This article contains spoilers for all three films in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise.

With the release of the musical film Wonka this past December, the timeline of the Wonka Cinematic Universe is seemingly complete. In the film, we look at the start of Willy Wonka, before he even had the Chocolate Factory. Throughout the film, he loses his savings, signs a rather unfair contract in which he is illiterate (Which is probably the worst thing to be when signing a contract), and meets rivals including the series’s main antagonist, Arthur Slugworth. Then there is the whole storyline about a chocolate cartel that manipulates the police, Wonka leaves on the ship and then comes back. It’s an action-filled prequel that uses corruption as its underlying theme, and overall just a great prequel to set the scene for the 1971 original film and its 2005 remake. But that is not what this article is here to discuss; the point here is to determine which movie is the best according to some fellow students.

The Case for Willy Wonka (1971)

Come with me and you’ll be in a world of original movie opinions. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was the first of the three films released. And it combines a typical 1970s movie with music. The famous song ‘Pure Imagination’ is still listened to by many people, and there have even been many parodies of the song. And keep in mind that I haven’t even said anything about the contest yet. You know that all of the children besides Charlie deserve to be eliminated from the contest, they are all portrayed as one of the seven sins, considering that the 1960s-70s Jesus movement was going on, it makes sense. Augustus Gloop represents gluttony, he can’t ever stop eating, and it works in making him look like a good guy who just eats too much. Violet represents pride, she always thinks everything is about her. She has a point during the press conference, but other than that, she just wants to be important when it isn’t necessary. Veruca Salt represents greed… there isn’t much else to say, she’s greedy, and that’s it. Mike Teavee is kind of put into the position of being the sloth, come on, his last name is Teavee, makes sense that he was a TV nerd, but at some point, his parents should have to pull him away from the television. Charlie doesn’t have a particular sin that goes with him besides lust, but the problem is he doesn’t fit the title after he gets the ticket. Charlie wants the ticket more than anything at that point, and when he gets it, he stays humble and never shows the characteristic again.

Then we have Willy Wonka, there is likely a sin he is connected with, but that is just not the important part of his character. He is portrayed as a psychopath who also seems to be aware of everything going on at the moment. Gene Wilder makes it even better, being a respected veteran actor. The big thing with him though was that nobody knew if he was going to hurt the children, you can see throughout the movie that the children and even the adults freak out when something bad happens. That is why Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is many people’s favorite of the three.

The Case for Charlie (2005)

The case for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) is a lot shorter than Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory because the 2005 version is just a reboot. Not much difference in it besides the ending. This time instead of the Glass Elevator just flying off into the sky, we see Charlie refusing to take the factory and going back to his regular life. Turns out that it was a test by Wonka to see if he was truly the right choice. Wonka settles his parental issues by proving to his dentist father that Chocolate making has not at all ruined his teeth, then they eat dinner with the Bucket family and the movie ends. The other bright spot in the film is Johnny Depp. Who better to play one of the weirdest characters in film, than one of the weirdest actors in Hollywood? Depp does a great job of portraying a legendary character, and really, he does the best he can in the shadow of Gene Wilder. This is what makes this movie a great option, but just one in the shadow of the predecessor.

The Case for Wonka (2023)

Wonka is the third of the franchise, and this time instead of being a typical reboot, it is an actual prequel to the first two movies. It involves Wonka’s arrival in Europe and the establishment of what would become his Chocolate Empire. Throughout the movie, we get a corruption theme as it seems like the Chocolate Cartel controls the police. Yes, you read that correctly, a Chocolate Cartel controls the police. In the climax of the film, they infiltrate the Cartel and get confronted by the members, which includes future rival Slugworth. They get saved from the situation and in a back-to-square-one move, Wonka and his allies find an abandoned castle to turn into the famous factory, and that is it. Overall it is a pretty good movie and a great prequel for the series. Let’s not forget that it featured Timothee Chalamet, one of the few actors you REALLY want in the credibility of a film. These factors, and just that it is a prequel may push it right above the 2005 adaptation.

The Vote

Now that you have some background information on each of the three films, and why they may be deserving of the title of ‘Best Film in the Wonkaverse’ you can vote here on which one is most deserving of it. I won’t leave you listening anymore, go vote!