Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Children are not stupid. Nothing seems to escape a small child’s notice. I make this observation because most children’s movies are not very good; they are witless and filled with contempt for their audiences. However, Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of the best films of its time. It has all the qualities a good film should have: it’s exciting, mentally stimulating and appeals to the kid inside of us all. The film, directed by Mel Stuart in 1971, is a children's musical comedy adapted by David Seltzer from Roald Dahl's book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This movie was financed by the Quaker Oats Company with a goal of providing high-quality family entertainment. This movie stars Gene Wilder as Willie Wonka, the eccentric owner of the chocolate factory; Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket; Diana Sowle as Charlie’s hardworking mother and Jack Albertson as Charlie’s bedridden Grandpa Joe. The film, rated G by the MPAA, tells the story of how poor Charlie Bucket and four other rich, spoilt kids win a tour of Willie Wonka’s otherwise secret chocolate factory. Because of Charlie’s honesty during the tour, at the end of the film, Willie Wonka gives Charlie his factory and a lifetime supply of chocolate. The main message of the film is that greed leads to failure and honesty pays off. Based on its creative presentation, excellent performance by its cast, and originality Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a great film for all ages.

Charlie Bucket is a poor boy whose mother is barely able to make enough money to feed Charlie and his bedridden grandparents. One day Willie Wonka, a famous candy maker, starts a contest in which the five lucky winners would win a lifetime supply of candy and a tour of his secret factory. T...

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...pa Loompas sing a song after each incident the children encounter. For instance, after Agustus Gloop, the overweight, compulsive eater, falls into the chocolate river, the Oompa Loompas sing a song about Agustus Gloop’s overweight stature and greed. All of these scenes make the characters mishaps amusing and magical.

Overall the film is effective in using creative presentation and excellent cast but most of all it is original. As I said before, though this film was created for children it is applicable to all ages because of its mind stimulating qualities. Some people consider the film racist because the Oompa Loompa, the small, orange people who help Willy Wonka run his factory, are portrayed as exotic but simple, miserable and unable to survive without Western intervention. This seems to represent the sad truth of some eastern nations. Time to get a chocolate bar!