Cast: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, David Kelly, Missi Pyle, Christopher Lee, Jordan Fry, Annasophia Robb, Julia Winter, Philip Wiegratz, Noah Taylor, Deep Roy
Director: Tim Burton
Screenplay: John August (novel by Roald Dahl)
Genre: Comedy/Family
Rated: PG mild threatening scenes
Running Time: 115 Minutes
Willy Wonka Is Semi-Sweet And Nuts
Synopsis:
Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) and Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory.
Come and enjoy a tour of the most magnificent chocolate factory in the world with 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'.
Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style tot he beloved Roald Dahl classic 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' about eccentric cander-maker Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket, a good-hearted boy from a poor family. Long isolated from his own family, Wonka launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie, draw Golden Tickets from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of hte legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years.
Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka's fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story.
Special Features:
Making of Featurettes:
Chocolate Dreams: learn about Tim Burton's vision for the film and how he adapted the story
Different Faces, Different Flavors: meet the actors and learn about the characters they play
Designer Chocolate: learn about the film's production designUnder the Wrapper: go behind the scenes to see how the film's special effects were created
Sweet Sounds: watch the creation of the 4 Oompa-Loompa songs by composer Danny Elfman
Attack of the squirrels: see how real squirrels were trained to perform in the film
Fantastic Mr Dahl: learn about author Roald Dahl's life story and extraordinary body of work
Becoming Oompa-Loompa: see how one actor, Deep Roy, was turned into a multi talented army of Oompas
DVD menu challenges: Oompa-Loompa Dance, The Inventing Machine, The Bad Nut, Search for the Golden Ticket
Dvd-Rom Game Demo
Review:
Tim Burton adds a unique spin on Roald Dahl's classic tale of the eccentric Willy Wonka, chocolate maker. There is an assumption that you have seen the orginial film starring Gene Wilder, and are familiar with the underlying messages and lessons. This is not a remake of the original, but a completely different take on Willy Wonka and Charlie. Many roles are reversed to avoid confusion it seems, but the basics are all there. Darker than the original and not really suitable for young children. Parents will appreciate the expressive Johnny Depp who uses his face to tell the story other than obvious words. Disappointing that they used a single actor to portray the Oompa-Loompa race, although the effects are impressive, a variety of faces would have been more effective.