Bathing in chocolate - Timothée Chalamet is "Wonka"

Musical comedy - Bathing in chocolate - Timothée Chalamet is "Wonka"

Almost 60 years after its publication, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl is still one of the best-known and most popular children's books in the world. It was first made into a film in 1971 with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. In 2005, Tim Burton adapted the story again with Johnny Depp in the leading role. Now a new film is being released in cinemas that tells the story behind it. In "Wonka", Timothée Chalamet plays the headstrong chocolate manufacturer.

The musical comedy by "Paddington" director Paul King is set around 25 years before the events of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and is conceived as a prequel to the 1971 film, which was released in cinemas under the title "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". The young, good-natured Wonka (Chalamet) has the dream of making people happy with his homemade confectionery. However, his attempts to open his own store are sabotaged by three established chocolate factory owners who resort to nasty means.

Willy is a warm, somewhat naive guy

Chalamet plays Wonka charmingly and not as quirky as his predecessors. "I'm a big fan of both films," says the 27-year-old in an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur in London. "In our movie, Willy Wonka is not the broken, crazy, wonderfully complicated, mysterious character that Gene Wilder played. This is more of an ambitious, heartfelt, in some ways naive, young Willy."

Wonka's careless signing of a contract for an overnight stay lands him in the clutches of the nasty Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman) and from then on he has to work in her laundry. Together with the orphan girl Noodle (Calah Lane), the accountant Abacus (Jim Carter) and other forced laborers, the inventive Wonka forges a plan. A certain Oompa-Loompa(Hugh Grant) from his past might also be able to help him.

A cross-generational cult film

Director and screenplay co-writer Paul King drew heavily on the 70s classic. Roald Dahl distanced himself from the film at the time because he did not agree with changes to his script and deviations from the book. But "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" became a cult film across the generations. "I grew up with it and it's very close to my heart," King also says in the dpa interview.

"It was important to me to make a movie that didn't somehow diminish or detract from the enjoyment of the old work," says the British filmmaker. "I hope we've succeeded in doing that." In fact, his entertaining musical comedy works so well because it is visually, sonically and atmospherically close to the old film, from which the classic song "The Candy Man" originates, among other things. The melody of "Pure Imagination", the musical theme from 1971, can already be heard during the opening credits of "Wonka".

The new songs were written by Neil Hannon, the frontman of the British band The Divine Comedy, and fit perfectly with the old songs by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. Chalamet took singing lessons for a long time for his role. "I learned a lot and it helped enormously," says the actor. In his next role as Bob Dylan, his vocal qualities are once again in demand. "The Willy Wonka voice couldn't be further from it," he says with a laugh.

Hugh Grant as a green-haired grump

Of course, the iconic Oompa Loompa song is also a must in "Wonka". The fact that the role is played by Hugh Grant, an actor who is not of small stature, was criticized in advance. It's certainly debatable, but the acting was a stroke of genius. Because Grant is simply delicious as the green-haired little grump who sings and dances. He provides the biggest laughs in the movie.

In addition to Oscar winner Colman as the nasty Mrs. Scrubbit, Paterson Joseph (as Mr. Slugworth), Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton and "Mr. Bean" Rowan Atkinson amuse as comic villains. US comedian Keegan-Michael Key ("Key & Peele") plays a corrupt police chief who can be bribed with chocolate and becomes increasingly voluminous as the film progresses. The characters fit wonderfully into the tradition of Roald Dahl's many original characters.

The imaginative world of Willie Wonka was mainly created using real sets, with only the bare essentials coming from the computer. For one particular scene, Chalamet and Calah Lane even had to - or were allowed to - swim in real chocolate, which according to the teenager was "great fun". That's "Wonka" for the audience too. Paul King and his team have succeeded in making a warm-hearted and funny movie that does justice to its popular source material and also fits perfectly into the Christmas season. But beware, one catchy tune remains: "Oompa loompa doompety doo ..."

Wonka, USA/UK 2023, 116 min., FSK 6, by Paul King, with Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Colman