Where Was Matilda the Musical Filmed? Filming Locations Revealed

Matilda the Musical is a new family movie coming to Netflix this December. It’s a lovely, heartwarming story that’s been around for decades, courtesy of the famous writer Roald Dahl, who wrote the book that the adaptation was based on. Seeing that Dahl was British, fans wonder; where was Matilda the Musical filmed?

Matilda the Musical was mostly filmed in Shepperton Pinewood Studios in Shepperton, Surrey, United Kingdom. However, several other locations have already been disclosed, such as the Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, England, and Dublin, Ireland.

The movie is actually based on a stage musical written by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly (who also wrote the script for the film), that was based on Roald Dahl’s book. The locations are wonderful, and the cast is quite interesting, so without further ado, let’s dig into Matilda the Musical and all the important facts to know before the movie actually premieres.

Matilda the Musical: A brief synopsis & info

As I’ve already mentioned, Matilda the Musical (fully titled Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical) is a family comedy musical movie that’s hitting the platform in late December 2022. It was based on a book by the famous British writer, Roald Dahl, as well as a stage musical by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly.

Netflix gave us a big, elaborate synopsis of the entire plot that’s already quite well-known, but I’ll only pull out the most interesting bits to avoid potential spoilers for those unacquainted with the story.

The story follows Matilda Wormwood, a young, small girl who has a big imagination and incredible curiosity, fueled by her young but brilliant mind. However, it’s not easy being such a smart kid when your parents want nothing more than to sit in front of the TV, watch low-quality shows, and make quick-money schemes to get by.

Matilda often dives into books to get away from her reality and is incredibly excited to attend a high-profile school, Crunchem Hall. She soon realizes that the school might not be much better than her home, as Miss Trunchbull – the head of the school – is incredibly oppressive.

Armed with nothing but the courage to take a stand and change her own story, Matilda decides to make things better for herself, and other students at the school, with the help of the lovely Miss Honey, the school’s librarian Mrs. Phelps, and a couple of friends.

Matilda the Musical is an extraordinary tale that will have you on the edge of your seat at one moment and crying happy tears at the other.

Where was Matilda the Musical filmed?

There are six disclosed filming locations for the new Matilda the Musical, most of them being in England. It makes sense since the story originated in Great Britain, and most of the plot happens in the UK as well. To add to it, most cast members are British as well, which only adds to the authenticity of the film.

Most of the indoor scenes were shot at the Shepperton Pinewood Studio in Shepperton, Surrey, United Kingdom. In the movie, there are tons of fantastic sequences and scenes that involve magic, fantasy, and special effects, so the Shepperton Studio provided a perfect place to develop the perfect settings.

In fact, the sets spanned over not one, but nine studios, so you can be sure that we’re talking about top-notch production here.

The school, Crunchem Hall, was shot in the Bramshill House in Bramshill, Hampshire, United Kingdom. The entire Bramshill Estate was used, as seen in the few shots of the school’s gates that can be seen in the trailer, and from some images from the set.

Another important location that was used in Matilda the Musical was Bison Hill Car Park in Dunstable, England. All the windmill scenes were shot there, in a picturesque location that’s just as breathtaking as any other in the film. It was also disclosed that some scenes were shot in the Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, England as well.

Interestingly, the movie’s IMDb page suggests that some scenes were shot in Dublin, Ireland, as well as in some spots in Ireland outside of Dublin.

When you put all of that together, we can rest assured that Matilda the Musical will look absolutely stunning, with perfect backdrops to go along with the plot and the built sets made in the studio for the purposes of the movie.

Matilda the Musical release date & trailer

The first trailer, which you can see above, dropped on October 13, 2022. Interestingly, the movie was already released in selected theaters in the UK and Ireland on November 25, 2022. It’ll get a limited release in selected theaters worldwide on December 9, 2022, while Netflix will have Matilda the Musical premiere worldwide on December 25, 2022, right on Christmas Day.

Matilda the Musical Cast & Crew

As we mentioned, Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin are the main writers for the movie which was based on a super-popular musical that’s been playing on stage for decades now. The original songs and lyrics were written by Tim Minchin, too, while Matthew Warchus is responsible for directing the movie.

The titular character, Matilda Wormwood, will be portrayed by the young and talented Alisha Weird, whereas her main ‘nemesis,’ Ms. Agatha Trunchbull, is played by Emma Thompson. Interestingly, actor Ralph Fiennes was originally cast in the role of Trunchbull as a nice twist, but the decision was later changed to Thompson.

Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough play Matilda’s parents, the Wormwoods, while Lashana Lynch and Sindhu Vee portray Miss Honey and Mrs. Phelps, respectively. Other cast members include Carl Spencer, Lauren Alexandra, Meesha Garbett, and others. You can find the full cast and crew list here.