Roald Dahl

Wonka tells the colorful tale of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today. In the film a young and poor Willy dreams of opening a shop in a city renowned for its chocolate, but soon discovers that the industry is run by a cartel of greedy chocolatiers. The film features an all-star cast including Timothee Chalamet, Olivia Coleman, Hugh Grant, and Keegan-Michael Key.

The moment I knew Warner Bros.’ Wonka was in good hands was during the rousing opening number. As Timothée Chalamet sings of all the chocolate and opportunity he will create when he settles in this new city, there is a moment where the music slows down. Donned in Wonka’s iconic top hat, he starts walking down the stairs before taking two quick steps back up. It’s an early nod to the beloved and brilliant Gene Wilder performance of the original. Wonka is full of these small little references meant to reassure you as you venture further into this new story.

If you’ve read Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, perhaps you’ve wondered where Willy Wonka came from. Obviously, filmmaker Paul King (Paddington) did because he’s devised inscrutable Willy’s origin story – tracing how he became a famous chocolatier.

If you can’t wait until Christmas to open your gifts, Wonka is a big box of sweet dreams. It’s the origin story of the creative confectioner who was concocted from the mind of iconic children’s author, Roald Dahl and now brought back to life by writer/director Paul King (Paddington). The ever-charming Timothee Chalamet dons the magical top hat to tell the tale of how a poor young man with a love of chocolate and a dream became the beloved candyman, Willy Wonka. He sings. He dances. And he does it well. He’s the Mary Poppins of cocoa beans.