say, getting offended over nonsensical and down right flamboyant writing can show more wrong with the reader than the author...not saying the author was a nice guy, not saying that at all.

[@cryingwatercolours]

im so confused by these comments… wdym by offensive ?

[@nichepaper]

He said witches are bald under their wigs and that’s offensive towards women.

[@rubenarevalo6135]

@@cryingwatercolours none of the books are, the author as a person kinda was

[@marcellaacone7085]

Erasing taste from a text is not inclusive or sensitive friendly. It's the way to make all things look the same.

[@marcellaacone7085]

@@nichepaper - Or offending towards bald persons. Or offensive towards the ones whose skin is green or towards the color green itself... Just pure madness. If a kid makes a question, just answer it, if you're an adult, do NOT erase it, do NOT put it aside as if it was not important or too embarassing to explain.

[@simlover00]

23:55 even though it is never confirmed that she killed magnus, the fear when she reads that line kind of proves her guilt that she was at the least involved some how

[@DrDolan2000]

When a creator is dead, I can only consider it unfair to touch their creations They're not alive to defend themselves on what they were trying to say or why they expressed themselves in a certain fashion Best thing to do if you don't like their work is to simply not engage with it As for me, I think I'll be reading my tykes all of Dahl's children's books And if they feel like reading "Pig" for God knows why, they can when they're old enough

[@mariebelladonna437]

Agreed. As a writer myself (hoping to be a published author someday), my creations are a part of me, created through hours and hours of thought, development, and love. My work is my legacy. MY own words, written down for people to see, as far into the future as the media they're written on lasts. If someone came along after I died and couldn't defend my creations, and changed those creations, they would no longer be MY creations. They would be someone else's creation. Someone else's words. And to me, that is as much a sacrilege, as much an outrage, as much a disrespect, and as much a destruction, as it would be for someone to paint a turtleneck on the Mona Lisa because they were offended by cleavage and collar bones. If Da Vinci had wanted her in a turtleneck, he would have painted her in a turtleneck. If Dahl had wanted his writing worded differently, he would have written it differently. But they didn't. Someone else going back and changing them after the creator dies, turns them into something the creator never intended them to be. It takes away the meaning the creator worked so hard to put into their creation. It's a disservice, and a huge disrespect. You wouldn't destroy a masterpiece like the Mona Lisa. Don't destroy an author's writing either. Because that is THEIR masterpiece. Also, good writing is like having an inside view of a slice of someone's (the characters') real life. A story might be fantasy, and thus not truly believable. But your characters should be believable. Real life isn't censored. When you censor a book or novel like that, you take away some of the realism, some of the immersive-ness. You make the character more fake, more generic, and less believable. And the whole of the story less enjoyable. Besides, some of those rewrites were just horribly clunky, and took away from the flow of the story. And honestly, if someone is seriously that offended by the gender of a fucking OOMPA LOOMPA, they really need to get a fucking life...

[@ShiftyMcGoggles]

Agreed.

[@ceinwenchandler4716]

@@mariebelladonna437 I agree with every word of this. This is also kinda why I want all my writings to become public domain the minute I am declared dead. That way, at least no one can _officially_ mess with my works and their canon.

[@גלעדסוירזנסקי]

I'm not sure there is what to protect him for though, he was a horrible, racist antisemitic person. I do agree though that changing someone's work is bad, unless it's something truly horrible

[@ciarangleeson2880]

I really need to get this off my chest, but there ANOTHER scrapped draft of the book, that you forgot to mention. Originally, Matilda was a boy called Jimmy, and instead of having a change of heart, Jimmy would have DIED of exhaustion after using his powers to lift a truck into the air.

[@1987AnimeBoy]

Yet the early version I heard was that Matilda was a mischievous child that used her powers to play tricks on others, but when she saw a schoolbus of children in danger, she had a sudden change of heart and used all her powers to rescue them, ultimately dying due to overuse of her powers.

[@mariafox9226]

Holy shit. And here I am thinking the browadway version was fucked up.

[@snintendog]

Yeah there are so many early vesion of matilda you might as well just say the biogrpher was making shit up. Pure Yellow journalism.

[@theharajukukid3720]

Anyone wise catch that Tony Hinchcliffe reference?

[@ChairmanMeowzah]

I smell a Matilda multiverse brewing among fandom.

