A Discussion of Dahl and My Review of Wonka

​The day after Christmas I went to see Warner Brother’s Wonka. I am a huge Roald Dahl fan and have been ever since I was a kid. I had always been enchanted by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and had been anticipating this film starring Timothee Chalamet for months.

Roald Dahl's books always remind me of childhood. Specifically winter in childhood. When I was eight or nine years old I saw a stunning collection of Roald Dahl books for sale at Costco. I wanted them. Really badly. And guess what, I got them!

​Over winter break and the early months of the new year I read those books again and again. The classics we all know like Matilda, James and The Giant Peach, The BFG, and of course Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But I read lesser-known ones too - Danny, Champion of the World; Charlie and The Great Glass Elevator, The Giraffe, The Pelly, and Me; Boy, and so on and so forth.

This being said, I am, of course, a fan of Dahl movie adaptations. I am a big fan of book-to-movie adaptations in general. I think movies are a great avenue for sharing loved stories with non-readers and encouraging them to go read these great books that have inspired great movies.

The past two years have been great years for the Roald Dahl Story Co. They released Matilda The Musical on Netflix, this movie also had a short stint in both U.S. and U.K. theaters with much sucess.

According to Wikipedia, in the U.K. it topped the box office, beating out Marvel’s Wakanda Forever. From Christmas Day 2022 to June 2023, Netflix stated that the movie totaled over 81 million hours of watch time.  It’s an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical (which I had a chance to see off-Broadway a long time ago). The songs are incredible and the storytelling is wonderful. The cast - Alicia Weir as Matilda, Emma Stone as Miss Trunchbull, and Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, fit the story perfectly. The way Matilda was formulated shows a switch in Dahl-inspired movies, including earlier versions of Matilda. Instead of leaning into the weird and wacky parts of the tale, Matilda The Musical Leaned into the heart wrenching and heartwarming. ​

This new direction, with big musical numbers, and leaving the weirdness behind in favor of a heart wrenching and heartwarming story, is exactly the direction Wonka takes. ​

Many people have a favorite Charlie and The Chocolate Factory movie, whether it's the classic Gene Wilder one, or the more recent Tim Burton and Johnny Depp one. But for me, neither of these movies is exactly what I find when I open my beloved Dahl book. Surprisingly, Wonka fit the bill much better.
    
Going into Wonka, I was fully aware of the fact that it was a prequel, and an origin story. I didn’t expect it to be a better story or a better overall movie than either of its predecessors. I know this will be controversial, but Timothee Chalamet’s Willy Wonka is everything I could have asked for in a Willy Wonka. He’s not creepy, soft-spoken, forgetful, or peculiar like the past Wonka’s have been. He’s fun, he’s a bit off his rocker, but he is determined and cares about the people around him.     

Though this movie is a prequel, it sticks pretty true to the book. There aren’t any plot points that mess with the story we know and love. There is also some great foreshadowing that hints to us about the future of Wonka Chocolate (hello golden ticket.)

The best way to describe this movie would be to say it's like a combination of the original Gene Wilder movie, combined with The Greatest Showman with hints of Dr. Doolittle and Mary Poppins.
    
I was surprised to find that Wonka is the perfect family-friendly film. It had no progressive agendas and no mature content. It was purely wholesome, whimsical, and fun. I am very excited about this because lately, it has been hard to find good current movies. 
    
As for the story itself, it's about a young Willy Wonka (around the age of 20), who is heading out into the city to start his chocolate shop. But… things don’t go exactly as planned. He makes friends and together they work to fight the chocolatiers who want Wonka out of town. 
    
I think the thing that makes this movie so heartwarming is the emphasis on both friendship and self-sacrifice. I won’t spoil the movie for you, but be on the lookout for these prevalent themes.
  
 Of course, you can’t talk about a musical without addressing the music. Going into this film I had no idea that it was a musical. Other than hearing snatches of “Pure Imagination” in the trailers, I knew nothing about the music. 
    
​Turns out, it’s a full-on musical, and Timothee Chalamet is a surprisingly good singer. The songs are fun and full of emotion. From the opening song “Hatful of Dreams,” which has a Newsies feel, I could tell the music was going to be good. From Calah Lane and Timothee Chalamet’s sweet and silly duet “For a Moment”, the full-on musical style pomp of “A World of Your Own,” to the absolutely sob-worthy rendition of “Pure Imagination”, this movie has an incredible musical line up.

This is not to forget all of the other songs that make this movie so magical, including a new rendition of the earworm “Oompa Loompa.”

I have this soundtrack on repeat, and I know it will be a new go-to of mine. 
  
Everything from the costumes to the sets of this movie added to the whimsical feeling. It’s about the magic food brings to a city of poor people, it’s about the spark you feel at the first flickering of friendship turning to love. It’s about the way dreams can be accomplished when people work together for the greater good.

I have only one complaint about this movie, and I think to some people it won’t be an issue. But, there is an almost romance between Willy and another main character (Noodle) that I really wish could have been fleshed out a little more, or at least clarified (are they a thing or are they just friends?) She’s a bit younger than him, but the spark is there and I think it would have been so perfect. But then again, it’s not really necessary and them just being friends works for me.

I have never entered a theater thinking a movie would be a new favorite and left fully agreeing with myself. I remember sitting in the theater as the movie played, thinking that I didn’t want this to end. This magical story, this little bit of joy I got to experience on one of the saddest days of the year, December 26. Turns out, lots of other people had this same experience, it was the top selling movie on the 26th, and as of right now Wonka is the top movie in the box office.

I fully believe that stories have power, often when I talk about this I am talking about a book or a personal story. But movies have power too. They give us a little bit of an adventure, a momentary escape. Movies, like books, can teach us truths about life and the world, movies can stick with us and shape us into who we are. I think Wonka is a movie that does that.

What do you think? Have you seen Wonka yet? Do you have a favorite Roald Dahl inspired movie?

Belle Thomas

​Belle is the writer behind An Old Fashioned Girl. She is passionate about Jesus, good books, and living a beautiful life.