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?

---

Plot Keywords:

factory | chocolate | ticket | candy | golden ticket | 

---

Taglines:

It's everybody's non-pollutionary, anti-institutionary, pro-confectionery factory of fun!

---

Genres:

Family | Fantasy | Musical

---

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

Even though the film didn't do well at the box-office, surprisingly, when it was released to home video, it gained more attention. This was one of the more popular movies for rentals by the time the rental fad took off in the 80s.

---

Goofs

In the golden egg room when you see the egg fall from the top part onto the chute the golden goose is not visible, instead you can clearly see through the hole where the set ends. (Not in the wide screen version.)

---

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.

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Alternate Versions

In some TV versions, Veruca Salt's mother is edited out of the sequence in which Veruca "finds" her golden ticket. In the version shown on the Fox Family Channel network, the entire boat scene is deleted, as well as the auction scene, the wonka bar ransom scene, and the scene with the lickable wallpaper.

---

Connections

Referenced in RiffTrax Live: House on Haunted Hill (2010)

---

Soundtracks

Cheer Up, Charlie
(uncredited)
Lyrics and Music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Performed by Diana Lee

User Reviews

A classic

"If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it." Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is one of the best children films of all-time. The characters, you all have to adore, even if their annoying or not. The film is about a boy who finds a golden ticket in a Willy Wonka chocolate bar and heads off to see the Willy Wonka factory with his grandpa and other people. Gene Wilder was great as Willy Wonka and his performance was quite funny and actually kind of weird. The kids were all great especially Augustus Gloop, he was hilarious. Overall, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is a classic and should be viewed by everyone.

Hedeen's Oulook: 9/10 ***+ A-