Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Book, 1964; Movie, 2005; Musical (West End), 2013 (seen 2016)

Premise - An erratic chocolate factory owner, who had remained isolated for a great period of time, finally opens up his factory to five lucky children who can find a golden ticket hidden inside one of his chocolate bars. One of the winners is poor, innocent, little Charlie Buckett, who is in for the ride of his life.

Review - This is an ultimate classic! It was the first book I ever considered to be my favorite, starting around the age of four. Throughout my childhood, I always referred to it as my favorite book (other than maybe Harry Potter, but that was a series, so it didn't count). In my sixth grade yearbook, I had it listed as my favorite book. My favorite story to tell is that in the first grade, each student had to create a poster about themselves and present it to the class. One of the subjects on the poster was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I didn't put a career - I just drew a picture of the factory and said, "I want to live in the chocolate factory from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

After a while, however, my response to the question "What is your favorite book?" just became automatic, but I hadn't re-read the book in over a decade. On the rare occasions that I do revisit it, I am reminded of why I had that response for so many years. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an incredible story. It has all of the ingredients of classic children's British literature, with a young, sweet, humble protagonist who receives the ultimate wish-fulfillment for both himself and readers that goes beyond anyone's wildest dreams. It is the same formula that Harry Potter takes. There are themes of love, family, and moral integrity, in line with most children's stories. However, what's great about this particular children's story is how it manages to be both darkly comedic and still family-friendly. This is a very twisted, almost evil story at times, and just plain bizarre, which is what appeals to both children and good-humored adults.

As far as movie adaptations go, I have likely seen the 1970's version at some point in my life, but it would have been so long ago that I disregard it. I was born in 1995 so the 2005 version came out at the perfect point in childhood. I hold the 2005 adaptation very close to my heart. I am not too familiar with Tim Burton, but I absolutely love the style of his adaptation. I want this story to be weird, flashy, stylistic, with the right dose of darkness, and that's what this film is able to successfully achieve. Johnny Depp is a fantastically strange Willy Wonka. He doesn't necessarily match the Willy Wonka from the book, being far more uncomfortable with children. I almost prefer Johnny Depp's version to the book because of his awkwardness. Johnny Depp's Wonka seems more like a man who has been locked away for a decade should, as he has absolutely no social skills. Johnny Depp has been the center of controversy lately for his personal life, but this film came out at a time when he was widely adored. As a kid I had a hard time believing that Captain Jack Sparrow and Willy Wonka were played by the same person, and I thought he was a chameleon genius. Today, when I look at various characters he plays such as Jack Sparrow or Gellert Grindelwald, I still can look at them and see Johnny Depp. Yet I still have a hard time reconciling that he is Willy Wonka. The transformation is beyond uncanny. I suppose it's a mixture of the difference in voice, hair, and makeup, but he just doesn't look like Johnny Depp. Therefore I consider this to be the greatest, most entertaining performance of his career.

I had the privilege of seeing the stage musical in London in 2016, and I still have the program on my bookshelf. While it was entertaining and a huge spectacle of a show, I was disappointed because I had such high expectations with the book and film in mind.  To focus on the positive, there are aspects of the show I would praise. The show rightfully advertised that it was dark and "not too sweet" which was definitely to my taste. I was sitting next to this dad and his young daughter, and I'll admit there were certain jokes in the play where I looked over thinking, "This is so not appropriate for children!" However, for me, it played really well into the satire and tone of Roald Dahl's humor. I particularly loved the way the show modernized Mike Teavee's character and made him such a criminal-in-the-making, such as the comment about trying to get him down to two packs of cigarettes per day. And lastly, Charlie Buckett BLEW ME AWAY. He seemed younger than a lot of movie adaptations of Charlie that I had seen. He was so smol but he had PIPES. At first I thought he had to be lip-syncing, but it was a professional stage production, so I can't imagine that being the case! However, he was the highlight of the show. Such a talented kid. But stage Willy Wonka? Not nearly as impressive. He seemed too limited in his movements to come across as erratic for a stage production, particularly for those (like me) sitting way in the back. There was a lot I could criticize about the show, but through all of my criticisms I realized that my defensiveness comes from a real love of the story that I forgot that I had. (100/100)

Quote - "There's no knowing where we're going..."

What to watch for - The oompa loompa songs, especially in the 2005 movie version

If you liked this book, movie, or play, I'd recommend the Harry Potter series!

Written by Roald Dahl
Published by Puffin Modern Classics
Directed by Tim Burton
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Adapted for the stage by David Greig
Performed at Theater Royal Drury Lane