[@tazzyanderson1192]

You have to appreciate Dahl's editor 😂 Dahl: *Wrights an awful story* Editor: No Dahl: *Edits it into an iconic masterpiece* On another note, a round of applause for the casting directors of Matilda!

[@Caffeinated_Firefly]

I mean it sounds like the editor mentioned what exactly were his gripes with the version of the story... which... would be the job of an editor

[@meepbeep2464]

but I kinda wanna see Matilda participate in illegal horse racing gambling tbh

[@SlapstickGenius23]

@@Caffeinated_Firefly thank frigging goodness, Roald Dahl’s editor was much saner than him!

[@ElvenRaptor]

@@Caffeinated_Firefly Sounds like Stephen King needs Dahl's editor. "Um, Steve, about this part where the 12 year olds bone in the sewer..."

[@AshParth560]

I grew up with Matilda and seen the Musical movie on Netflix and now I see this all for the lore of her. Of course, I've read a little of the book as a kid and always fun to see more deep dives into this little messed up origins of Matilda herself. Fun times, there.

[@luisafernandes8929]

I grew up listening to the real books of Roald Dahl and I love reading them more than the technology versions. I despise the changes in the technology versions of the book series. Even though I was born in Gen Z, and I know what a DynaVox looks like. DynaVoxes were revolutionary in 2002 but then they were taken over by iPads in 2011 and forgotten by future generations to come.

[@tanmaytikle8521]

No wonder the little girl had such amazing on screen chemistry with Danny and his wife It was just like spending time with family for her ❤😢

[@naly202]

I'm 1000% sure that JK took inspiration for the Dursleys from Matilda. Especially when I saw that aunt Marge is played by none other than the headmistress of Matilda's school.

[@MalO.ver1.0.x]

What?! Oh my God I didn't know that! It is such a stark contrast! Never in a million years would I have realized that! XD

[@Caffeinated_Firefly]

I think it's possible, but it also feels like it could be part of something in the British sense of humor/culture?

[@lv4tmnt90]

I want my kids to read the original. I think changing the original works of the dead is disrespectful. The exception is if the world is being reimagined for a different medium. Say, book to film or novel to grafic novel.

[@heatherturner2366]

And even then it should stay as close to the original as possible

[@strawberrymanga9]

Well said.

[@Sorain1]

Well that's an adaptation, when you move mediums some change is expected. To change the original work is wrong.

[@laurenmontera9516]

The Matilda DVD is amazing. It includes how certain scenes were created, a memory game and 3 levels of a trivia game.

[@tristambre632]

My whole personality around children is based on miss Honey. My little sister and I watched this movie so many times. The french canadian dub was awesome, so sad it never made it to digital and is long lost to VHS realm

[@isabellek293]

Matilda was my favourite movie growing up and still is the most nostalgic movie for me. I also loved the book so much. It’s so annoying to me that people are so sensitive that they have to change every little thing that could possibly offend anyone. I’m hoping that trend dies off soon because it’s so blatantly obvious that movies and books are trying to be pc that they’ve lost so much of their humour

[@luisafernandes8929]

I grew up listening to the real books of Roald Dahl and I love reading them more than the technology versions. I despise the changes in the technology versions of the book series. Even though I was born in Gen Z, and I know what a DynaVox looks like. DynaVoxes were revolutionary in 2002 but then they were taken over by iPads in 2011 and forgotten by future generations to come.

[@QueenieBeanie6239]

Matilda's one of those characters I call unofficial x-men characters. Characters that randomly developed superpowers when they were young in stories that either aren't about superheroes or superpowers.

[@ciarangleeson2880]

How do you think that Matilda would do as a superhero?

[@holdingontohope23]

Your little puppy joining in at the end was so cute 🥰

[@JonSolo]

Aw thank you! we put red bows in her hair in honor of Matilda :)

[@NelsonStJames]

The story of Danny DeVito's behavior during the making of this film, has pretty much made me a fan of the man for life. It's absolutely amazing that a man with such a big heart can channel such despicable characters as well as he does, which really shows what a good actor he is at portraying people that aren't just versions of him.

