VICTORIA VAN WINKLE – LAYOUT AND DESIGN EDITOR ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JAN 31 2024
Roald Dahl, a British author, originally published the children’s novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in 1964. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tells the story of Charlie Bucket, a humble and poor child who finds one of the five special golden tickets hidden in the mysterious and famous chocolatier, Willy Wonka’s chocolate bars. This golden ticket would grant him access into the reclusive Willy Wonka’s magical candy factory for a day.
In 1971, the first film adaptation of Dahl’s famous children’s book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was made with actor Gene Wilder starring as Willy Wonka. In 2005, the second movie was released with Johnny Depp portraying Willy Wonka. Although these two films were made 34 years apart, each movie successfully transformed the written adventures of Charlie and Willy Wonka into a big-screen hit. However, the tale of how eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka became the well-known candymaker had not been explained before.
On Dec. 15, 2023, the unanswered questions about Willy Wonka’s backstory were finally answered when the newest musical film, Wonka, was released. Wonka tells the story of Willy Wonka, a young and poor magician with aspirations of opening a candy shop in a city that is known for its chocolate, but he soon discovers that the town is run by three corrupt candy shop owners that do not want him to succeed. “It was an interesting storyline due to the fact that it was very different from the others,” senior management major, Eugenio Albo said. “I would have liked to see more of the candy factory itself. Especially inside of it, as that’s what I distinctly remember being intrigued about in the last Wonka movie,” Albo continued.
Because of the two Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film adaptations prior to this film, there was some skepticism about the new Wonka movie. “Wonka was portrayed as benevolent and selfless in this new movie. In the past two movies, he had sort of a weirdness and even a slightly sinister creepiness to him, which I am sure fans enjoyed and found humorous,” Albo stated.
With a hat full of tricks, a mind full of dreams, and a heart full of love, young and selfless Willy Wonka was determined to turn those dreams into reality.
“There were quite a few nods to the previous movies that I thought were nicely incorporated, especially through the new musical score [where] parts of the song, Pure Imagination, show up throughout the movie,” Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Timothy Bessler, Ed.D. commented. The presence of the song, Pure Imagination, in all three film adaptations created a strong connection between each movie. “My favorite part was when they incorporated the original [Willy] Wonka song, Pure Imagination, at the end of the movie. From what I recall, not many songs were the same in this movie as the last, so when it played, it brought up childhood memories right away,” Albo observed.
How Willy Wonka became a popular confectioner is no longer a mystery, but the question that remains is how he managed to successfully maintain such a large candy factory.
“I cannot figure out how [Willy] Wonka managed to keep enough supply of ingredients in his chocolate-making traveling case, much less how he transformed the vacant space into his chocolate store in such a short time and where exactly was he getting his money to pay for all that.
But for me, that is the beauty of the movie and the power of imagination,” Bessler voiced.
Even after every obstacle placed in Willy Wonka’s path by the three corrupt candy shop owners that ran the town, he still managed to rise above those challenges and open his own candy store.
“I really enjoyed the visual experience of when Wonka opened his store.
For me, the creativity of design combined with Timothée Chalamet’s singing and dancing were wonderful,” Bessler mentioned.
Despite the logical questions that arose by the end of the movie, Wonka was a magical addition to the film adaptations of the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory novel.
“I enjoyed a lighter and a bit more whimsical storyline than the 1971 or 2005 versions, as well as the attention to how, and why, Willy Wonka became a chocolatier and the powerful influence of his mom,” Bessler concluded. Driven by the memory of Willy Wonka’s mother’s support, he achieved the improbable. The heartfelt ending to this movie enhances the importance of how the best things in life always happen because of love.