Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Directed by: Tim Burton | 115 minutes | comedy, adventure, family, fantasy | Actors: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Deep Roy, Philip Weigratz, Julia Winter, Jordan Fry, AnnaSophia Robb, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle, James Fox, Franziska Troegner, Christopher Lee, Adam Godley

In 1964 Roald Dahl published the fantasy stimulating book ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. A musical adaptation followed in 1971, which focused more on the eccentric Willy Wonka than on Charlie (aka Charlie). But Tim Burton stayed as true to the original as possible with this film. And that works great.

The factory, where the story mainly takes place, is a mixture of the wildest dreams and the most beautiful sets; to lick your lips. The children’s paradise looks more than edible and the viewer will envy the actors who frolic around so cheerfully, stunned and a little anxious, enjoying everything that goes on around them.

When Charlie finds the gold wrapper, it is an instant invitation to all viewers, who follow his path to the mysterious environment where Willy Wonka has been hiding for so long. The great adventure begins with a musical note from a puppet theater that Wonka announces. This unfortunately ends up being a bit harsh for the dolls. Wonka, however, a superb role by Johnny Depp, thinks it’s brilliant and pays little attention to his shocked audience. This is followed by the grand tour through his factory, the viewer falls from one hilarious situation to another, with some unfortunate events in between. The other four prize winners, unlike Charlie, are greedy and selfish. As a result, one after the other something unfortunate happens, forcing them to stop their tour early. Willy Wonka seems to have already prepared for it, seems to be enjoying it and just continues with his show. The Oompa Loompas, all played by just one person: Deep Roy, have a song for everyone. Each song also has its own melody, appropriate to the character, and that makes it a pleasure to watch and listen to. The Oompa Loompas are not computer-animated, each character has Roy played separately and is filmed, making the whole look like real.

In between acts, Wonka has flashbacks to his childhood. This storyline has been inserted by the makers, so that his character gets more depth and the viewer gains insight into his past. A right choice, it certainly adds something to the story and it shows how the wonderful world of Willy Wonka came into being. Christopher Lee as the overprotective Dr. Wonka has a supporting role, but splashes off the canvas.

Then the real stars, starting with Johnny Depp. His portrayal of Willy Wonka resembles Michael Jackson, and that’s not just because of his high-pitched voice. His appearance is extravagant and eccentric and fits exactly into the picture that Roald Dahl created of him. Depp is very successful as the tousled, sarcastic, lonely yet somehow friendly Wonka. Depp has nominated Freddie Highmore (both seen in ‘Finding Neverland’) as Charlie. A good choice from Burton to cast him, they are a fantastic team. Highmore portrays Charlie as Dahl probably intended him to be. The other cast members are also perfectly in place and make the film a true fairy tale.

Roald Dahl’s wife has also watched the set a few times and she was impressed. No wonder, almost the entire set was recreated in 3D, so that everything could be walked through. Also, some candy trees and mushrooms are actually edible! The chocolate waterfall, unfortunately, wasn’t real, but it doesn’t look any less appetizing.

At 115 minutes, ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ is fairly long for a (children’s) film, but when it’s finished the hunger for more remains. More of all the wondrous things Willy Wonka has created and more of the fantastic pictures one only finds in dreams. This film adaptation of the book does justice to Roald Dahl and his special world, unfortunately Dahl no longer lives to enter it himself.

One final warning, it is possible that after watching this film one will develop an irresistible craving for chocolate…