[@Animei9]

The changes made in the censored versions are deranged and inexcusable. If someone doesn't like a book, they don't have to read it. A book is a work of art. Nobody should make alterations to classic works, whether they be a painting or a book

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

As a writer, I know I’d be absolutely furious if someone changed anything about my stories. You’re right, they’re works of art that take a long time and a lot of passion to make; no one has the right to alter them

[@Sentient-roadside-boxwood]

or, it should be a completely seperate work. Like, mentioning that you were heavily inspired be the original, but not marketing your work as the original itself.

[@Animei9]

@@Sentient-roadside-boxwood I like that idea. It makes a lot of sense and gives people choices

[@sydneyb2378]

The word that was replaced with "squirts" absolutely should have gone though- it's literally an ableist slur and it's not okay, even if it wasn't being used to describe a person with Dwarfism.

[@nixxi1810]

Should be illegal, especially if theyre dead and they dont have a chance to “rewrite it”

[@obi_dean]

makes me think of the netflix avatar getting rid of saka's character growth learning his misogyny was wrong and netflix just took it out smh

[@spellcraft7988]

I grew up in the culture that inspired the Southern Water Tribe, in the same region that the designer of the costumes lived in. The new version is actually closer to how people actually act up here.

[@obi_dean]

@@spellcraft7988 I'm talking about saka learning how wrong he was and they took that arc away from the character. That's cool they nailed how you live. However the arc they took out could apply to any person. have a good day

[@twylasmith31]

To this day I still say, "Much too good for children!!" while eating something lol

[@ceinwenchandler4716]

My dad does that, too :)

[@LadyArmand2000_]

I may be a sadist, but I always fall out laughing when Trunchbull cracks that plate over Bruce's head. I can't help it. 😂😂😂

[@byronrush9802]

Yeah it was funny yet terrifying, this movie also ruined chocolate cake for me I wouldn't let anybody make chocolate cake for me as I was paranoid what they were going to put in it

[@marcellaacone7085]

Yeah, she is mad and bad, but this scene is pure gold. This is taste in books, and someone wants to erase it or to mild it, because... reasons. Laugh is a revolution itself, they say it in "The name of the rose - Il nome della rosa". If you tear away taste from books and movies and shows, you push people to other things and maybe the best things erasers can think about is disgust and shock. No, I hate Trunchbull but I DO know why she does this to Bruce. In the meantime, Bruce is my hero, there.

[@lavinialadlass9432]

It’s all right, for some reason, I lost it when I read about the kid who got held up by his ears. Yes, it was terrifying imagining that But I was also laughing listening to the Trunchbull yelling about how kids ears never come off. I had the audiobook.

[@Logitah]

Especially since Bruce feels NOTHING and just smiles after it. 😂

[@marcellaacone7085]

@@Logitah - Some kids I saw maltreated like this and worse, just showed their swollen and red face, but they were so used to it that they kept on smiling all along the torture. o.O

[@christinejalandoni5919]

Props to the actress who played Trunchbull. Shot put, javelin, hammer throw 😬

[@chloenieuwsma4846]

Hammer throw is her specialty.

[@ThePinkDragon]

God bless Danny and REa for treating Mara so well.

[@charismw2319]

That bit about the adults dancing with her is just the most perfect thing

[@alisoncashner28]

27:43 This brings a whole new meaning to “we’re told what we have to do what were told but surely, sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty”

[@MovieFan1912]

Dang it, now I have the song from the Broadway musical stuck in my head.

[@dmnapier7]

Isn't the fact Trenchbul left town enough evidence she offed the father? I mean if she didn't, she could've saw past the empty bluff. She didn't even try to argue, just ran like the accused killer she is.

[@lashonnakennybrew4847]

I'm so happy and glad that you finally uploaded again my brother I was getting worried that you wouldn't upload again for a while cuz you were working hard on your new videos❤❤

[@JonSolo]

I'm BACK baby! I was in Ireland for about 2 weeks on the MUO Field Trip but I'm returning with LOTS of big plans :)

[@aspadestelevision3719]

Rohl dohl has always stayed on the darker side and I am loving John’s voice over.

[@Observer675]

He is the guy the wrote 'tales of the unexpected'

[@luxnotlisbon]

Matilda has always been my favorite movie. So many good memories. I used to watch it on repeat at my grandmas cabin in the mountains in the dead of winter with the fireplace roaring and drinking hot tea. Warm, cozy memories…as an adult, I watch it any time I can’t sleep or am feeling upset or lonely, it instantly calms and soothes me.

