From Individual To Social Struggle : A Study Of Adaptation In Roald Dahl’s Matilda (1988) And Matilda The Musical (2022)

The adaptation of Matilda from novel to musical film demonstrates that a children’s literary text is not merely transferred from one medium to another, but reinterpreted in response to changing social and cultural contexts. This study examines Matilda the Musical (2022) as an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda (1988), focusing on the transformation of resistance within the educational setting is transformed from individual struggle into social struggle. Drawing on adaptation theory and contextual analysis, this research employs a qualitative comparative method through an analysis of narrative structure, characterization, and mise-en scène in both texts. The findings reveal that the musical film expands resistance narratively into a collective struggle within the school space and redistributes agency from the individual protagonist to supporting characters and student groups. Furthermore, musical numbers, choreography, and cinematic framing reinforce resistance as coordinated social action, demonstrating how adaptation reshapes narrative focus, character agency, and ideological meaning in relation to contemporary socio-cultural contexts.