Sixteen feature movies have been adapted from Roald Dahl’s different novels, but which one is the best?
Roald Dahl was a British writer, poet, novelist, and wartime fighter pilot. And over 250 million of his copies have sold worldwide. Dahl is “one of the greatest storytellers of the 20th century”. He received the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement and British Book Awards’ in 1990.
Dahl’s stories are known for the unexpected endings. He mostly wrote children’s books based on dark comedy, featuring villainous adult enemies. Some of his famous books included Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, The Witches, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Tales of the Unexpected, and George’s Marvellous Medicine.
In this article, we tried to list some of Roald Dahl’s adapted movies’ books and ranked them from worst to best.
Tom And Jerry: Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (2017)
Tom And Jerry: Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory is an American animated musical comedy movie starring the famous cat and mouse duo named Tom and Jerry. The film is an animated adaptation of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (which is based on Roald Dahl’s 1964 book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
The film is one of the most insulting adaptations of Roald Dahl’s books. Tom and Jerry’s movie is dedicated to the late actor Gene Wilder which felt like a slap in the face of his memory. The animated film was a remake of the original movie, but they added Tom and Jerry to the story for no reason.
For obvious reasons, the movie got negative reviews. Critic Beth Elderkin of Gizmodo described that the film is not just stupid, but it is insulting.
The Witches (2020)
The Witches is a dark fantasy comedy movie and directorial debut of Robert Zemeckis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Guillermo del Toro and Kenya Barris. The film is based on Roald Dahl’s 1990 novel of the same name. It stars some great actors, including Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci, Octavia Spencer, and is narrated by Chris Rock.
Sadly, the movie focused more on CGI spectacle than storytelling, and hence the film fell flat on its face. Although the story grows according to Dahl’s story, it still feels like a cash-grabber and cheaply made movie. On the other hand, Spencer and Hathaway’s performance grabbed lots of audiences’ attention, and they received praise for their acting.
The Witches got an approval rating of 50% based on 145 critics with an average rating of 5.50/10. According to Metacritic, it scored 47 out of 100 and received mixed reviews.
Revolting Rhymes (2016)
Revolting Rhymes is a computer-animated TV movie based on Roald Dahl’s 1982 book of the same name. The first sequel of the movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The movie is aimed at young children, and it manages to link the stories well, whereas the book lacks to create that connection. The idea of re-telling the story in a slightly different manner was a good step. However, Dahl’s poems are funnier and shorter than the film’s, but they are entertaining.
The film got an approval rating of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 13 reviews with an average of 7.45/10.
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory is a fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart starring Gene Wilder. The movie is also an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The movie revolves around a needy child, Charlie Bucket, who visits Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory after getting a Golden Ticket with four other children. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Audiences and critics widely accepted and praised The musical adaptation. However, the directors took some cinematic liberties with Dahl’s original books. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory got a 90% approval rating based on 48 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
The above are a few adapted movies of Roald Dahl’s novels.
Source: Adaptation Of Roald Dahl’s Books Ranked Worst To Best