[@Gfish17]

Matilda in the book really needs to think about the fact that more challenging material uses up the energy needed for telekinesis. What about after she graduates and real life is easy for Matilda. She's going to build up energy again.

[@Naomi-pq6tv]

My toddler will know the original versions. It's the only ones I'll have on her bookshelf

[@sabinegierth-waniczek4872]

And then the toddlers grow older, go to school, have to read the abridged versions, and will get in all sorts of trouble when stating the inaccuracies ;-) [To make this clear: I fully agree with you - books and their content or topics belong to the time they were written in, and open up a window into the past to use for learning and broaden one's horizon. If it is all "more of the same", there will be no more original ideas and creativity. Pussyfooting around to cater for the sensibilities of a fraction of the audience does not help anybody. Some literature was explicitly written to confuse, disturb and upset the audience, for which there must also be a place in the world of art and personal expression. This development evokes very strong feelings in me, so put it politely. I hope that the pendulum will swing back again soon - if there are still enough people around who know the originals, and who care for the authors' intents and creative solutions.]

[@JessyingAround]

You'll be censoring them just the same if you show them ONLY the old version

[@sabinegierth-waniczek4872]

@@JessyingAround I do not believe in Dauphin editions or adaptations to a swiftly changing literary taste, and would always prefer the versions which are the first written editions of former oral trad stories or fairy tales (Grimm...), because their vocabulary, grammar and context is also a historical document, and can broaden the horizon of young and older minds (given that the language is not too old fashioned to be understood). The watered down, abridged versions are often read at school, so the exposition takes place anyway. I respect your opinion, but I respectfully prefer to adhere to my standpoint.

[@Supreme-Fishy]

20:17 The Aladdin bread reference got me 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@queentopia9225]

"To Trunchbull" is now a term I use when I want to describe something so obscene and terrible, that people wouldn't want to believe it even though it is absolutely true.

[@ABSPaA]

Once, when my sister was in 5th grade, they did a living literature scene. The scene was the cake scene. They went to nationals bc of that.

[@smalls9852]

"And somehow that is better?!" Lol seriously hilarious. I love this book and movie. Thanks for covering all this craziness.

[@h193013]

In the musical it is confirmed Miss Trunchbull killed Miss Honey’s father. I wish you had mentioned the musical.

[@kitkatavie7020]

Gotta love the Roald Dahl vids, they always have craziest info revealed

[@calloganvoyaterre]

The author has written and published their work to their vision, and changing that vision? That right belongs SOLELY to that author. Changing it changes the work completely, changes the meaning, changes the intent, whether you agree with it or not. Believe it or not, we're allowed to disagree and still get along or enjoy something in spite of what we don't agree with. You choose to be offended by something. If it's offensive, then use it as a LEARNING experience. A teaching moment! Taking it all away brings it back in other ways that could very well be worse.

[@lisamartinbradley1039]

I don't think it's okay to edit an author's work after they're dead. Also, people need to get over themselves and remember it was a different time. They're editing Mark Twain as well. I won't buy the edited versions.

[@strawberrymanga9]

This! Also I'm not buying the edited versions either.

[@basillah7650]

They are nazi the Nazi in Germany did the same erasing the Jews the woke are no different erasing history they are the most racist people in history race swapping and even gender swapping erasing race and genders from history.

[@jamesnguyễn5510]

Seriously!? What the hell!

[@MonstehDinosawr]

Has there been an edit of 'Of Mice and Men' ? Cos that'd be awful

[@NaliTikva]

I can kinda understand in some cases... like if you give the cat in "The Rats in the Walls" a different name. IDK maybe it's never okay. But like in modern times I think the cats name can be distracting from the actual story. In case you don't know what I'm talking about. It's a story by H.P. Lovecraft that features a cat that he named after a cat he had as a child, the name of the cat cannot be said on youtube. It's basically N-word (hard-R)-man.

[@robinkholmes7127]

How hard is it to add a quick disclaimer in the front of each book on reprint about how language has changed over the decades and that we should learn that and why it's changed?

[@MonstehDinosawr]

I mean thats what disney does so i agree why cant they?

[@sydneyslaughter7163]

I feel like To Kill A Mocking Bird has that exact warning in the newer prints.

