Matilda Cast Reunites in London for the Movie's 30th Anniversary

Thirty years after Matilda first hit theaters, its stars were back together, and the fans had no idea it was coming.

Mara Wilson, Danny DeVito and several of their former castmates reunited on Friday, Oct. 30, at London's Royal Albert Hall for a special 30th anniversary screening of the 1996 family classic.

"Five thousand Matilda fans! I still cannot believe it!" Wilson wrote on Instagram after the event.

Mara Wilson's Instagram post from the night.

A screening with a live orchestra

The night was part of the Royal Albert Hall's Films in Concert series. As the movie played on the big screen, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performed David Newman's score live.

DeVito, who directed the film, produced it and played Matilda's dad, Harry Wormwood, hosted the evening. He narrated the screening live from a leather armchair set up beside the conductor's podium.

Before the film started, Newman and DeVito held a talk. That is when Newman let the audience in on a secret. "We do have a very special surprise tonight," he said.

Who showed up

DeVito then brought out a group of familiar faces from the movie:

• Mara Wilson, who played Matilda Wormwood
• Pam Ferris, who played the terrifying headmistress Miss Trunchbull
• Kiami Davael, who played Matilda's friend Lavender
• Jacqueline Steiger, who played Amanda Thripp
• Kira Spencer Hesser, who played Hortensia

DeVito looked back fondly on making the movie, calling the shoot "the time of our lives." For DeVito, the night was a double role: host on stage, and the man who had brought the whole cast together the first time around.

Wilson: "People who mean so much to me"

Wilson, who was a child when she played the book-loving girl with telekinetic powers, shared photos from the night with DeVito, Ferris and her former on-screen classmates.

"What a joy to celebrate with people who mean so much to me," she said.

The Royal Albert Hall shared its own excitement too, calling the cast reunion "the best surprise ever."

Miss Honey sent her love

One beloved face was missing. Embeth Davidtz, who played Matilda's kind teacher, Miss Honey, was not able to attend.

She still made sure her former castmates knew she was thinking of them. "So so sad I couldn't be there! You all look wonderful!" she commented on Wilson's post.

Thirty years of Matilda

Matilda was released in the U.S. on Aug. 2, 1996, by TriStar Pictures. It was based on Roald Dahl's 1988 novel of the same name, with a screenplay by Nicholas Kazan and Robin Swicord.

Alongside Wilson, DeVito, Ferris and Davidtz, the cast included Rhea Perlman as Matilda's mom, Zinnia Wormwood.

The movie was well received by critics, who praised how faithful it stayed to Dahl's book and DeVito's direction. It still holds an approval rating of about 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. At the box office, it opened in third place with $8.2 million. It earned about $33 million in the U.S. against a $36 million budget. But it found a much bigger audience on home video and has since become a cult classic for a whole generation.

This was not the first time DeVito brought the cast back together. He also hosted an earlier reunion, which was later included as an extra on the movie's Blu-ray release.

Why the reunion hit so hard

For a lot of fans, Matilda was more than just a movie. It was the story of a smart, bookish kid who stood up to the adults who underestimated her, and it still connects with people who grew up with it.

Seeing Wilson and Ferris on the same stage, three decades after Matilda and Miss Trunchbull faced off at Crunchem Hall, gave those 5,000 fans a night that was 30 years in the making.