Fighter pilot-turned-celebrated British author Roald Dahl captivated readers of all ages with his whimsical and often macabre tales that seamlessly blend imagination, humour and profound life lessons. His vivid imagery and playful language effortlessly became the template for screenwriters and directors who adapted some of his most famous works for the big screen. And just like the Roald Dahl books, the movies based on them also became timeless in the hearts of generations of young and old audiences.
Three Roald Dahl books — The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda — have had a bigger pull among filmmakers and fans than others. Each has been adapted at least twice for the big screen and a fourth, The BFG, has had a TV release before a theatrical version. Just like the books they are based on, the films appeal to both children and adults. They include eccentric characters, fantastical settings and unexpected twists and turns, keeping viewers engaged and eager to uncover the next revelation.
But even though Dahl’s works incorporate fantastical elements, they carry deep in them messages concerning real-world human issues such as those around loneliness, parentage, morality, prejudice, bullying, social justice and the triumph of will.
Dahl created unforgettable characters. Whether it is the mischievous Matilda or the eccentric Willy Wonka, the portrayal has a distinct personality and a uniqueness to it that is not present in any other character written by Dahl. This diversity of characters has allowed generations of actors to play the same role differently. Take for instance Willy Wonka. Three actors have now portrayed the iconic candymaker — Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp and, most recently, Timothée Chalamet in the 2023 film Wonka. Each actor was able to give a different touch to the same character and, each was praised for their performance.
Read out Wonka movie review here.
Characters created by Dahl are so renowned that in 2012, the UK’s Royal Mail released a set of new stamps based on Quentin Blake’s famous illustrations of Dahl characters The Twits, Matilda, Mr. Fox, James from James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, and Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
However, not all of his most famous literary works got a theatrical release. Two of the noteworthy titles that made their way to TV and were positively received include Danny, the Champion of the World (1989) and Esio Trot (2015).
Dahl also wrote original scripts for television shows and movies. One of the most notable ones is the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967).
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Top Roald Dahl movies based on his best-known works
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- The Witches (2020)
- The BFG (2016)
- Four Rooms (1995)
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
- James and the Giant Peach (1996)
- The Witches (1990)
- Matilda (1996)
- Matilda the Musical (2022)
- 36 Hours (1964)
- The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Kristin Chenoweth, Jahzir Bruno
IMDb rating: 5.4
About the film: Set in 1967, The Witches revolves around a young orphaned boy named Charlie Hansen (Bruno) who must prevent the evil Grand High Witch (Hathaway) from turning all of the world’s children into mice.
This was the second film adaptation of Dahl’s 1983 novel of the same name. Acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro co-wrote the screenplay with Kenya Barris. Although the film stays true to the original ending, the setting is that of the US in the 1960s instead of England in the 1980s. Another change was the lead character, who is an African-American boy instead of an English boy. It was poorly received upon release.
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton, Jemaine Clement, Rebecca Hall, Rafe Spall, Bill Hader
IMDb rating: 6.3
About the film: The BFG is the second film adaptation and the first live-action version of the author’s 1982 novel of the same name. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, but, like most other movies based on the works of Roald Dahl, failed to perform at the box office.
The film is about a 10-year-old orphaned girl named Sophie (Barnhill) who becomes friends with a benevolent giant named the “Big Friendly Giant” (BFG). Together, they try to stop the man-eating giants from invading the human world with the help of Queen Elizabeth II (Wilton).
Directed by: Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Tim Roth, Marc Lawrence, Sammi Davis, Madonna, David Proval, Jennifer Beals, Antonio Banderas, Tamlyn Tomita, Salma Hayek, Kathy Griffin, Marisa Tomei, Quentin Tarantino
IMDb rating: 6.7
About the film: Four Rooms is an anthology film in which Ted (Roth), the bellhop, reports to duty on the first night of his job, which happens to be New Year’s Eve. He faces an unusual mix of guests at the hotel who put him in some hilarious situations throughout the night.
The film has four segments, each based on Dahl’s short stories written for an adult readership. It is not clear which segment is based on which story, but the final segment, The Man From Hollywood, which was directed by Tarantino, is widely known to be based on the story Man From the South.
Directed by: Tim Burton
Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee
IMDb rating: 6.7
About the film: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 novel by Dahl and one of his most famous literary works. The 2005 film adaptation, which was the second in the book, follows a poor young boy named Charlie Bucket (Highmore) who gets a chance to tour a chocolate factory run by the eccentric Willy Wonka (Depp). The tour changes the lives of both Charlie and Wonka.
The film was critically well-received and was nominated for an Oscar (for costume design). It was also a major box office success, earning around USD 475 million worldwide. As such, according to Forbes, the 2005 film is the “only Dahl-adapted hit” to date. This is because both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp were riding on a wave of success at the time, and Burton stayed true to the source material.