[@spellcraft7988]

Even worse people complain about that, though.

[@TheAllSeeingEye2468]

Ita like a kid friendly version of carrie

[@SlapstickGenius23]

Sure, the original Matilda book was definitely made in 1988, 14 years after the original Carrie book in 1974. However, Matilda’s more mundane film adaptation was made 20 years after the first Carrie movie.

[@poppycartergraphics120]

Every time someone says Matilda, I immediately remember, “I’m right, you’re wrong. You know why? Cause I’m big, and you’re small.”

[@labyrinthgirl17]

I wonder if this is what was being mocked in "Tales of Beedle the Bard," as there's a note describing censoring one of the stories and making it so saccharine that kids demanded their parents burn the book, so they'd never hear it again.

[@jodyjojo1381]

The censorship is infuriating. They allow things that SHOULD be censored, but block things that are fine

[@ciarangleeson2880]

These idiots are basically the book publisher equivalent of Mattel!

[@grandmyotismon]

normally changes from a novel can be ham fisted/ go against the grain of what the novel is trying to convey but the addition of the trunchabull chase sense at the expense of the parrot prank was pure genius

[@alkristopher]

I want a crossover where Matilda, Lydia Deetz, and Wednesday Addams become friends.

[@sharkkebunni]

I can see that happening but which version of them? As the new Beetlejuice Lydia is an adult now, so kids, teens or adults lol

[@patricklukcy13]

Depending on the version of Wednesday, she'd hate matilda.

[@alkristopher]

@@patricklukcy13 I'm pretty sure every version would respect a girl who not only stood up to Trunchbull and the Chokey, but fought her off with an anomalous ability. Oh, and she's also a huge bibliophile, and would likely have broad knowledge of esoteric subjects. Besides, her last name is Wormwood, a Biblical devil.

[@cryingwatercolours]

@@patricklukcy13the other person said it well how does it feel to be so wrong 😅

[@patricklukcy13]

@cryingwatercolours8127 respect doesn't mean like. Modern interpretations of Wednesday hates upbeat wholesome people. The only one I can see having fun with her and not just walking away from her is the 60s tv show version.

[@alexandriacollins7119]

The alternate version of Matilda you've revealed here reminds me of the fact that Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, originally made him evil...

[@basillah7650]

He always always evil only works for US no different than a living nuke for US to use.

[@TheSeafoamturtle]

I think the water gun edit was done to clearly outline that she was going to use a water gun, as opposed to a pump action rifle, especially given the issue of school shootings in the United States. Some seem silly, while others I can understand the sentiment behind it. That said, it was very interesting to hear about the backstory for Matilda, I remember rereading that book so much as a child that our paperback bindings were falling apart by the time I hit my teens.

[@luisafernandes8929]

I grew up listening to the real books of Roald Dahl and I love reading them more than the technology versions. I despise the changes in the technology versions of the book series. Even though I was born in Gen Z, and I know what a DynaVox looks like. DynaVoxes were revolutionary in 2002 but then they were taken over by iPads in 2011 and forgotten by future generations to come.

[@enriqueramirez0615]

It's actually pretty obvious that her powers could be "TELEKINESIS"

[@AngelavengerL]

Really interesting. I love how you include stuff from his biography and autobiography and even the commissioned art was super cool! Thanks for passionately sharing a love for literature with the world.

[@astrinymris9953]

Pausing at 5:49 to note that I just realized that JK Rowling's characterization of the Dursleys was, um, heavily influenced by Roald Dahl's description of the Wormwoods.

[@innerguardianXIII]

I will always be convinced that Roald Dahl actually hated children and wanted to scare them through his books, completely unaware of the fact that (in all honesty) children LOVE messed up things. So in a twist of intentions, he and his books garnered the attention and admiration of the VERY thing he had sought to repel.

[@lemurlover7975]

I heard he did it to protest the abuse and murder he witnessed the teachers doing to the children in the boarding schools he was forced to attend and survived violence done to him by teachers.

[@ciarangleeson2880]

If he hated children, I HIGHLY doubt that his own children ever would have been born, let alone his grandchildren.

[@morbidsearch]

3:33 The mom looked different in the film but Dahl's description of Mr Wormwood more closely matched Danny DeVito than the illustrations.

