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

According to the novel, Grandpa Joe is said to be ninety-six-and-a-half years old. Jack Albertson was sixty-three at the time of filming.

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Goofs

When Veruca knocks over the boxes some spill open, but they are empty. (not in the widescreen version.)

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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

Missing sequences with German subtitles were shown in the German dubbing on its first full version broadcast on ARTE on August 22, 2006. This version has been released in Germany on DVD including the English version.

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Connections

Referenced in Best Ever Family Films (2005)

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Soundtracks

The Candy Man
(uncredited)
Lyrics and Music by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley
Performed by Aubrey Woods

User Reviews

Pure Goodness!

Anyone could love this film and I don't see how you couldn't fall in love with Willy Wonka. This is without a doubt one of the most charming movies of all time that is still to this day one of the most enjoyed movies for a family night. Despite it's dark little messages, it still made light of everything and made this movie "satisfying and delicious".

You'll see a world of pure imagination and will absolutely fall for Willy Wonka. Gene Wilder is a comedic genius who will forever be the timeless Willy Wonka. He played it so well and made it look so easy. All the kids were amazing as well, I mean the boy who played Charlie was so adorable and you felt so awful for him. You just wished for his deepest wishes to come true. The sets are also just fantastic and so yummy to look at. On of my favorite scenes was with the "inventing room", all the amazing gizzmo's. I also loved how we took a peek into Wonka's madness when he throws a shoe into a boiling water pot and says "It gives it a little kick". One of my favorite lines of all time is "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker".

The film is not only great to look at but it has terrific and catchy songs that will be stuck in your head and find yourself humming down the street. This is going to be a timeless classic that I can't wait to show my future children.

10/10