More Nuts than Sweet
New Chocolate Factory is Freaky

In my mind, it will never be possible to think of Willy Wonka without thinking of Gene Wilder, adorned in his brown top hat and purple coat, in the 1971 film. This is the Wonka of my childhood who sang sweetly but seemed (just under the surface) to be a bit bitter. The darkness that the 1971 film hinted at is trotted out in full glory in the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as the not-so-loveable chocolatier recluse.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore, far left) wins the tour of a lifetime in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (Warner Bros., 2005)
Directed by: Tim Burton
Written by: John August, based on the novel by Roald Dahl
Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, and Missi Pyle

Rated PG (for quirky situations, action and mild language)
Running time: 115 min.

FilmGuru's Rating : 9 out of 10.

More faithfully adapted from the original novel by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is still the same story of five children who have discovered "golden tickets." The tickets entitle the children to visit the long-closed Wonka chocolate factory and meet the the reclusive Willy Wonka. The first four children to find the tickets are the gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), the proud Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb), the greedy Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), and the violent video game addict Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry).

The fifth child is Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), whose poor family seems to survive in the face of every adversity. As the first four golden tickets are found, Charlie (like every other child in the world) wishes the next ticket would be in his candy bar. But Charlie's family can't afford but one a year. When his birthday arrives and the chocolate bar does not contain the ticket, Charlie is heartbroken but takes it in stride. When circumstances lead Charlie to buy another bar (and find the winning ticket) the whole family celebrates. Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) agrees to chaperone Charlie because he once worked for Wonka and wants to visit the inside of the factory again.

Meeting Willy Wonka (Depp) is a bit like meeting Walt Disney crossed with Darth Vader. He has enormous charisma, but Wonka is somewhat frightening too. It is obvious that his years of isolation in the factory have made him uncomfortable around people. His answers are a little too honest and his actions are too void of concern about social consequences. When one of the children asks him, "Do you want us to tell you our names?" he replies, "I can't see how it would matter." Depp is excellent in this role (but I've always said he's the most underrated actor in the business). He mixes Wonka's childlike spirit with a dash of "crazy hermit" and pulls it off wonderfully.

Meanwhile, the audience gets a glimpse of Wonka's own childhood, in a subplot cooked up by Burton. Willy had numerous conflicts with his own father (Christopher Lee), a dentist who saw candy as the greatest evil a child could encounter. This conflict led to Willy running away from home and starting his own candy factory, but resulted in unresolved issues with his father and an unwillingness to abide the parents who have accompanied their children on the tour.

Nevertheless, Willy Wonka has arranged this tour, not for the publicity or as a marketing scheme to sell more chocolate. He has done so to find someone worthy of running his candy empire. (Granted, not the best way to conduct a search for a job candidate.) As the children fall victim to their own vices, each gets left behind until only the good-hearted Charlie is left. But there's a twist in the end to this telling. Charlie doesn't want the job if it means leaving his family behind, and he must make Willy Wonka understand the importance of family.

The film is a testament to the vision of Burton. The director has built a world for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that is reminiscent of the original film but wholly unique. It is a darker world, without much color, without singing, and with a Willy Wonka who seems disconnected. All the funny Wonka-stuff (Wonkamobile, Wonkavision, Wonkavator) is still present, but the silly names are gone. I missed them, to be honest. Thankfully, the happy musical numbers from the original version have been excised in this darker story.

The Oompa Loompa (Willy Wonka's factory workers) songs remain, but they are taken from Dahl's original text. The music and singing is such a mash, however, that it makes it difficult to understand them. On the whole, I enjoyed the old Oompa Loompa songs much more. For the Oompa Loompas, actor Deep Roy was duplicated hundreds of times via computer effects so that he played all the parts. The singing voice for the Oompa Loompas, however, was none other than composer Danny Elfman, who dubbed his own voice repeatedly onto multiple tracks.

The story differs quite a bit from the original film, with the subplot regarding Slugworth and the everlasting gobstoppers thrown out completely. Also missing is a visit to the Fizzy Lifting Drink room or any impropriety by Charlie and his Grandpa Joe. This also negates the need for any outburst by Willy Wonka that would lead Charlie to feel bad about stealing the Fizzy Lifting Drinks. This was one thing I always hated about the original because it seemed so harsh and unnecessary.

On the whole, I liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory more than the 1971 film. Although it doesn't end with as much heart as the original, it is funnier and more appealing to me as an adult.