[@cristlejohnson4900]

The musical movie is absolutely incredible. Those kids are all so talented. It is insane.

[@Julia-i2m5u]

The Netflix one? Yes I like it but like ik it’s a musical but each 5 minutes theyres a song and also they completely scrapped Matilda’s brother

[@Sharauni]

I HATE book censorship, the authors wrote what they wrote, they might not be great people personally but their books shouldn't be judged on that. If you don't like what someone wrote then don't read it, if you get offended by it then put it down and leave it in the past. Grimms Fairy Tales is a good example of "It's not for everyone". I adore the Grimms and have a collection of their stories in their unedited versions, they are dark and scary and I would say definitely not for kids. So when a friend of mine asked to borrow it for her 6 year old, because he loves fairy tales, I told her sorry but no. She asked why, that "they're fairy tales and fairy tales are for kids!"...so I read her The Juniper Tree. Anyone that's read that one will understand why she went pale and promptly apologized and dropped the idea of reading him stories from my book, lol. There are copies of their stories that have been tamed and diluted for children, get one of those instead!

[@tempestnova6715]

Saying things like "tamed and diluted for children" can also be interpreted as book censorship. I think it's better to refer to them as an "adaptation" aimed towards children. That way it can be wholly removed from the original work and not confuse either version for the other. Other than that I totally agree, book censorship of any kind is bad. This is why people should get older physical copies and not digital copies that can be retroactively changed to suit "Modern" sensibilities.

[@TheArtisticAloubell]

Matilda is such a classic movie. I look forward to this Messed Up Origins episode! 😁✨

[@shogun_assassinalice2829]

The book and movie are amazing, I still have the book and my kids love to have me read it to them. Very happy to see you cover them both!

[@khodexus4963]

It may not be a conspiracy, but that doesn't make it any less of a destructive ideology.

[@matthewwriter9539]

...imagine going back in time and publishing all of the books by this author in one year, ten years before his first book came out.

[@joeherb]

Matilda is a mutant. Call the X-Men.

[@sammybeckett7371]

I think they should do something about the original versions that are deemed inappropriate but I don’t think they should edit the stories. I think the publishers should put a letter at the beginning of the book. The same goes for old cartoons

[@KenMasters.]

You mean like that crappy content warning message Disney+ keeps showing at the start of a classic film?

[@Ando1428]

​@@KenMasters. Well Mr. Ansatsuken user. It's better then changing things. Put a warning label and enjoy it like it was supposed to. I've had enough blue mr. PoPo

[@missabzyg4229]

@@Ando1428 Mr. Popo being changed to blue makes more sense than leaving him as a seemingly racist caricature, his design mostly fits a Djinn anyways. If he was based off Mahakala and resembled one more closely then it would make sense to leave the color scheme. The show is also ongoing, they could leave the old content but it's better to move away from using those designs and negative their association as an active show/franchise (especially one marketed to kids).

[@MonstehDinosawr]

​@@missabzyg4229Black Popo is best.

[@MonstehDinosawr]

​@@KenMasters.Rather that then completely changing everything.

[@openmikesmith]

I just discovered your channel. I'm very impressed with your research and enthusiasm. I've watched several of your videos, and never once felt like you were doing this to collect likes and subscriptions. Keep up the good work.

[@Aurora-Welch]

0:02 My mom grew up Watching the Matilda Movie.

[@jimmygarza8896]

😀➡️🧓

[@Aurora-Welch]

@@jimmygarza8896 She’s only, almost 43.

[@Mireychen]

Wow i got goosebumps as you tell us about the childhood from the actor. Yes her mothe passed away bcs the cancer is sad, but its so cute how caring all of the crew was

[@soncaden-gr8hl]

It would really be crazy if the original actors who was in the first Matilda just randomly commented on this video

[@spellcraft7988]

Mara Wilson herself was in Lindsey Ellis's Matilda video

[@soncaden-gr8hl]

@@spellcraft7988 That's cool

[@Duckiebutt]

I don’t think I would want my kids to read an edited version of a book simply because it might be offensive. If I was old enough to read it. They are old enough to read it. It’s like trying to put padding on the world and sooner later they’re gonna find a spot without the padding and not know what to do because they’re so used to being protected that they don’t have the common sense to work it out for themselves

[@TKEGOODIES]

