Summary
The 2023 movie Wonka is a prequel to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, missing key original charm elements.
Gene Wilder’s legendary performance as Willy Wonka set the standard for all adaptations, missing in newer versions.
Practical sets in the original film added wonder, CGI in Wonka and Charlie remake took away the magic.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is the classic first film in the beloved franchise, and the “Pure Imagination” scene is a reminder of one major drawback with the 2023 movie. The 2023 musical film Wonka is meant to be a prequel to the classic movie, exploring the origins of Willy Wonka’s chocolate empire. While Wonka was a hit upon its release, it wasn’t nearly as good as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, with the 1971 movie’s original charm being thanks to one element that was absent from the prequel.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is defined by Gene Wilder’s legendary performance as the titular chocolate maker, with every other iteration of Willy Wonka attempting to live up to his standard. Although Gene Wilder has appeared in all kinds of beloved classics, the role of Willy Wonka is often most associated with him. Although Gene Wilder’s performance is the soul of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, it is far from the only thing that made it great, with the remake and prequel missing some key elements.
Willy Wonka’s “Pure Imagination” Scene Was Actually The First Time The Child Actors Saw The Factory
They Captured Real Awe
The documentary Remembering Gene Wilder has been released on Netflix, with the popular film looking back on the titular actor’s life and career through archival footage and interviews discussing Wilder. Although many fans of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory already know this fact, the documentary features an interview in which Charlie actor Peter Ostrum talks about how the “Pure Imagination” scene was the first time that he and the other kids saw the chocolate river room.
Because of the kids only seeing the room when the cameras were rolling, their reaction to the beauty of the chocolate factory was genuine. This added an extra layer of wonder to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, capturing their initial awe rather than a performance in which they had to pretend to be mesmerized by the candy decorations.
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Wonka’s CGI Chocolate Store Takes Away From The Real Magic Of The Elaborate Sets
This Is A Problem With Tim Burton’s Version Too
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’s chocolate river room was an incredibly elaborate set, something that is missing from Wonka. Wonka heavily uses CGI, and while some of the elements of the locations were real, many weren’t. This caused the wonder of these sets to be missing from the prequel, as the actors (and by proxy, the audience) aren’t as amazed as they were with the original’s practical sets.
The same can also be said for Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake, which also used CGI and other filmmaking tricks. Again, many aspects of the film were real, but the heavy use of CGI takes away the beautiful, handcrafted feel of the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Based on Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory stars Gene Wilder as the titular eccentric candymaker who invites five children into his mysterious factory to show them how he creates his popular candies. The film mostly follows Charlie Bucket, a young boy from a poor family who miraculously wins one of the five Golden Tickets that allows him access to Wonka’s factory tour.
Director Mel Stuart
Release Date June 30, 1971
Studio(s) Paramount Pictures
Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
Cast Jack Albertson , gene wilder , Peter Ostrum , Denise Nickerson , Julie Dawn Cole
Runtime 100 minutes
Budget $3 million
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