Weekend Cinema Spotlight: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (1971)

"We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams".......oh that Willy Wonka! The entire film is a child's fantasy come true!

It basically begins with this young, poor boy named Charlie Bucket (played by Peter Ostrum), who finds out the elusive Willy Wonka (played by Gene Wilder) was having a contest. The winners would get to enter the infamous Chocolate Factory. Charlie dreamed and hoped he would get the chance to do so and he does!

The cast of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"

He found his golden ticket! Charlie takes his Grandpa Joe (played by Jack Albertson) with him. He then goes with five other children (with their parents) to visit Willy Wonka in his Chocolate Factory! Every time I watch the first part of the movie--I get giddy! How could you not? Who wouldn't want to visit a candy factory??!!

Charlie is a sweet and well deserving child who appreciates the things he sees before him. Now the rest of the children are very far away from that description. Every time one of the refuses to listen to Willy Wonka they get themselves in trouble and the Oompa Loompa's come to the rescue!

The Trailer for "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"

This film is charming and the songs are enchanting! Take a look at this one:



I think besides Charlie, Veruca Salt (played by Julie Dawn Cole) is my favorite character. She's super bratty and super spoiled! That's always fun to watch on screen heheh In the scene above, Julie Dawn Cole performed that number on her 13th birthday-how cool is that! What a memory to have!

At the end of the adventures with Willy Wonka; a river of chocolate, gum that feeds you food, golden geese, fizzy lifting drinks, and  magical television sets, Charlie becomes the winner of the contest! He hopes to receive his prize of a lifetime supply of chocolates (can we say heaven!?), but when he approaches Wonka about it something strange happens.

Wonka yells at both Charlie and Grandpa Joe and reminds them of the fizzy lifting drinks incident. After they are turned away by Wonka, Charlie who was given a "everlasting gobstopper" by Wonka is told by Grandpa Joe to sell it to Mr. Slugworth (played by Gunter Meisner). Charlie declines and instead hands it over to Wonka.

Because of his good heart and his good deeds, Wonka reveals to Charlie that he passed the test and that he has won a prize bigger that chocolate! Would  you like to know what it is? Look at the scene above! *smile*

This is film brings both a smile to your face and simply brings out the child in you. It's one of my husband's favorite movies and one of mine as well. Because we loved this film and its message so much we decided to make our youngest child's first birthday theme a "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".

My next post I will share with you how I decorated for his party and how to stay within a small budget as well.

Hope you enjoy this little snippet of Wonka magic!!

xox