Its like a light always goes off in my head,when i find out, my favorite movies as a kid, was a book by Roald Dahl. Its like " Of course Roald Dahl wrote it, it makes perfect sense now"😂😂😂😂

[@BrownMan-gg7dx]

The one thing I always remembered about watching this movie as a kid was trenchfold. That woman was savage. Hopped off a floor of stairs and lifted the back of her car to turn it around. Its really good to see how accurate she was to the book and the woman playing her did a damn good job. Modern Hollywood need to take notes. This is how you make media out of established franchises. You don't scrap what you don't like to put what you want there. You respect the franchise as it is

[@angeldog15]

I AM SO HAPPY I SAW THIS ON MY RECOMMENDED.

[@Logitah]

I find this story extremely important, because it shows the children that horrible parents/authority figures don't DESERVE respect or love!

[@zorapianist]

I never thought i would be glad to be nostalgic for a "problematic" book, yet i'm glad i didn't get the censored version. Also some lines like "It is a curious truth that grasshoppers have their hearing-organs in the sides of the abdomen. Judging by what your daughter Vanessa has learnt this term, this fact alone is more interesting than anything I have taught in my classroom" make less sense in context. It's supposed to be insulting spoiled children with parents who are blind to their faults rather than Roald Dahl's teaching ability.

[@lizanna6390]

The original line about Vanessa not having any ears works better

[@zorapianist]

@@lizanna6390 agreed

[@Uncle-Jay]

The idea his family felt like they had to apologize for something someone else did is absolutely ridiculous.

[@Bmat_10]

This has nothing to do with Matilda, but can you do one about Irish folklore, specifically about halflings and faeries or fairies like in the movie The Watchers. I just saw the movie and would love to know more about it.

[@nettorak]

As someone who never gets mentioned for being responsible for some major changes in people's books they later take credit for, THANK YOU, for shining some light and appreciation on Stephen Roxburgh. People enjoy the idea of being that genius that thought of everything, did all the research, that closed all the plotholes elegantly on themselves. Well, pretty often, they aren't. A truly good book is often a team effort.

[@mordecaimonarch8209]

Personally, I believe that once an author is dead, their works should not be edited or censored. I would not appreciate it if someone took the stories I make and reshape it into something that I did not want the story to be.

[@saber4236]

As a kid, I loved the Matilda movie and book, now as a new parent i couldn't imagine a world where my son wouldn't be granted the same joy i got from such an amazing story.

[@tazzyanderson1192]

I LOVE the little baby doggo!!! She even dressed the part with her Matilda red ribbons! 😍🥰😘❤❤🎀🎀

[@Indy44636]

Maybe trunchball and unbridge should be friends

[@kandipiatkowski8589]

I'm sure Trunchbull would get along with Umbridge.....not to mention aunt Marge. Funny thing is the actress who played Marge IS Ms. Trunchbull!!!

[@baffledbrandon3132]

This is easily one of my all-time favorite movies from my childhood.

[@AmyraCarter]

The original draft of Matilda has those *_B-rated anime vibes._*

[@kariann430]

miss honey reminds me so much of my first grade teacher i had after being held back. While trunchbowl reminds me of two teachers i had. I think that is why i love Roald Dahl all the people in there remind me of real people and when i read them to my preschool kids we talk about about what is ok in real life and in books

[@goober112]

I remember reading the book in elementary & then watching the movie & then hating the movie. Lol I was that kid, these representations didn't fit the ones in my head

[@bluecretan7441]

The musical is also pretty good. It definitely has it's creative liberties, but it didn't take away any iconic scenes, just added more to Miss Honey's story

[@sakurakittynoir1400]

I loved this movie when I was a kid. Ngl, I honestly believed that if I read more books, I would develop telekinetic powers. I was a really weird kid. 😅😅😅

[@numenlad7903]

32:00 small point of interest: while not the main conflict this is a plot point shared in the movie, "All dogs Go to Heaven" Miss Hayes (Honey) was "street rat" as a child, and solved the problem with gambling. While in All Dogs, a street rat child is guided by the dogs on how to gamble.

[@wjgthatsit2357]

Trunchbull: 12:46 College: “am I a joke to you??”

[@S0n0fCh4d]

Trades: Yes

[@Yan-chanx0]

I would love it if the original version also was an actual book and movie, that would be genuinely funny.