Is Wonka connected to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory?
Warner Bros./Paramount PicturesOompa loompa, doompety doo, we’ve got a perfect puzzle for you – is Wonka connected to the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory?
For many fans of the original Roald Dahl story, no one else can be Willy Wonka other than Gene Wilder. However, Timothée Chalamet’s portrayal sets out to prove that there’s more to the chocolatier than meets the eye.
In our four-star review of the movie, we said: “For kids who have routinely been traumatized by their parents making them watch Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory growing up (or by Johnny Depp’s rendition of the role altogether), Wonka is the ideal chance to repair, re-heal, and carry forward the magic.”
However, fans might still be left wondering if Wonka is in fact connected to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, so here’s everything you need to know. Warning: Minor spoilers ahead!
Is Wonka connected to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory?
Yes. Wonka is a prequel to the Willy Wonka story, bearing more similarities to the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory than the 2005 version Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
There are plenty of ways that Wonka is connected to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, with the clues often being wrapped up in details. Styling-wise, Timothée Chalamet’s Wonka bears the most resemblance to Gene Wilder’s, appearing somewhat disheveled yet debonair all at once.
The same can be said for the actual chocolate factory itself. Though we only see a quick glimpse of it, Chalamet’s Wonka imagines it as being almost an exact replica of the one seen in the original 1971 movie, starting with the iconic chocolate waterfall, lake, and different colored candy pipes. The 2005 version has a slightly more clinical feel to it, absorbed in the heights of CGI that the early 2000s was obsessed with.
Then, there is Hugh Grant’s Oompa Loompa. Described as a “small orange man with green hair” even before he makes an appearance, the defining Oompa Loompa features are exactly the same as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Oompas Loompas weren’t orange and wore red suits with black detailing.
Wonka carries on Gene Wilder’s legacy
Pure Imagination and the Oompa Loompa Song are both present and correct in Wonka, although each is a slightly different variation from the original. There are, however, small details that could link back to both movies, such as the ‘golden ticket’ seen in Wonka’s last chocolate bar from his mother (Sally Hawkins).
In spirit, hope, and dreams, Chalamet’s portrayal is undoubtedly a precursor to Gene Wilder’s. Alongside both being intrinsically musical, each has nailed down a similar sense of whimsy and devotion to their craft.
Speaking to Total Film, Wonka director Paul King said about Gene Wilder’s legacy: “There’s a moment right at the end of the Gene Wilder movie when Charlie returns the everlasting gobstopper and [Wonka’s] like, ‘You did it, Charlie!’ The love and pleasure in Gene Wilder’s face of, like, wanting this kid to be a good kid and wanting to believe that there is goodness in the world, I felt that I understood that in a primal way.
“He’s cynical in some ways and he knows that there are plenty of rotten nuts out there who need to go down the rubbish chute, but, equally, he believes in goodness, kindness, and hope. There was a kernel of that I really held on to. But this is somebody who’s clearly been damaged by cruelty. He’s a certain age, and he’s had the slings and arrows of life, and to dig into that was a real challenge.”
Wonka is in cinemas now. You can check out our other coverage below: