Wonka: Not a Prequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but a Departure from It

Finally, Wonka is out. At first glance, this movie, which tells the backstory of Willy Wonka from the classic children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, seems pretty charming. It's got Hollywood's current top dude, Timothée Chalamet, as the main lead; Wonka's director is also none other than Paul King, the man behind the Paddington series. In the trailer, we see all sorts of fancy candies and cool gadgets, a young and happy Wonka, and those mysterious yet adorable Oompa Loompas, all hinting at a movie that's gonna bring loads of joy. Turns out, I had the wrong idea because, after watching Wonka, not only did it not make me happy at all, but I was also once again astonished by Hollywood’s lack of innovation. Warner Bros. spent US$125 million to ruin an iconic fictional character and successfully turned a fairy tale about celebrating love and honesty while making fun of capitalism into a cheesy and cheap success story. In my opinion, regardless of how much money Wonka makes for Warner Bros. or how many people go to the cinema to see Chalamet in action, it’s a total failure that deviates far from the essence of this intellectual property.

Here's the thing about Wonka's failure. I’m neither gonna talk about how boring the songs and dance choreographies are (except for Oompa Loompa, because I've totally forgotten all the other songs), nor the perplexing settings that’ll still be kinda confusing even if they’re incorporated into a fairy tale story that doesn't give a damn about logic. What really matters is what kinda story Wonka tells and how it’s done.

Its storyline can be divided into two parts: external and internal. The external storyline revolves around Wonka and his buddies, like Noodle (Calah Lane), battling against greedy chocolatiers who monopolize the chocolate industry. The internal storyline focuses on the process of Wonka and Noodle having a renewed understanding of their feelings towards their moms. This kinda storyline may work for other movies based on children's books, like Paddington, but it doesn't for telling Willy Wonka's tale.

Before we talk about why Wonka's storytelling style doesn't quite fit its story, why not quickly go over Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? This story is told from the perspective of an 11-year-old kid named Charlie Bucket. In this story, Wonka is a weird character who is good but evil, especially in the eyes of kids. He hides five golden tickets in his chocolate bars, and if you find one, you get to visit his mysterious chocolate factory. So, five lucky kids get the chance of a lifetime to go on this amazing adventure. But, it's not just fun and games – but also a test of their character.

Unfortunately, four of them mess up on the test and get punished by Wonka. But Charlie, who comes from a poor family, comes out on top because he's honest and kind. And guess what? His prize is taking over Wonka's chocolate factory! Wonka wants Charlie to be his successor, take over his factory, and look after the Oompa Loompas who work there.

So, you know, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is like a super popular children's classic, right? It has, like, amazing potential to expand its storyline based on its core values. But in my opinion, Wonka’s ultimate choice goes against its most important core value. I have to admit, it's very tough for me to fully accept the fact that the prequel movie to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, based on a children's classic that reflects on capitalism, actually tells the story of Wonka's quest for worldly success (even though they try to make it sound like he’s pursuing his dream).

In the original story, Wonka, the factory owner (a capitalist), isn't entirely a good character. His experiences also show how capitalism and mass production can alienate humans. Fierce business competition leads him to ultimately choose to isolate himself and live alone. His decision to give his factory up to Charlie is a mockery of industrial capitalism - since even an 11-year-old kid can run the factory - and an escape from and rebel against the pursuit of worldly success in a capitalist society. It's exactly this kind of rebellious, complex, and dark fairy tale story that makes Charlie and the Chocolate Factory so enduringly charming.

As the prequel story, Wonka doesn't tell us about the intense business battles Wonka goes through or explain how he becomes the eccentric factory owner in the later story. Instead, it focuses on his journey as an entrepreneur, which is basically how he becomes a successful capitalist. This is simply so ironic compared to the criticism of capitalism in the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. To make Wonka's rise seem totally justified, the movie even features three oligarchic capitalists to accentuate his selflessness and kindness by contrasting it to their greedy and shameless behavior. When we watch Wonka, we can only see things from his perspective and feel his sincerity, bravery, pursuit of his dreams, and longing for his mom's love. These are definitely intentionally designed by the creators. When the film presents the rise of the new factory owner (a capitalist) as a big victory that benefits everyone, and creates an illusion of the rich helping the poor escape poverty through Wonka helping his friends pay off their debts (even though the workers should rightfully get their wages), the audience may not realize that they're actually singing the praises of the success of capitalists and capitalism. Meanwhile, the reason behind this success – the exploitation of the laborers - will never be talked about in the film.

When it comes to laborers, we gotta mention Lofty, played by Hugh Grant, in Wonka. Whether in the original work, the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, or Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, they all show scenes of the Oompa Loompas hard at work. Some people see their character design as a reference to slavery, while the original story describes their work as a spectacle. In today's world, this is turning a blind eye to racism. But at the very least, readers and viewers appreciate the Oompa Loompas' hard work.

In Wonka, we don't see Oompa Loompas' labor. Instead, we see Lofty showing up as a creditor, chasing Wonka to pay back his cocoa bean debt. What’s even more baffling is that Wonka invites Lofty to join in with the setting up of the chocolate factory, and he eventually agrees to do so. I mean, come on, this is a typical neoliberal moment to me. We all know that Lofty choosing to join means him putting in hard work and maybe even getting little rewards for his huge efforts. The movie lets Lofty make the choice to join the chocolate factory, instead of him being tricked into it by Wonka with cocoa beans. This is the true nature of exploitation hidden behind the mask of personal freedom. In the context of neoliberalism, even if Lofty is being exploited, it's seen as his own free will. The story completely ignores hidden structural issues including power imbalance. The danger of neoliberalism is that it conceals acts of exploitation, makes them seem like a personal choice, and even makes Lofty happy about getting exploited. By supporting Lofty's choice, the audience is also acknowledging this idea of neoliberal-style individual choice, which ultimately makes it easier for capitalist exploitation to occur and worsens people's lives.

Also, I wanna particularly defend Chalamet. Some folks complain about his portrayal of Wonka as a bubbly, optimistic and carefree kid, to a point where it's impossible to imagine he will become a good but evil weirdo. For that, Chalamet’s acting skills are being questioned. But, I reckon the reason the filmmakers picked him for this version of Wonka is because they favour his expression of vulnerability, gentleness, elegance and innocuousness. Chalamet's unique qualities and personal charm make the audience more willing to believe that Wonka is a kind-hearted dude longing for motherly love. Only by making them believe that Wonka is such a pure character, instead of an actual factory owner (capitalist), can this story hold up and they feel the same joy they get at Disneyland. This kinda joy pushes away pain and relieves us of the burden of reality. It's a light and radiant feeling, but also carries the risk of numbing folks and causing them to lose themselves. Like Wonka, most Hollywood movies offer this kinda relaxing yet dangerous happiness.