Wonka promises a fantastic adventure from Paul King. It's a fresh look at the origins of the famous chocolatier Willy Wonka, a character well known to fans of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, whether from the 1971 version, the 2005 version or the Roald Dahl book that inspired them. The film, released in cinemas last December, is expected on VOD for purchase on April 11 and for rental on April 24, 2024.
In this new creation by Paul King, best known for his Paddington films, we discover the youth of Willy Wonka, before the well-known and beloved story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Timothée Chalamet lends his voice to the character, and is surrounded by the crème de la crème of British cinema: Sally Hawkins, Hugh Grant, Rowan - Mr Bean - Atkinson and Olivia Coleman.
And yet, despite all these fine promises, the sauce, though strong in chocolate, just doesn't take. And yet, it started well. Young Wonka's odyssey to open his first chocolate factory is fraught with pitfalls. Kidnapped by a couple of Thénardier look-alikes, rejected by the local chocolate magnates, and harassed by an Oompa Loompa who steals all his creations, the young idealist bends but doesn't break. What's more, the whole thing is set to song, providing plenty of entertainment for families, who will find it a delightful Disney-style musical.
In Roald Dahl's books, as in his previous films, we've come to remember a Willy Wonka who's zany, a little loony, deeply melancholy and a great adventurer in search of new flavors. In this opus, the character is a little too smooth and clean-cut. There were plenty of stories to be told about the chocolatier's youth, but screenwriters Paul King and Simon Farnaby preferred a story seen a thousand times over of the poor taking from the rich, reminiscent of a certain Mary Poppins, the memory of which remains vivid throughout the viewing of Wonka. The madness of the latter is too artificial to seduce, and even the songs end up being forgotten for lack of a striking melody.
What really stands out, however, is the lack of charm in this all-digital world, the binarity of the protagonists, where there's no in-between between the very, very bad guys and the very, very good guys. If you're expecting to rediscover the spirit of Tim Burton and Mel Stuart's films, you may be disappointed, but if you've come to see a family Christmas adventure that will remind you of the Disney of yesteryear, you're in for a treat.
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