Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

A poor but hopeful boy seeks one of the five coveted golden tickets that will send him on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory.

Director:

Mel Stuart

Writers:

Roald Dahl (screenplay), Roald Dahl (book)

Stars:

Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Wilder	...	Willy Wonka
Jack Albertson	...	Grandpa Joe
Peter Ostrum	...	Charlie
Roy Kinnear	...	Mr. Salt
Julie Dawn Cole	...	Veruca Salt
Leonard Stone	...	Mr. Beauregarde
Denise Nickerson	...	Violet Beauregarde
Nora Denney	...	Mrs. Teevee (as Dodo Denney)
Paris Themmen	...	Mike Teevee
Ursula Reit	...	Mrs. Gloop
Michael Bollner	...	Augustus Gloop
Diana Sowle	...	Mrs. Bucket
Aubrey Woods	...	Bill
David Battley	...	Mr. Turkentine
Günter Meisner	...	Mr. Slugworth (as Gunter Meisner)

Storyline

The world is astounded when Willy Wonka, for years a recluse in his factory, announces that five lucky people will be given a tour of the factory, shown all the secrets of his amazing candy, and one will win a lifetime supply of Wonka chocolate. Nobody wants the prize more than young Charlie, but as his family is so poor that buying even one bar of chocolate is a treat, buying enough bars to find one of the five golden tickets is unlikely in the extreme. But in movieland, magic can happen. Charlie, along with four somewhat odious other children, get the chance of a lifetime and a tour of the factory. Along the way, mild disasters befall each of the odious children, but can Charlie beat the odds and grab the brass ring?

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Plot Keywords:

factory | chocolate | ticket | candy | golden ticket | 

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Taglines:

Your golden ticket to imagination and adventure!

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Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French German Italian

Release Date:

30 June 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

Filming Locations:

Emmy-Noether-Straße, Munich, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,126,226, 2 February 1971, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wolper Pictures Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 89 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally financed by the Quaker Oats Company, which hoped to tie it to a new candy bar it intended to bring on the market. When the film was released, the company began marketing its Wonka chocolate bars. Unfortunately, an error in the chocolate formula caused the bars to melt too easily, even while on the shelf, and so they were taken off the market. Quaker sold the brand to St. Louis-based Sunline Inc. (which later became part of Nestlé via Rowntree) not long after this. Sunline was able to make the brand a success, and Wonka-branded candy (most of which isn't chocolate-based) was available in the U.S. until the 2010s. Although the novel, on which the movie was based, was called "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", the movie was renamed to promote this candy tie-in.

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Goofs

When Charlie and his family are watching the television (at around 12 mins), you can see and hear the anchor talking about the chocolate bars. In the next scene when you see Charlie talking to his grandpa, you can only hear the anchor talking because in the background (Full-screen only) the television is off. Although, in the next shot the television is on again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bill: All right, all right, all right, what's it going to be? A Triple Cream Cup for Christopher. A Sizzler for June Marie. And listen!
[the children fall silent]
Bill: Wonka's got a new one today.
Children: What is it?
Bill: This is called a Scrumpdiddlyumptious Bar.

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Crazy Credits

At the same time as the end credits are playing, the film shows the Wonkavator rising higher and higher.

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Alternate Versions

In some versions of the movie, during the boat scene, the part where the chicken gets its head cut off in the background was cut out. Also in this version, in the same scene, when Slugworth's head appears, Charlie says something like "Grampa, that was Slugworth!" and Grampa Joe just stares back for a few seconds.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rage (2007)

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Soundtracks

Oompa-Loompa-Doompa-De-Do
(uncredited)
Lyrics and Music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Performed by the Oompa Loompas and additional uncredited vocalists

User Reviews

One of my all time favorites...

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory: ****

"Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" is a wonderful movie that should be viewed by everyone. It is one of my personal favorites.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is about a poor boy named Charlie (Peter Ostrum). His life is horrible. But one day, he hears the news that Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) is sending out five golden tickets and then letting the winners go into his factory. The first four winners are Augustus Gloop (Michael Bollner), Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole), Violet Beauregarde (Denise Nickerson), and Mike Teevee (Paris Themmen). Charlie then wins the fifth golden ticket by luck.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is visually stunning and cleverly written. The songs are remarkable. The whole movie is a fun journey through the chocolate factory. It is very enjoyable, fun, and clever. The scenery and props are eye candy.

The most underrated character in the movie is Mr. Turkentine. He is only in three scenes, but everytime he is on screen he is hilarious. I love the quote: "I've just decided to switch our Friday schedule to Monday, which means that the test we take each Friday on what we learned during the week will now take place on Monday before we've learned it. But since today is Tuesday, it doesn't matter in the slightest." He is very, very funny.

Julie Dawn Cole plays Veruca so well. She is so bratty and she is one of those characters that you hate so much you love them. Roy Kinnear (who will be missed) is hysterical as her father. The whole movie is funny in it's own odd and strange way. It is a classic that will be treasured for many years to come.