Sometimes, when the world of dark and gritty movies becomes too much, it’s nice to just sit back and enjoy something simpler—something like a children’s film. Written by Paul King and Simon Farnaby, “Wonka” is the latest in Hollywood rehashes of beloved classics—in this case, an origin story for Roald Dahl’s beloved chocolate maker Willy Wonka.
“Wonka” is jam-packed with semi-famous British stars which may be unfamiliar to American audiences. There are, however, plenty of generally recognizable actors, such as Timothée Chalamet as the titular character, Hugh Grant, and Keegan Michael Key. The cast clearly has a fun time on set, and whilst no performance is Oscar-worthy, they don’t need to be.
As a prequel, “Wonka” fails; it doesn’t establish Willy Wonka as a character, nor does it explain or set up any of the events of Gene Wilder’s “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.” That is, beyond a fairly magical construction of the chocolate factory in the last three minutes of the film. It’s difficult to believe that Chalamet’s Wonka will become the child-murdering chocolatier of 1971 fame, both within the story and through characterization. Chalamet is missing all the strange and off-putting charm of Wilder, but he’s not awful, he just creates a completely different character.
As a stand-alone movie, however, “Wonka” thrives. It has a sweet (albeit simple) story and is full of jokes that aren’t particularly clever, but get the job done. It still doesn’t surpass the delight of King and Farnaby’s last films—the “Paddington” series—but that’s to be expected. Regardless, “Wonka” is filled with heartfelt moments, and is a joy to watch, if only on a surface level.
Although the addition of musical numbers in the movie proved a controversial choice, it mostly paid off. Many of the songs—written by Neil Hannon—are catchy and fit the cute and kitschy feel of the movie. Occasionally, Chalamet’s voice sounds too modern or auto-tuned, but the songs he doesn’t sing are actually quite good. The final rendition of “Pure Imagination,” though, is very touching.
Paul King has definitely cemented himself as royalty in the children’s film industry, and his movies never fail to bring a smile to the faces of children and adults alike.
