Synopsis
Young Charlie Bucket lives with his impoverished family near the mysterious factory owned by Willy Wonka. When Wonka announces that five golden tickets have been hidden inside chocolate bars, Charlie finds one and joins four spoiled winners on a fantastical tour. As the children encounter increasingly strange rooms and inventions, their behavior brings about a series of memorable consequences.
Factoids & Trivia
- The film adapts Roald Dahl's 1964 novel and was developed with the Dahl family's artistic approval, helping distinguish it from the earlier screen version.
- The factory exterior and surrounding town were built on the Pinewood Studios backlot. The set included nearly fifty townhouses, twenty shops, several streets, and the Bucket family's home.
- The Chocolate Room was constructed on Pinewood's 007 Stage, one of the studio's largest soundstages. The chocolate river and waterfall were designed to look thick and edible rather than like ordinary brown-colored water.
- Deep Roy performed every Oompa-Loompa in the film. His movements were repeated and digitally combined so that one performer could appear as an entire workforce.
- Nestle supplied 1,850 real chocolate bars for the production.
- The Wonka television commercial contains a visual nod to the opening of 2001: A Space Odyssey, while the television room also draws on the stark white look associated with science-fiction cinema.
- The town's design combined elements of Northern England, Pittsburgh, and the black-and-white urban photography of Bill Brandt. Its layout places Wonka's imposing estate above Charlie's small, worn-down home.
- The film was produced alongside Corpse Bride, another 2005 project associated with the same filmmaking team.