Directed by: Henry Selick
Cast (including voice): Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes, Simon Callow, Richard Dreyfuss, Jane Leeves, Susan Sarandon, David Thewlis
IMDb rating: 6.7
About the film: Published in 1961, James and the Giant Peach was Dahl’s third novel. The film, which was produced by Burton, is mostly stop-motion animation and has a live-action segment. The critically acclaimed movie won an Oscar nomination for Best Music, Original Musical or Comedy Score.
The movie revolves around a young English boy named James (Terry) who lives with his abusive aunts. One day, he saves a spider from his aunts and gains some magical crocodile tongues. A giant peach grows out of the ground where he drops the magical tongues. James finds human-size anthropomorphic invertebrates living inside the peach, and they together decide to fly away to New York City.
Directed by: Nicolas Roeg
Cast: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Rowan Atkinson
IMDb rating: 6.8
About the film: Although the 1990 version largely follows the book, it ends differently. This led to Dahl expressing his displeasure with the film, which is the first adaptation of the book. However, the film was received with overwhelming critical acclaim upon release.
The boy’s name in this film is Luke Eveshim (Fisher). Atkinson plays the hotel manager Mr. Stringer while Huston plays the Grand High Witch. As for the book, it is the only work of the author to be included by the BBC in its 100 most inspiring novels list in 2019.
Directed by: Danny DeVito
Cast: Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, Pam Ferris
IMDb rating: 7
About the film: This was the first film adaptation of Dahl’s 1988 book of the same name. The story revolves around a little girl named Matilda Wormwood (Wilson), who has powers of telekinesis. At school, she uses her powers to protect her friends from the wrath of their evil principal Agatha Trunchbull (Ferris). At home, she uses the same against her careless parents.
Matilda, the book, remains acclaimed to date. In 2019, TIME magazine included it in its list of 100 best young-adult books of all time.
Directed by: Matthew Warchus
Cast: Alisha Weir, Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, Sindhu Vee, Emma Thompson
IMDb rating: 7
About the film: Following the same story as the book and the first film, this 2022 version gives it a musical touch. In this film, Matilda and Agatha Trunchbull are played by Alisha Weir and Emma Thompson, respectively.
Directed by: George Seaton
Cast: James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, Rod Taylor, Werner Peters
IMDb rating: 7.3
About the film: The only one among Roald Dahl movies that is about war, 36 Hours is an intriguing spy thriller based on Dahl’s 1944 short story Beware of the Dog. An American military officer named Jefferson Pike (Garner) has lost his memory of the last five years. He finds himself in a hospital and is told that he is in post-war Germany, which has been occupied by the Americans. As his treatment progresses, Pike realises that everything is not how it appears.
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Ralph Fiennes, Dev Patel, Ben Kingsley
IMDb rating: 7.4
About the film: Wes Anderson’s second film adaptation of a Roald Dahl story, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is basically a short film with a runtime of just 37 minutes. It premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival and had a limited theatrical release before making its streaming debut. The film is based on the titular story of Dahl’s short story collection, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More.
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar is about the eponymous character (Cumberbatch), who is a bored rich man. One day, he learns about a guru, who a doctor says can see without using his eyes. Henry spends years mastering the craft and uses it to cheat at gambling.
Anderson also adapted three other Dahl stories for as many separate short films for Netflix. These are The Swan, The Rat Catcher and Poison. All four short films received critical acclaim upon release.
Directed by: Mel Stuart
Cast: Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum
IMDb rating: 7.8
About the film: Despite its critical acclaim, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was not liked by Dahl because of the changes to the story made by screenwriter David Seltzer. According to Forbes, the film grossed just USD 4.5 million on a USD 3 million budget at the time, technically making it a box office bomb.
But the overwhelmingly positive critical reception of the film has stood the test of time and Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is hailed as one of the greatest Roald Dahl movies ever made. The role of Willy Wonka was essayed in this film by Wilder, while Ostrum played Charlie. The film received an Oscar nod for Best Music, Scoring Adaptation and Original Song Score.
Directed by: Wes Anderson
Voice cast: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson
IMDb rating: 7.9
About the film: The most acclaimed of all Roald Dahl movies, Fantastic Mr. Fox is a stop-motion animated film about the wily Mr. Fox (Clooney) and his wife, Felicity (Streep), who live a happy life with their son Ash (Schwartzman). Everything seems to be going well until Mr. Fox decides to go back to stealing from three farmers.
This was Wes Anderson’s first adaptation of a Dahl story, which was originally published in 1970 as a children’s novel. The film received two Oscar nominations, including best animated film.
(Hero image: Courtesy of IMDb; Featured image: Courtesy of © 1971 – Warner Bros. All rights reserved./IMDb)
This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– How many of Roald Dahl’s books were turned into movies?
Several Roald Dahl books have been turned into movies. But four have had more than two big-screen adaptations.
– What are four famous Roald Dahl books you must read?
Four famous Roald Dahl books that are a must-read include The BFG, The Witches, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Matilda.
