Blu-ray Review

Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory

Official Synopsis:

Join the expedition visiting legendary Candy Man Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) in a splendiferous movie that wondrously brings to the screen the endlessly appetizing delights of Roald Dahl's classic book. Coated with flavorful tunes and production design that constantly dazzles the eye, this effervescent musical never fails to enchant young and old. On a whirlwind tour of Willy's incredible, edible realm of chocolate waterfalls, elfish Oompa-Loompas and industrial-sized confections, a boy named Charlie (Peter Ostrum) will discover the sweetest secret of all: a generous, loving heart. And you'll rediscover the timeless magic of a delicious family classic.

Our Take:

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a childhood favorite of mine that has grown into (as I have grown) an adult favorite as well. It is one of the few films I revisit at least once or twice every year, so this Blu-ray release fell nicely into my annual schedule.

The brightly colored musical parable is about imparting lessons to children and parents alike about how to act, whether it be not to spoil your children or not to be gluttonous. In fact, taken at its face, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a pretty preachy film. However, its preachy aspects fall by the wayside thanks to an unbelievable color palate and excellent musical arrangement. Of course, as with many children’s features, there are darker elements lurking just out of the grasp of young viewers. The disillusion of Wonka himself, played perfectly by Gene Wilder, is apparent. He is a man whose success has rendered him a recluse. He lives in his own self-made, self-contained world, a commentary on the price of fame and fortune that has only grown in its significance as our culture as shifted into one of infantile celebrity tabloid fascination and fixation. Wonka secluded himself for business purposes. In fact, that is the greatest coup of this children’s fantasy morality tale. The assumed bad guy, Mr. Slugworth, is not a murderer or mystical dragon, but a corporate spy.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory may be too heavy-handed for some, with each naughty archetype so clearly and neatly embodied in each of Charlie Bucket’s child competitors. But, it is through these boiled down character flawed children that the film allows itself some of its most absurd send-ups. One of my greatest childhood memories and a line I would go on to repeat for comic effect throughout my life, “Augustus! Save some for later,” is made what it is because of just how over-the-top gluttonous the child was made to be. The character types also make for excellent “offings.” I am not a horror fan, but I am stealing a horror analysis tool when I describe the “creative deaths” in Willy Wonka. Sure, the children are not systematically killed off, but in each case they seem to be; there is just a last-second throw-in line or two of dialogue to explain how they have not actually died. This is easily the darkest element of the film. Wonka’s fantasy wonderland of edible trees and gumdrop bushes is actually a very dangerous place if one does not follow the rules. The world of pure imagination also requires pure discipline to survive.

Audio & Video:

Warner Bros. has brought essentially the same technical package out on Blu-ray for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that it had used for the earlier HD-DVD release.

The films looks remarkably sharp for its age thanks to the 1080p VC-1 encode. The film’s grain structure has remained intact giving it a most enjoyable film-like appearance. There are few sporadic instances of softness, but I think that may be as a result of the film itself as shot as the majority of the film is so crisp and detailed. Willy Wonka’s brightly lit world of pure imagination looks marvelous in high definition.

The lone area where Warner Bros. has upgraded the film for Blu-ray is in the lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Surround track. Although I would have much preferred that they include a lossless mono track since that is how the film was intended to be heard and was shot. As a result of the lossless track being an engineered upgrade of monaural material, the difference between the lossless track here and the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track (also included here) that was on the HD-DVD is negligible.

Special Features (Blu-ray Exclusive):

Warner Bros. has released Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in a special digibook packaging. The case itself is a 38-page book with photographs, sing-along lyrics, and more. These Digibook packages are nice, but I would have liked some supplemental upgrade over the HD-DVD I already own, along with the most recent Anniversary edition DVD, all of whose extras have been ported over, all in standard definition.

Special Features (Standard):

Audio Commentary with all five of the now-grown children from the film.
Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (30 minutes) – A short informative documentary about the film.
Vintage Featurette (4 minutes) – A promotional piece from 1971.
Sing-along Songs – A fun treat for fans of the music in the movie.
Theatrical Trailer

Conclusion:

It is a gross understatement to say that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory still holds up in adulthood. It may have been a children’s film, but no matter how old or young you may be, it is still an excellent, thoroughly entertaining film. It works on purely entertaining levels and a darker more sincere emotional level as well. This film should be a staple of every childhood.

ESSENTIAL!

Overall Picture:

Movie: A+
Video: A-
Audio: B+
Extra Features: B

- Matthew Orlando
Staff Writer