If there ever was a living director capable of bringing Roald Dahl’s slightly warped children’s stories to the big screen, it has to be Tim Burton. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory wasn’t the first time the two had “collaborated.” Burton produced Henry Selick’s animated James and the Giant Peach, but with Charlie Burton was in the director chair with his favorite actor, Johnny Depp, assuming the role of the eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka. Although the film is an adaptation of one of Roald Dahl’s best loved tales, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory feels like Burton through-and-through—from the loneliness that harkens back to Edward Scissorhands to an ending dealing with the theme of father/son affection akin to Big Fish.
It should be said that Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is far more faithful to the book then Mel Stuart’s watered down 1971 production, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Though Roald Dahl was the screenwriter of record, he hated it. It’s not hard to see why. A story with some real rough edges became genial and almost sweet. Willy Wonka was transformed into a kind of kooky father figure. For his film, it seems Burton didn’t worry about the earlier movie. Instead, he and screenwriter John August (Charlie’s Angels, Big Fish) returned to the source material. The results earned them the Dahl family seal of approval.
Most of us probably know the basics of the plot by heart. Willy Wonka (Depp) is a recluse, and no is ever seen going into or leaving, his enormous factory. However, one day it’s announced that he has hidden golden tickets inside the wrappers of five of the millions of Wonka candy bars sold around the world. Those lucky enough to find them will be treated to a tour of the Wonka Chocolate Factory, the largest such facility in the world. One by one, the winners are revealed. Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), a fat, spoiled kid who eats candy continuously; Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), the spoiled daughter of a wealthy British nut packer; Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb), the arrogant, spoiled daughter of an American Barbie Doll; Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry), a surly, spoiled video-game player; and Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), a poor boy who uses the last of his money to buy the winning candy bar. Accompanied by his grandfather, Joe (David Kelly), he arrives at the Wonka factory at the appointed time, ready to begin the tour.
The factory is a strange, yet fascinating place. I suppose its best described as Disneyland crossed with a psychedelic Oz. There are chocolate waterfalls, flying glass elevators, and lollipop trees. All of the work is done by the pint sized Oompa Loompas (all played by Deep Roy, who is replicated via CGI), who sing and dance. Their short numbers consist of everything from Bollywood to rock. The music was composed by frequent Tim Burton collaborator Danny Elfman with lyrics from Dahl’s book. So love whether you love or hate the music, in this version, the lyrics come straight from the source.
Johnny Depp’s Wonka is flat out creepy. He says some truly shocking things. Consider, for example, his introduction to a chamber in his factory: “Everything in this room is edible. Even I’m edible. But that is called cannibalism, and it’s frowned upon in most societies.” Would you feel comfortable leaving this man alone with a child? Likely no, but there’s something so sinister and wonderful about the way Depp plays the character anyway. When the film came out in theaters, I remember enjoying the film much more than many children I asked about it. There is a lot of things here that young children may find a bit scary, and humor older children may not understand.
Freddie Highmore acquits himself well as Charlie, and is clearly a better actor than Peter Ostrum, the young boy who played the role in the earlier film. The supporting cast is filled out nicely. Helena Bonham Carter (Burton’s current off-screen leading lady) and Noah Taylor play Charlie’s parents. And veteran Irish character actor David Kelly is Grandpa Joe. Kelly has enjoyed a long career, with recent international screen roles in films like Waking Ned Devine and The Matchmaker, but he may be best-known as the infamous Mr. O’Reilly from John Cleese’s Fawlty Towers.
While 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is undeniably a classic, by going back to the source material Tim Burton has given the story a dark side that just adds to the films overall experience. By adding a subplot about Willy and his father, the director gives the story a welcome emotional component. While many of the basic elements of the two films remain the same, the overall “feel” is entirely differently. Fans of Roald Dahl’s book should be very happy with this one, and the Blu-ray deserves a place right next to the 1971 classic.
Presented in the 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer is a bit soft in terms of detail and texture. While I’ll concede that this is likely due at least in part to the movie’s style, I would’ve liked to see it done better. However, the disc really shines when it comes to colors, particularly when we move into Wonka’s factory. Everything is vivid and bright throughout. Contrasts and black level are a little light; if not necessarily objectionable, this does contribute to the overall sense of flatness. While not a bad transfer, one has to believe it could’ve been better.
The Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 audio track does a good job with the film. Danny Elfman’s score and songs fill the soundstage with expansive presence and dynamic range. Intelligibility of his song lyrics comes across well. The sound design incorporates many wacky sound effects and an immersive surround presence, which are all very satisfying. We are also provided with a Dolby True-HD music-only track.
English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles are included.
We get the following special features:
- Commentary by Tim Burton: The director discusses the making of the film, casting, his dedication to using the book as his source and more. This is an “In Movie, Picture-in-Picture” commentary with an Oompa Loompa as your guide.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Chocolate Dreams (6:57) An overview of Burton’s vision for the film. Roald Dahl’s widow is an executive producer and claims to be quite happy with the finished product.
- Different Faces, Different Flavors (10:39) Casting the film is discussed, though much of it is a lovefest aimed at Johnny Depp.
- Designer Chocolate (9:35) A look at the movie’s elaborate production design and costumes.
- Under the Wrapper (6:58) A look at the visual effects, both practical (quite a few miniatures were used) and CG.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Sweet Sounds (7:14) Danny Elfman describes how he developed the songs (This one is surprisingly entertaining).
- Becoming Oompa-Loompa: How They Turned One Man into Hundreds of Oompa-Loompas (7:16) A peek at how Deep Roy was multiplied into hundreds of characters. The amount of work required to achieve a convincing effect is a testament to the actor’s dedication.
- Attack of the Squirrels: A Look at the Trained Nut-Sorting Squirrels (9:48) The production’s animal trainers discuss the extraordinary lengths they went to in preparing the film’s weirdest set-piece. A squirrel requires approximately two thousand repetitions of an action to learn it.
- Fantastic Mr. Dahl: A Look into the Life of Roald Dahl (17:40) An interesting piece on the author, originally produced for the BBC.
- Pre-vis Augustus Gloop Dance (2:06) Footage from the rough CG animated staging of the first musical number.
- Pre-vis Mike Teevee Dance (1:33) Similar to the above, but with some actor rehearsal footage mixed in.
- European Club Reel (2:54) A dance remix video that was distributed to clubs in Europe.
- Theatrical Trailer (HD)
