Reviews of Movie Remakes: Is it Charlie's or Willy's Chocolate Factory?

By Annabella Iacono

There is no denying that Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an all-time favourite children’s book. I remember reading this book at least five times in school; I would imagine the excited look on Charlie Bucket’s face when he found a golden ticket, the silky dark ribbons of chocolate rippling down the waterfall and the Oompa Loompa’s singing cautious warnings to the winners with funny and catchy lyrics.

Every time the TV would be airing Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I would also make sure to stay home that night and enjoy all the tantalising sweets shown, over and over again.

When Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I was just as excited in experiencing the same excitement with a touch of the director’s usual weirdness.

To start things off, Mel Stuart’s adaption of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) was very different to Tim Burton’s approach. Stuart’s direction was aimed for children and I felt it was more family friendly. The music was very animated and lively which I found to be very suitable for his film. However with Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), it wasn’t “cartoony” enough – I just don’t think the kids would like it! But on a positive note, in Burton’s film, it was very modern and not old-fashioned.

In WWatCF, there wasn’t much character development which I felt was important to understand why the naughty little children and Wonka act as they do. It was a good move on Burton’s part to include in CatCF more character development; for example, Violet Beauregarde’s competitive personality stems from her mother’s insistence on being the winner.

Both films proved to have provided good actors (even for kids, which I hear is very difficult!); especially Stuart’s choice in picking Gene Wilder as the title role. I felt that the dialogue was very well delivered in the 1971 film, and fell a bit flat in the newer adaption. This could be because both directors were using the same source material and certain things such as dialogue and scenes would remain the same. I should quickly add – I particularly enjoyed the graphics and CGI of the CatCF and I found it very visually stimulating.

I thoroughly enjoyed the two different approaches that Stuart and Burton undertook in portraying the Oompa Loompa’s. I liked how in the 1971 film, they were all different shapes and sizes and how they provided comedic look about them. In the 2005 movie, the Oompa Loompa’s were portrayed by one actor with tricky CGI or whatnot, but I still enjoyed the amusement that came along with it.

It’s not surprising that I favour Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; ever since I can remember I sat in front and centre of the television waiting for this the film to air and trying to sing along to the songs. I adore how this movie was very family friendly and how I could relate and empathise with Charlie Bucket and his grandfather, Joe. However in saying that, I did enjoy all of Tim Burton’s trademark quirkiness and how Johnny Depp portrayed the eccentric chocolatier.

Overall I give the Mel Stuart’s 1971 adaptation:

5/5

Tim Burton’s 2005 adaptation: