Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)
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The story
Charlie Bucket, a 12-year-old paperboy from a poor family, lives in a town where Willy Wonka's chocolate factory remains closed to the public. When it is announced that Wonka has hidden five Golden Tickets in Wonka Bars, the finders will receive a private tour and a lifetime supply of chocolate. After several others find their tickets, Charlie finds the final one. He is joined by his grandfather, Joe, to enter the factory. Inside, they encounter the Oompa-Loompas and witness the eccentricities of the production, while other children face consequences for disobeying Wonka's instructions.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Charlie Bucket, a poor boy, finds the final Golden Ticket and joins four other children and their guardians on a tour of Willy Wonka's mysterious chocolate factory. As they explore the factory, the other children—Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teevee—behave poorly and are expelled after various mishaps, including being sucked into a pipe, turning into a giant blueberry, and being shrunk. Charlie and his grandfather, Joe, remain until the end. After a test of character involving a 'scam' by a man named Slugworth, Wonka reveals that Charlie is the only one who behaved correctly. Wonka then reveals that he is looking for an heir to his empire and invites Charlie and his family to move into the factory to live there.
- First release year
- 1971
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mel Stuart
- Writers
- Roald Dahl · screenplay; David Seltzer · uncredited
- Cast and characters
- Gene Wilder · Willy Wonka; Peter Ostrum · Charlie Bucket; Jack Albertson · Grandpa Joe; Roy Kinnear · Henry Salt; Denise Nickerson · Violet Beauregarde; Paris Themmen · Mike Teevee; Julie Dawn Cole · unknown
- Genres
- Musical; Fantasy
- Themes
- Greed; Obedience; Integrity
- Tone and mood
- Whimsical; Surreal
- Premise and plot tags
- Coming-of-age; Fantasy; Musical
- Source material / true-story basis
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics but was not a major financial success initially. It has since gained cult status and was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 84% · review count: 124
- Awards and nominations
- Best Original Score · Academy Awards · 44th · nomination; Best Performance in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical · Golden Globe Awards · 29th · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2014.; The song 'The Candy Man' became a popular hit.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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