Willy Wonka

This page is about the character. For the on-screen adaptation, see Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Willy Wonka is a fictional character in Roald Dahl's children's books Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator.

A musical film adaptation of Dahl's classic, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, was released in 1971; it was originally a box office flop, but today is known as a cult classic. Another comedy version of the tale, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, was released in 2005, and was an immediate box office success, winning praise from fans of both the original book and film. Though others criticized it for not keeping in the spirit of the original book, it must be noted that the tone of Burton's adaptation does closely resemble that of many other works by Roald Dahl.

Willy Wonka as a character

Template:Spoilers Neither the original novel nor Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory had a backstory for Willy Wonka (other than Grandpa Joe's explanation to Charlie). Tim Burton's 2005 version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory added a history of the character: Willy Wonka is the son of dentist Dr. Wilbur Wonka, D.D.S. (played by Christopher Lee). Wonka had a traumatic childhood: his father forbade him to eat candy and forced his son to wear large and unsightly orthedontic headgear (despite this, he appears in the film to not be as much as an outcast as one would expect). Eventually, he tastes chocolate and starts getting ideas for improving it. When he becomes an adult, Wonka opens a candy shop (Grandpa Joe was one of Wonka's first employees; Mr. Teavee was hinted to be one as well). A number of movie critics, including one from the New York Times, criticized this Freudian backstory for being both unnecessary and out of the spirit of Dahl's original novel.

He proves an unparalleled genius in confectionery development, inventing seemingly impossible products that capture the world's imagination, like ice cream that never melts, and small candy eggs that hatch chocolate birds that move and chirp. From his factory, his products are shipped and sold worldwide. However, other chocolate makers become jealous and start sending spies to find out the recipes for Wonka's special products. Nearly ruined, Wonka closes the factory and fires all his workers. A few years later, the factory once again starts running, secretly staffed exclusively by Oompa Loompas, dwarves from Loompaland who desire only cacao beans above all else. His business resumes its dominance. In the original novel and in Tim Burton's film, Wonka went to Loompaland to find new exotic flavors for his candy.

Eventually Wonka, not having any heirs, feels the need to arrange for a successor for his business, if only to provide a home and work for the Oompa Loompas. However, he believes he needs one groomed from childhood to guarantee he or she would keep with his company's methods and spirit. To that end, he announces a lottery with five Golden Tickets randomly placed in his products promising a tour and a lifetime supply of his products to the winners for starters. Five children find the tickets, including Charlie Bucket, and they go on the tour of the bizarre factory. As Wonka had hoped, all the children but Charlie misbehave and find themselves in terrible predicaments that prompt their removal from the tour. With only Charlie remaining, the delighted Wonka reveals his true intentions and his offer, one that Charlie eagerly accepts along with his family who are all moved to live in the factory. In the original, as in the 1971 film, his family is invited immediately, whereas in Burton's film Wonka initially refuses to allow Charlie to bring his family. An eventual reconciliation between Wonka and his father cause Wonka to change his mind and allow Charlie's family to move in with him as well.

Wonka is portrayed very differently in both movies. In the 1971 film, Wonka is mysterious and ambiguous; one cannot really tell what he will do next. When he is first seen, he exits the factory with a limp, leaning on his cane. Once he reaches the gates, Wonka performs a somersault and becomes energetic. He shows a very childlike enthusiam when showing off his inventions, and, like his counterpart interpretations, is very protective of them. Wonka also seems weary of the immoral character qualities exhibited by the four naughty children, and is thus unsympathetic in their downfalls. Wonka seems somewhat apathetic and even cruel in this respect. When Augustus is seemingly trapped in the suction tube Wonka says "The suspense is terrible, I hope it will last." (A line from the Oscar Wilde play The Importance of Being Earnest, emphasizing Wonka's resemblance to Wilde.) He also unleashes a harsh verbal tirade on Charlie Bucket: "You get nothing! You lose! Good day sir!", but in the end he cannot deny his apparent love of Charlie to whom he unselfishly gives the factory (and an affectionate hug).

Another notable quality of this incarnation of Wonka is that he is very intelligent in the classical sense, which is demonstrated throughout the movie when he does such things as speak in many different languages, and constantly references classical literature, and other such culture.

In the 2005 film, Wonka is more reclusive and socially ackward. He speaks in a low tone of voice, implying a lack of self-confidence in social situations. Rather than expressing constant joy, he seems to be mildly annoyed by the presence of the children in his factory. He also appears to be more manipulative; it's implied that the fates that befall the four bad children were not accidents, but rigged by Wonka from the start. Wonka takes an immediate dislike to the four bad children, referring to them by "little boy" or "little girl" rather than their names. By contrast, Wonka is soon impressed with Charlie's innocent spirit and his acceptance of the candymaker's eccentricities.

Also, in the book, he is a small man who is much older than he looks; Quentin Blake, who has illustrated many of Dahl's books, has drawn him with gray hair (see [1]). In both movies, he is taller and looks younger than described, especially in Burton's. The reason that he is much older than he looks is because of Wonka-Vite, a pill he invented that would decrease a person's age by 20 years.

A cartoon version of Willy Wonka, influenced by aspects of Wilder's portrayal and Blake's illustrations (voiced by Maurice LaMarche in commercials) was used on products for Nestle's Willy Wonka Candy Company brand.

External links

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film website
• The Willy Wonka Candy Company