A World of Pure Imagination: Inside Wonka’s World Premiere

I was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of Wonka at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The film – actually, the whole experience – was like taking a step back into the world of childhood fantasies. Wonka-decorated Christmas trees lined the red carpet, a gigantic golden chocolate bar comprised the press backdrop, and a cloister of enlarged lollipops divided the zone in two. Then there was the after-party, a colossal event crammed with pick’n’mix, chocolate fountains and enough candy-coloured pink backdrops to mimic the very nostalgic rose-tinted glasses the film itself adopts.

For those lucky enough to remember, let me take you back to December 2021. Wonka was shooting in Oxford. The singular week of Chalamet’s presence has gone down in Oxfess history – ‘Timothée Chalamet Week’. It caused chaos within the student population, as well as alarm from one user who was mortified at the thought of him using the “grim” toilets of the Radcliffe Camera. Chalamet became Oxford’s “cryptid” for a fever dream of a week. 

While reported sightings of Chalamet in Pret seemed dubious, one Oxfess from the period certainly did not come true – #oxfess11999: “The worst part about the filming disruption is knowing that it’ll inevitably spit out a sub-par film at best”. 

Dahl wrote in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory that “however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance was there”, and this line seems to strike a chord in Wonka. Moving away from Burton’s successful yet sinister adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, King’s prequel hews closer to the 1971 version starring Gene Wilder, enhancing the sense of nostalgia for those in the audience familiar with its cinematic predecessor. 

King and his co-writer Farnaby also bring their Willy Wonka closer to another figure in the source material, Charlie himself. In Wonka, parallels in their personal situations, experiences, and values deepen the link between the two – both come from economically turbulent backgrounds and encounter those at the opposite end of the spectrum who monopolise opportunity – the “chocolate cartel” of Wonka is in some ways no different from the snatching up of tickets by the elite in the original tale. 

Wonka is a risk that paid off. There were doubts over Chalamet’s suitability for the role; the casting initially received a mixed reception, and the recent SAG-AFTRA strike hindered the promotion of the movie. The trailer was met with criticism, and admittedly I too don’t believe it does justice to the film itself.

Chalamet’s Willy Wonka certainly leans closer to Wilder’s depiction than Depp’s, but this does not take away from the film, as he seems not to ‘put on’ traits of Wilder’s, but instead as if to inherit them, offering a genuinely touching interpretation and again, a deeply nostalgic one. His performance is authentic as a Wonka who, in an attempt both to live out his childhood dreams, but also to reconnect with his late mother, is driven by nothing but pure, unadulterated passion for making the world’s best and most magical chocolate. 

This characterisation is at no loss to Dahl’s characteristic moralising and didacticism — on the contrary, the foundations are laid for a future Wonka to seek out those most like him to inherit his factory, those similarly motivated by passion and family values, in contrast to the ‘greed’ of the cartels. The dominant theme of economic disparity within Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is foregrounded within Wonka, if anything, only heightening the covert social criticism contained within Dahl’s original narrative. 

One also cannot miss Wonka’s star-studded cast. For me, this principally meant Olivia Colman, whom I confessedly adore, but Wonka is crammed full of other excellent performances. Despite claiming he found the role excruciating to play (although seemingly in jest, as he further joked, “I slightly hate [making films], but I have lots of children and need money”), Hugh Grant’s comic turn as ‘Lofty’ the Oompa-Loompa simply “steals the show” as one audience member commented.

Other mainstays of the British screen stand out. There is Rowan Atkinson’s Father Julius, the ingeniously funny corrupt priest leading an order of “chocaholic monks” who conceal the vault of the chocolate cartel. Olivia Colman excels as Mrs. Scrubbit (reminiscent of Madame Thénardier for any fans of Les Misérables, a role Colman played in the BBC’s 2018-1019 small-screen adaptation) together with on-screen partner Bleacher (played by Tom Davis) both of whom provide fantastic comedic value as two nemeses of Wonka. If anyone steals the show, it is not Hugh Grant’s Lofty alone, but rather Wonka’s antagonists. 

These also include Paterson Joseph, Matthew Baynton and Matt Lucas. All shine out, with Joseph’s Slugworth as the brains of the operation accompanied by the more ‘simplistic’ approaches of Baynton’s Ficklegruber and Lucas’ Prodnose. The chemistry between the three is excellent. The villains are entertaining in their dislikeability, and with their jokes catered to both adults and children, they don’t fall victim to the increasingly flat and one-dimensional characterisations of recent antagonists in film. 

Wonka lays the groundwork for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s darker undertones of economic and social inequality in a twofold fashion. The more sincere and direct statements made by multiple characters of the ‘greedy beating the needy’ are intertwined with the more humourous approach of Baynton’s character, Ficklegruber’s comic repulsion at the word ‘poor’.  Much like Dahl himself did, King blends deeper social commentary with light-hearted humour, balancing a playful *nudge, nudge, wink, wink* with an interrogation of social issues. 

Unlike Burton’s version, Wonka treats its protagonist’s childhood with great sentimentality. This modification is indicative of the tone shift between the films. Wonka’s desire to reconnect with his deceased mother motivates him this time, as opposed to the desire to rebel against a strict father. The only thing that could have improved this plotline was simply seeing more of it; Sally Hawkins’ character, Wonka’s mother, seems to play a momentous role in Wonka’s backstory, yet we see very little of her. 

Admittedly, some subplots are stronger than others. Noodle is a new addition to the Willy Wonka canon, an orphaned friend who acts as the ‘brains’ of the chocolate-themed operation — even teaching Wonka how to read. Her story in particular is characteristic of the emphasis placed on community and relationships within the film, but at points, it feels disjointed and slightly rushed. This is ultimately remedied by the pure emotional rawness of her ending, all the more enhanced by Chalamet’s accompanying duet (as composed by Talbot). Oh, and of course helped along by the Rad Cam backdrop… 

The set design is magical, as is the score. The combination of old and new musical tracks contributes to the sense of nostalgia whilst remaining fresh, finding a path for itself. Talbot moves away from Elfman’s 2015 uncanniness into the sentimental and the uplifting. Whilst I feared that this movie would fall into the increasingly common trap of sequels and remakes merely regurgitating their predecessors, Wonka does not. 

Indeed, Wonka is everything it promises to be and more. It manages to be a touching, charming and whimsical watch whilst retaining the poignancy and dark themes present in Dahl’s work. Despite odes to capitalism and inequality, oppression and police corruption, King simultaneously manages to bring the childish back to the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory world, reviving its exuberance and jubilance whilst staying loyal to its deeper intentions. Wonka can’t claim to be a work of genius, but it knows that. What it certainly is, though, is excellently executed. It pulls on the heartstrings and is the perfect Christmas film. The good guys win, the bad guys lose, and all is well (for now) for Wonka. Though ultimately all is not resolved in Willy Wonka’s world, the journey and ensuing struggle is made an awful lot easier by sharing it with those he loves. 

The Wonka film will hit UK cinemas on the 8th of December 2023.