Willy Wonka has been a beloved character for multiple generations. The character originated from the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, written by Roald Dahl. The novel has since inspired two movies, the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, and the 2005 iteration of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp portraying the famous chocolatier. And it seems the character continues to inspire as Willy Wonka is now getting a movie dedicated to his backstory. The upcoming 2023 musical Wonka will serve as a prequel to Dahl’s novel and look at how Willy Wonka became the chocolatier we all know and love.
Update July 12, 2023: Following the new trailer for Wonka this article has been updated with additional information.
The film, directed by Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Willy Wonka, is being released on December 15th, 2023. As the trailer for the movie suggests, fans will finally get a long overdue look at who Willy was before he was Wonka, learning for the first time where he came from and why he sought to become a chocolatier. The quirky character has long been shrouded in an aura of mystery, with his impressive chocolate factory filled with the magical wonders of candies. While the 2005 version attempted a bit of a backstory for Willy Wonka, this prequel will take a deep dive into Wonka’s character in a manner that has not yet been done before. Let’s explore what we hope to see in Paul King’s Wonka.
What Led Willy Wonka to Become a Chocolatier?
An essential element of any well-rounded character is a backstory. With so much of his background unknown, there are a number of mysteries that might be revealed in the prequel. Firstly, where does Willy Wonka come from? We know he is from England, but we want to know more about his background. Such as what kind of family did he come from? What circumstances did he grow up in? What were the experiences that shaped him as a person? Was he always an eccentric visionary, and how did that express itself when he was younger?
And, of course, one of the most important questions to answer: how and when did Willy Wonka develop a love for sweets and chocolate? Did he always crave sugary treats and look forward to the occasions when he might have some? When did he know he wanted to become a chocolatier? We know he was a visionary, but what circumstances inspired his vision and passion for creating wonderful new candy?
Willy Wonka embarked on numerous adventures across the world to research and discover new flavors and experimented with new ways to create delicious candy that the world had not yet seen. Especially chocolate, as that was his truest passion and the product he was most well renowned for. The recent trailer certainly appears to show snippets of Wonka's globe-trotting days, so perhaps fans will finally get to know where his appetite for chocolate came from.
The 2005 film with Johnny Depp playing Willy Wonka created a backstory of a child of a dentist who loved candy but was prohibited from having it. So, he ran away from home, went on adventures, saw the world, and discovered addicting new flavors. His love of sweets and his discoveries led him to experiment and create unique treats for the world. Notable the new trailer hints that Wonka's relationship with his mother inspired him to become a chocolater.
What Happened in Willy Wonka's Journey That Led to Such Secrecy?
We all know where Willy Wonka ends up, but we are not yet privy to how he gets there. Perhaps the prequel will give us insight into how Willy Wonka achieves his dreams and goals. While they certainly center around candy and chocolate, Wonka also seems to long for adventure, and maybe the film will take us along on one of these journeys that inspires him to push the boundaries of candy-making. We might even get to see the beginnings of Wonka's plans for the factory or perhaps a humbler candy shop, depending on the ambitions of the young Willy Wonka.
We know from previous exposure to the character that he becomes reclusive and secretive when people attempt to steal his recipes, but this is not always the case. It seems that Wonka is excited to share his creations with people, especially children. He is a young man, full of hope, who wants to spread joy and wonder to children through his incredible candy and chocolate. And not only that, but he seems to want to inspire wonder, imagination, and creation with these adventures and discoveries. He is not only ambitious and eccentric but brilliant and creative.
What Is His Relationship with the Oompa-Loompas?
The Oompa-Loompas are a problematic bunch. Though they are generally known as the little orange men with green wigs who like to sing totally off-the-cuff songs with conveniently apt lyrics, their history is one mired in controversy. When they first appeared in Dahl's original novel, they were depicted as Black African pygmies, and Dahl was accused of racism, leading him to rewrite his description of them to be white-skinned. Nevertheless, even with subsequent revisions, it's hard to escape the idea that a man taking a group of natives from their homeland and making them work for him is more than a bit suspicious.
Wonka, therefore, has the chance to set the record straight and finally portray how the Oompa-Loommpas came to work for their employer and what exactly their relationship with him is like. Does Wonka spend much time with them? Does he know them all by name? Previous adaptations have never taken the time to explore the lives of the Oompa-Loompas beyond their elaborate song and dance numbers. Now, fans could get the chance to see a deeper relationship between Wonka and his workforce, one that gives audiences a greater understanding of both parties while also clearing Wonka of any accusations of slavery.
The trailer gives fans their first look at, perhaps, the most surprising casting choice of the century; Hugh Grant as an Oopma-Loompa. While it's not yet known if only a single Oompa-Loompa will appear in the final movie or if there will be more, having Wonka interact with a lone Oompa-Loopa, even for just one scene seems like a great way to help audiences gain a greater understanding of how he feels about his trusted companions.
We certainly hope that Wonka will answer the plethora of questions that fans have about the character and create an origin story fit for the quirky chocolatier. But more than that, we also want the film to do justice to the beloved character that has existed for over 50 years. Hopefully, it brings memorable musical numbers and a fun time full of smiles and laughter.