Film
Danny the Champion of the World
A 1989 family film about a resourceful boy and his widowed father in rural England who stand up to a corrupt local bully threatening their home. Warm, funny, and thrillingly on the side of underdogs, it's Roald Dahl adapted with genuine heart—part coming-of-age story, part caper, all charm. For anyone who loves mischief with a moral spine.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you love a warm, old-fashioned caper about a clever child and his devoted father outwitting a bullying landowner, with Jeremy Irons clearly relishing the villainy.
Skip it if you want edgy, grown-up storytelling; this is a gentle, rather sentimental TV movie with a deliberately storybook pace and little real menace.
What it asks of you: Ninety-nine minutes of unhurried, cosy storytelling, light enough that the stakes never frighten and the whole thing settles into a bedtime-story rhythm.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Matilda1996
Danny's DNA all over it: a clever, kind child outwitting cruel adults through wit and courage. Rhea Perlman and Pam Ferris are magnificent villains, and the film trusts children to be heroes.
But Darker than memory for some. The abuse of Matilda by her parents is genuinely nasty, not softened for the audience.
The Railway Children1970
Same era, same English pastoral innocence, same resourceful children solving real problems. Utterly sincere without a trace of sentimentality. A masterpiece of restraint.
But Glacially paced by modern standards. If you need constant momentum, this will feel like waiting for a train.
Moonrise Kingdom2012
Wes Anderson's love letter to childhood adventure and the adults who protect it. Two kids against the world, full of genuine danger and genuine affection. Beautiful to look at.
But Anderson's symmetrical whimsy irritates some people intensely. If you find his style precious or cold, nothing here will change your mind.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Danny the Champion of the World
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Fried Green Tomatoes1991
Both are about quiet rebellion against corrupt power; both believe in the righteousness of outsider justice when institutions fail.
Seems like a completely different film—middle-aged women, American South, decades of friendship—but it has the same engine: good people getting even with corruption through cunning and loyalty. The real connection is moral: both are about communities protecting their own when the system won't.
But Heavier than Danny in almost every way. This handles real trauma, violence, and loss. Not a feel-good film, even though it feels good.
More like this (8)
The BFG1990
Released the same year, also Roald Dahl, also about an outcast child and an unlikely ally against a hostile world. Spielberg's direction is tender and the design is genuinely magical.
But The CGI hasn't aged gracefully. Long stretches depend on effects that now look soft and unconvincing.
Kes1970
A Yorkshire boy and his hawk: proof that a child's bond with an animal can carry the weight of a whole film. Bleak, honest, and moving. Ken Loach at his finest.
But Punishing class realism. This is about broken systems and limited horizons, not charm. Ends on deliberate heartbreak.
The Goonies1985
Kids on a mission, wit as a weapon, adults as obstacles or allies. Spielberg's adventure DNA runs through both. Fun, energetic, genuinely suspenseful.
But Loud and shapeless by design. Relies on charm and momentum rather than structure; the plot barely holds together.
Hope and Glory1987
John Boorman's semi-autobiographical film about a boy discovering the world during the Blitz. Funny, moving, and alive to how children experience chaos as adventure.
But Very British, very nostalgic. If you find period whimsy cloying, this won't escape that category for you.
Huckleberry Finn1974
A boy, an outcast adult, a river, and freedom. Same storytelling DNA: the journey matters more than the destination. Gentle and genuinely felt.
But Episodic TV pacing from the '70s. Meandering. If plot momentum is what you need, this will feel slack.
Anne of Green Gables1985
A child changing an entire community through determination and authenticity. British sentimentality done right, with real stakes and genuine character arcs.
But Deeply sentimental. If you're allergic to earnestness about childhood innocence, this will test your patience hard.
The Thief of Bagdad1940
Both celebrate cleverness and mischief as legitimate resistance. Both believe the clever underdog has the moral high ground.
A magical caper made during wartime: a boy-thief against an evil sorcerer, full of tricks and adventure. The connection isn't story—it's structure. Both are about cleverness and mischief as moral tools, and both have that same gleeful tone about getting away with something good.
But Technicolor artifice from 1940. If you need naturalism or intimacy, this is pure spectacle and extremely planted effects.
Pelle the Conqueror1987
Both centre an unbreakable father-son bond as the source of all value and resistance. Both argue that love and loyalty matter more than material security.
A father and son in rural Scandinavia, poor and vulnerable, against a hostile world. Swedish, bleak, profound. But structurally identical: the bond between them is what holds the film together, and their dignity in the face of exploitation is the whole point. Nothing cute about it, everything true.
But Slow, grey, and genuinely sad. This is Roald Dahl's story told by Bergman, not by Spielberg. Demands patience and can break your heart.
People
Cast
- Samuel IronsDanny
Jeremy IronsWilliam Smith
Robbie ColtraneVictor Hazell
Cyril CusackDoc Spencer
Michael HordernLord Claybury
Lionel JeffriesMr. Snoddy
Jean MarshMiss Hunter
Jimmy NailRabbetts
Ronald PickupCaptain Lancaster
John WoodvineTallon
William ArmstrongSpinger- Ceri JacksonMrs Clipstone
Directing
- Gavin MillarDirector
Writing
- Roald DahlNovel
- John GoldsmithScreenplay