Wonka is making a return in theaters with a new take on the story. Willy Wonka first appeared on the big screen in 1971 with “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” starring Gene Wilder. In this movie, Willy Wonka, the world’s best chocolatier, comes out of hiding after four years. He announces that five lucky people will tour his world-class factory, learn the secrets of his process, and win a lifetime supply of chocolate. The story focuses on a poor boy named Charlie who wants to find one of the golden tickets, the only way to win entrance to Wonka’s factory. It seemed impossible after four of the tickets were found by obnoxious children, but, by some miracle, Charlie found enough money to purchase a chocolate bar.
“I remember watching the original 1971 movie with my friend, and it was a pretty fun memory,” sophomore Ben Stallard said.
Wonka appeared again in 2005 with “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka. This edition features a Tim Burton twist with a more sour and peculiar version of Wonka. In the movie, Wonka says, “‘Do you like my meadow? Try some of my grass! Please have a blade, please do, it’s so delectable and so darn good looking!’” Charlie then replies with, “‘You can eat the grass?’” Wonka’s peculiarity in this movie is shown when he replies, “‘Of course you can! Everything in this room is eatable, even *I’m* eatable! But that is called “cannibalism,” my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies.’”
The 1971 film earned enough money to repay the budget, earning four million dollars off of a three million dollar budget. Gene Wilder was also nominated for his performance in the 1971 film. The 2005 adaptation by Tim Burton holds the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing Roald Dahl movie adaptation in history at $475,825,484 worldwide. Oscar-winning stylist Gabriella Pescucci was nominated at the 2006 Academy Awards for Best Achievement in Costume Design from the 2005 adaptation, and Johnny Depp earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.
However, the 1971 interpretation earned a higher Rotten Tomatoes score over Tim Burton’s version, 91% to 83%. The score is based on professional critics’ reviews, and a score under 60% is considered “rotten.” Similarly, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” earned a higher audience score of 87% over the alternate version holding a 51%. Audience score is the percent of positive views towards the movie done by viewers.
The up-coming “Wonka” movie was brought to light in January of 2021 as a prequel to “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Timothée Chalamet was shown as the chosen actor to play Willy Wonka in October 2021 through an Instagram post. Actors and production arrived on set together as far back as 2016, and the film was set to be released in theaters on March 1, 2023. However, it was pushed to December 15 of the same year for unforeseen reasons, according to People Magazine. English actor Hugh Grant took on the role of one of the Oompa Loompas, sharing characteristics with the Oompa Loompas from the 1971 film. This version of Roald Dahl’s story will be centered around young Willy Wonka and his rise to be the best chocolatier the world has ever seen.
Anticipation for the movie has included a Tomatometer of 83% and a new estimation of predicted profits. The movie was set to only bring in twenty million dollars but that estimation has now doubled. Another speculation is what similarities will be found between the new movie and Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka or Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka. Timothée Chalamet is seen wearing the purple coat and brown top hat seen in both movies, but other aesthetics have been kept secret by Warner-Brothers Production. Fans can discover the aesthetics for themselves in theaters December 15.
