Nominated for Nothing: Matilda the Musical's grade A take on a classic Roald Dahl story deserved more love

They're destined to score zero Academy Awards, but they won our attention throughout a year (and awards season) like no other. Ahead of the 95th Oscars ceremony on March 12, EW is breaking down the year's best movies, performances, and directorial achievements that were nominated for nothing.

The film: As controversial as Roald Dahl's original writings are, they've made for some iconic and eye-popping films. From the Gene Wilder classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory to Wes Anderson's clever stop-motion Fantastic Mr. Fox, Dahl's spiky and darkly funny work has been adapted multiple times over the years to varying degrees of success. While his 1988 novel Matilda already had a well-regarded adaptation in 1996 with Mara Wilson, it was Netflix's recent Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical starring Alisha Weir as the precocious, book-loving Matilda Wormwood that deserved some love from the Academy.

Released in December by the streamer, who has struck out at the Best Picture race despite recent heavy hitters like The Power of The Dog and Roma, this adaptation of the Matilda stage musical was a charmer from top to bottom, from the inventive production design to the sharp direction by British theater director Matthew Warchus to the ear-catching songs.

Dan Smith/Netflix Alisha Weir as Matilda, Rei Yamauchi Fulker as Lavender in 'Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical'

While many kids' movies are felled by overly twee adolescent performers, this production lucked out in its casting of the tiny but formidable Weir, whose believable sharp intelligence and wicked sense of humor propel the story forward. She's ably supported by rising star Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, a kindly teacher who takes the abused and disregarded Matilda under her wing.  Among her many talents, Lynch has a beautiful singing voice, making her warm, lovely performance even richer.

On the comic side, Stephen Graham and current Oscar lightning rod Andrea Riseborough are absolutely delightful as Matilda's horrible and unappreciative parents. If you thought Riseborough's nomination for To Leslie was unjustified, her absolutely hilarious performance here might take some of the edge off. Though the always-solid Emma Thompson is suitably intimidating as Miss Trunchbull, she is stuck in a distracting fat suit, but that's one of the lone sticking points in this winning production.

NETFLIX Lashana Lynch and Alisha Weir in 'Matilda the Musical'

Why it wasn't nominated: Obviously, Netflix knew it had a potential winner in Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio for the Best Animated Feature Oscar, but non-animated kids' films are always in a bit of a pickle when it comes to the Academy, no matter how good they are. Though Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar for the family classic Mary Poppins back in 1965 (and that had a lot to do with getting passed over for the film version of My Fair Lady), modern worthy contenders like Paddington 2 have gotten no love despite a Hugh Grant performance that should have won a supporting actor Oscar in a fair world. (Look at this dance and tell me it's not worthy of the golden statue. Go on! I dare you!)

While non-animated kids' films might receive some below-the-line love as the Harry Potter series did with its nominations for score, VFX, and production design, it's a tougher go with anything more and especially in the acting categories as of late. The Academy has always liked family-friendly musicals, as past awards for The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady can attest, but those were very much not considered kids' movies like Matilda the Musical is.

And when a studio already has a clear front-runner in the animated film category, as Netflix does with Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio, forget it! It makes sense why Netflix put their campaign focus there, considering the Academy has a proven love for previous winner Del Toro in the first place, but it's still a shame that there was no room for Matilda the Musical somewhere in the Oscar race.

Dan Smith/Netflix Andrea Riseborough as Mrs. Wormwood and Stephen Graham as Mr. Wormwood

Why history will remember it better than the Academy did: Great kids' films have a history of finding their fans over the years, even if critics and audiences initially ignored them. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory itself wasn't a huge hit when first released and only became a classic in the intervening years once kids of subsequent generations discovered its charming weirdness on home video. Modern classic Paddington 2 came in 7th at the box office on its opening weekend but is now widely considered an almost perfect film by kids and adults alike (save for that one jerk who messed up its 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.)

And though it's always tricky to know the real ratings for any Netflix property, it's obvious they put a ton of care into the creation of Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. In a streaming world choked by substandard entertainment for kids, it was a rare gem, and hopefully, children in the future will continue to discover its delights.

EW's countdown to the 2023 Oscars has everything you're looking for, from our expert predictions and in-depth Awardist interviews with this year's nominees to nostalgia and our takes on the movies and actors we wish had gotten more Oscars love. You can check it all out at The Awardist.

Related Content:

• Matilda the Musical trailer delivers a dark but soaring take on the Roald Dahl classic

• Emma Thompson on her biggest transformation ever as Matilda's menacing Miss Trunchbull

• Lashana Lynch on discovering that Matilda's Miss Honey is a queer icon

• Don't worry, Roald Dahl's original texts will still be published after critics call new editions 'absurd censorship'