Charlie Wonka Movie Comparison

Charlie and the Chocolate factory is one of two film adaptations of Roald Dahls 1943 children’s book. This 2005 rendition, directed by the eccentric Tim Burton, infamous for his dark fantastical works in film, is said to be most loyal to the book versus the 1971 version entitled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory . Like the book, the film conveys a heavy theme of morality and family. The motif throughout the movie is bad children are punished while good children earn the coveted rewards. In this case, an entire chocolate factory. The film explores the effects of unscrupulous behavior and the gains of selflessness, kindness, and being family centered. The plot centers around Charlie Buckets portrayed by Freddie Highmore, a dirt poor young boy who values his family above all. Charlie’s (Highmore) character is thoroughly filled out in the first thirty minutes of the film. It is easy to feel empathy for Charlie and sympathize with him because he is so poverty-stricken yet he is always concerned for others more than himself. Due to competitors sending in espionage to steal his secrets, Wonka fires his entire staff and shuts down the factory. Mysteriously business resumes after so many years but, no one is ever seen going in or
out the factory. A news bulletin shakes the public when Wonka holds a contest where five golden tickets are hidden in Wonka bars all over the globe. The lucky winners and one guest will be allowed inside the factory for a tour where one will win an even bigger prize at the end. The first four tickets are found by the spoiled Veruca Salts, the obnoxious Mike Teavee, the greedy Augustus Gloop, and the arrogant and competitive Violet Beauregarde. After a couple of suspenseful let-downs, Charlie, who can only afford one Wonka bar a year on his birthday, finds the last remaining ticket. Charlie is the only child without a stereotypical character flaw an this contributes to the lesson teaching role throughout the film. When the golden ticket holders arrive at the factory the lessons begin to unfold. One by one the “rotten” children are eliminated from the tour in each room. Famed Critic, Roger Ebert commends the film’s attempt at teaching these lessons but note that small children may find the lessons a bit dark and frightening. The children are dealt with in a manner relevant to their flaws. Upon entering the factory, the children and their guest take in this exquisite candy-coated, chocolate-filled wonderland that Wonka has constructed obviously for his own enjoyment. They also discover how production has continued without the use of employees. They are introduced to the Oompa Loompas. Burton’s interpretation gives detailed background information on the origin of the Oompa Loompa. This gives some insight to the degree of seclusion Willy Wonka has subjected himself to due to chocolate espionage in his factory. Wonka obviously has a severe lack of trust for humans and this is shown throughout the film by his eccentric behaviors. Burton also creates some background on Willy Wonka himself.
Unlike in the book, we meet a Wilbur Wonka. He is Willy Wonka’s father and ironically a dentist and plays the antagonist in Wonka’s dream to be a famous chocolatier. Throughout the film Wonka has flashbacks of his own tortured childhood at the mention of key family words. In one of the flashback scenes Willy has gone trick or treating and arrives back at home only to have all his sweets thrown into the fire by his obsessive dental hygenist of a father. This and other events like played a significant role in Willy Wonka’s disregard for family which is a minor theme in the film as well. Wonka turns into somewhat of a self-centered recluse with little concern for
others. When the children venture into the first of four main rooms the action starts. Augustus Gloop’s greed becomes his demise when he tries to drink from the chocolate river, falls in, and is sucked up through an extraction tube. The Oompa Loompas sing a little song pointing out how gluttony got him in the predicament then rescue him. Charlie shows concern for Augustus before and after he is rescued. In the next room similar events take place. Violet , the champion gum chewer, swipes untested and apparently unsafe three course meal gum and grows into a huge blueberry. Wonka has the Oompas to roll her off to the juicing room to be returned to normal. Her competitiveness and bull-headedness won her only an ugly hue and an unflattering size. Wonka shows sarcasm and little concern for the victims. He almost seems amused. In the sorting room Veruca Salts is pushed down a garbage shoot that would lead to an incinerator due to her being sorted as a bad nut after her request for a sorting squirel is denied. This time the when the Oompas sing their morality song they point the finger at the parent who follows Veruca down the garbage chute. Her spoiled, decadent ways took her to the garbage and her father was to blame as well so he was disposed of too. Mike Teavee meets his end when he is shrunken to three inches. His arrogance earned him a session in the taffy puller leaving Charlie as the only child left at the end of the tour. Wonka proclaims Charlie is the winner and explains the contest was all part of his plan to find his heir to take over the factory. The factory is now Charlie’s under one condition. He must leave his family behind because Wonka views family as a barrier in reaching your dreams. Of course, Charlie, who values family above all, refuses this offer and loses a great deal of respect for the man he once idolized. Him and Wonka do not share the same passion for family and Charlie would rather live in his dilapidated home with his family than leave in all behind for wealth and chocolate beyond his wildest dreams. Wonka is completely discombobulated by this. He, who abandoned the family that tried to keep him from accomplishing what he loved and met success beyond measure, could no