While other parents cherish the arrival of their newborns, Mrs. Wormwood is overwhelmed with grief upon discovering she is pregnant and going into labor. To Mr. Wormwood's bewilderment, they welcome a daughter named Matilda. Despite enduring her parents' disdain, Matilda blossoms into a thoughtful child with a profound love for books, finding solace in daily visits to the library where she befriends Mrs. Phelps. When it comes to light that Matilda has not been properly educated, Miss Jennifer Honey and an inspector pay a visit to suggest her enrollment at Crunchem Hall. Enraged after being fined for failing to register Matilda on time, Mr. Wormwood deceitfully informs the headmistress, Miss Agatha Trunchbull, that Matilda is a troublemaker. In a clever act of revenge, Matilda tricks him into dyeing his hair green.
On her journey to school, Matilda shares her enchanting story of an escapologist who falls in love with an acrobat with Mrs. Phelps. Once at school, she quickly forms a friendship with a girl named Lavender. The children are indoctrinated to fear the school and the stern Miss Trunchbull, who rules the place with an iron fist. In class, Matilda impresses everyone by solving a complex math problem and expressing her love for reading. Miss Honey attempts to advocate for Matilda's placement in an advanced class, yet Miss Trunchbull dismisses her request without hesitation.
At home, Matilda stands up to her father, who retaliates by tearing apart her cherished library book and banishing her to her room. In the morning, she takes her revenge by gluing his hat to his head. At school, Matilda leads her classmates to protect their friend Nigel from unjust punishment. In a chilling demonstration of her power, Miss Trunchbull snatches Amanda Thripp and flings her by her pigtails over the school fence. The following day, Matilda is wrongfully blamed for stealing Miss Trunchbull's prized chocolate cake, but Bruce Bogtrotter comically reveals he is the real thief with an exuberant belch. Infuriated by his success in consuming the cake, Miss Trunchbull punishes him anyway by subjecting him to the dreaded Chokey. Matilda tries to defend Bruce as he is taken away.
Continuing her tale with Mrs. Phelps, Matilda reveals that the acrobat becomes pregnant but is coerced into a dangerous stunt by her malevolent stepsister, leading to her tragic injury and subsequent death after childbirth. As the escapologist forgives the stepsister and seeks her help in raising the child, the stepsister secretly torments the girl, paralleling Matilda's own struggles at home and school. When Mr. Wormwood locks Matilda away for criticizing his dishonest business practices, she weaves her story to a haunting conclusion: the aunt locks the daughter away, and the escapologist never returns from confronting the stepsister.
Miss Trunchbull's iron-fisted training attempts to crush the children's spirits, subjecting them to grueling exercises. However, Lavender's clever use of her pet newt, Isaac, disrupts Miss Trunchbull's routine. Matilda also discovers her new telekinetic powers, using them to launch Isaac down Miss Trunchbull's shirt in righteous fury. Invited to tea at Miss Honey's cottage, Matilda learns an astonishing truth: the escapologist and the acrobat are indeed Miss Honey's parents, with Miss Trunchbull as the heartless stepsister. This revelation fuels Matilda's determination to revolt against the cruelty of the Chokey.
As Matilda discovers her father's recent fraudulent escapades involving the mafia, the family plans to escape to Spain, leaving her devastated at the thought of losing Miss Honey, Mrs. Phelps, and Lavender. On the day of their departure, Miss Trunchbull ups the ante, compelling the children to spell words accurately under the threat of new Chokeys and cunningly tricking them into rebelliously spelling incorrectly. Yet, Matilda takes a stand, summoning her powers to manifest the ghost of Magnus Honey, Miss Honey's father. This spectral presence wreaks havoc, obliterating the new chokeys and sending Miss Trunchbull flying out of the school, much like she had done to Amanda.
Miss Honey boldly orders Miss Trunchbull to never return and claims the keys to her father's house. The students erupt in celebration of their newfound freedom, destroying Miss Trunchbull's statue in their joyous rebellion. In a heartfelt twist, when Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood arrive to take Matilda away, Miss Honey implores them to let her adopt Matilda. To everyone's delight, they agree. With Miss Honey stepping into the role of headmistress, the school undergoes an enchanting transformation and is lovingly renamed The Big Friendly School. Mrs. Phelps rejoices in the beautiful conclusion of Matilda's story, as it unfolds into a tale of happiness and love, where Matilda and Miss Honey live together contentedly ever after.
