Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is Tim Burton’s slightly darker take on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name. This is the point in Tim Burton’s career when he started to do less original work and more remakes. Though I don’t think anyone expected him to do a remake of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. It was such an odd choice. Even though I was still a kid at the time and I’d already seen the original, I didn’t see the movie in theaters. Although I did see one scene when I peeked into a theater that was playing the movie (long story). If I recall, I saw the movie about a year after it came out. Some people will say the movie is a pale (no pun intended) imitation of a classic that shouldn’t have been made in the first place, but I actually really like the movie. Certain aspects of the book and original movie can be improved upon with certain advancements in technology. The factory is bigger and grander than it was before. A lot of the chocolate, like the chocolate river, is actually real chocolate. Unlike the original movie’s brown water. Say what you will about the movie, but Tim Burton is a creative genius. His sets look delicious. Good enough to eat. Of course the plot is pretty much the same…
Willy Wonka introduces his chocolate factory
Finding golden tickets, exploring the factory, each kid getting punished, and of course the ending. That being said, there are some pretty major differences. Some of which is closer to the book. This is a Tim Burton movie, so of course its snowy and dark. Of course Johnny Depp plays Willy Wonka. He’s no Gene Wilder, but I thought his quirky oddball performance was hilarious. One of the biggest differences is that there are flashbacks. Willy Wonka’s backstory including his childhood, how he found the Oompa Loompas, and why he closed his factory, is shown. Charlie Bucket is about the same (although a bit too perfect), Augustus Gloop is fatter and a bit more greedy, Veruca Salt is still spoiled, but kind of toned down, Violet Beauregarde is actually meaner and more of a competitive gum-chewer, and Mike Teavee is a jerky video game player instead of a TV addict. Some choices made sense for the modern setting, while others feel a little off. The parents are also different. Grandpa Joe is about the same, but some (not all) of the parents are swapped with a different parent. Finally, the Oompa Loompas are just smaller clones of actor Deep Roy. Which isn’t nearly as iconic as the original. The songs are catchy though. The ending is also sort of a soft adaptation of Roald Dahl’s sequel Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. As a remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a gothic treat that should be viewed as its own movie.
The chocolate factory
Remake of: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
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