Long before the days of everlasting gobstoppers, an expansive chocolate lake, and the boy who suddenly got everything he’d ever wanted, there were hoverchocs, a rather dreary looking room in the employee wing of a laundry parlor, and an inquisitive orphan named Noodle. And before Willy Wonka was Gene Wilder, he was Timothée Chalamet. Actually? Strike that, reverse it.
In order for Violet to turn violet inside of Willy Wonka’s infamous Chocolate factory, there had to be a factory to begin with. Paul King’s latest installment to Road Dahl’s beloved trilogy gives us a firsthand view of the road to this creation, and as to be expected (or maybe not at all), it did not come without hardship.
Without curiosity for a character’s past, a prequel doesn’t have a great deal of ground to stand on. Luckily, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory does a brilliant job at evoking curiosity (and a great deal of confusion) as to how these characters all ended up in the same place at the same time. Mel Stuart’s beloved 1971 film allows us to imagine the endless, quirky possibilities as to who Willy Wonka truly is and where he came from prior to the equally-as-quirky events that unfolded within the walls of the factory. The beloved film presents quite a mysterious character at the forefront, and it does make sense for the next installment to feature the rather ridiculous life of a young Willy Wonka.
The scene is set in a fictional European town in a (somewhat frustratingly) unknown year, with a vivaciously excited Willy Wonka, played by the always-exquisite Timothée Chalamet, singing a ballad of sorts about the past seven years of his life, which have been spent aboard a ship. In his own words, he’s pinned seven years of hope on the city he is about to arrive in, but he’s in for a bit of a rude awakening when the aforementioned metropolis is not exactly what he’d hoped for. After spending nearly all of the twelve silver sovereigns that he so confidently sang to us about having in the earlier, more naive verses of the song, it appears that his luck has run out when the final one slips through the highly noticeable hole in his pocket into the grated storm drain he’s standing directly over. Did not see that one coming. After accepting what sounded like an initially very kind offer to spend the night at Mrs. Scrubitt’s laundry parlor, Willy is slapped with a substantial debt due to his inability to “read the small print,” as Noodle, an orphan facing a similar debt, quietly encouraged. Willy’s inability to read lands him twenty seven years working in Scrubitt’s basement, throwing quite the wrench-shaped bar of chocolate into his plans.
Chalamet harbors the interesting ability to convince viewers that he was born to play every single role he’s ever had, and bizarrely enough, a young Willy Wonka is far from an exception. He’s a visionary as Wonka, delivering the perfect amount of absurdity, wholesomeness, and, since it’s Willy Wonka we’re dealing with, a perfectly calculated edge of madness.
But, if you’re searching for the somewhat dark and twisted elements that you’ll be met with in Stuart, and later Tim Burton’s, renditions of Dahl’s book, you won’t find it in Wonka. Spoiler alert- despite a close call or two, nobody drowns in chocolate in this one. The film carries a new cadence, a delightfully wacky ball of absurdity. In it, we see Willy and Noodle steal a giraffe (named Abigail) from the local zoo, a multi layered chocolate that mimics a big night out so perfectly that it has the security guard at the aforementioned zoo crying on the phone to the subject of his middle school admiration, a corrupt priest and his hundreds of chocoholic monks played by none other than Rowan Atkinson, and a “chocolate cartel” made up of Mr. Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Mr. Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Mr. Fickelgruber (Mathew Baynton), who are arguably one of the funniest aspects of the film.
The film’s subplots are where most of its charm lies. The decision to set the film entirely in the time prior to Wonka obtaining the factory rather than having at least some of it pertain to its creation and early days was a unique one, as the factory has been the main focal point of the trilogy. That being said, it does make for some highly entertaining tidbits involving Willy and Noodle going on wacky adventures and meeting some colorful characters. The layout of the story could not be more perfect, it is the ideal mix of concrete plot points that contribute to the storyline and absurd whimsicality that provides the charm one would hope to find in a Willy Wonka film.
Through Chalamet’s portrayal, we see a softer version of Wonka than what we’re used to. It’s unlikely that this particular version of the character would have stood around and simply observed the less than favorable situations that the factory guests had found themselves in in the first film. His banter with Lane’s noodle and the miniature details that his character is strapped with (i.e.- a small bottle of hand sanitizer inside of his magical chocolate making box, a factory prequel in and of itself, so that hennever has to make chocolate with dirty hands) create for a delightfully wholesome protagonist that you can’t help but root for.
Newcomer Calah Lane surely won’t be a newcomer for very long. With an absolute powerhouse of a voice, an unmistakable charm, and the same ability as Chalamet to completely transform into a character, she has a bright future ahead of her. At her very core, Noodle is the heart of this film. The emotional story of an orphan in search of her family is something that has been done many times before, but it feels refreshing from her perspective. Her curious attitude and friendship with Willy adds to the loving atmosphere of the film.
When Willy exasperatedly confides in Noodle that a “little orange man” has been stealing all of his chocolate at night, she doesn’t believe him. What may be most surprising to the viewer about this exchange is not the existence of the little orange man or Noodle’s disbelief. Rather, there’s only one little orange man?
Where the two previous films had no shortage of Oompa-Loompas, this film only had 1. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in, well, Hugh Grant. Grant carries the weight of an infinite amount of the aforementioned creatures. Simply put, he’s hilarious, and his performance is absolutely delightful.
The film’s music can be met with the same word: delightful. Lane carries every song that she is a part of with an unmistakably remarkable voice, and Chalamet, a high school theater veteran, has a warm and inviting voice that is perfect for this role.
For many, Wonka was a delightful surprise. The perfect mix of absurdity and affection, and truly the perfect addition to the holiday season. Hear more about it here!