Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Paramount Cartoon Studios and Hanna-Barbera Productions and directed by Mel Stuart and Chuck Jones. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket (voiced by Peter Ostrum) as he receives a Golden Ticket and visits Willy Wonka's (voiced by Gene Wilder) chocolate factory with four other children from around the world, while his two animal friends, George (voiced by William Hanna) and Patty (voiced by Pamelyn Ferdin) secretly accompany him to prevent one of Wonka’s rivals from stealing a special candy known as the Everlasting Gobstopper.

Dahl was credited as part of the film's storymen; however, the other storymen led by Jones re-worked Dahl's screenplay against his wishes, making major changes to the ending and adding two new characters, George and Patty, as well as musical numbers. These changes and other decisions made by Paramount led Dahl to disown the film.

With a budget of just $3 million, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory received generally positive reviews and earned $4 million by the end of its original run. The film became highly popular in part through repeated television airings and home entertainment sales. In 1972, the film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, and Wilder was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, but both nominations lost to Fiddler on the Roof. The film also introduced the songs "The Candy Man", which went on to become a popular hit when recorded by Sammy Davis Jr., and "Pure Imagination". The film has been regarded as one of the biggest cult classics in the animation medium, as well as one of the best film adaptations of Roald Dahl's works.

Plot

In an unnamed town, children visit a candy shop. Charlie Bucket, a poor paperboy, stares through the window as the shop owner sings at the children. He then stops a hungry alley cat named George trying to eat a talking mouse named Patty and befriends them by offering them a loaf of bread. Walking home, he passes Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. A mysterious tinker recites the first lines of William Allingham's poem "The Fairies", and tells Charlie, "Nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out." Charlie rushes home to his widowed mother and bedridden grandfather Grandpa Joe. After telling Grandpa Joe about the tinker, Grandpa Joe reveals that Wonka locked the factory because other candy makers, including rival Arthur Slugworth, sent in spies to steal many of his recipes. Wonka disappeared, but for three years resumed selling candy; the origin of Wonka's labor force is unknown. Meanwhile, George and Patty steal a box of Wonka Bars from the shop. They arrive at Charlie's home with the box of Wonka Bars, but Charlie convinces them that stealing is wrong and they should return the box.

The next day, after George and Patty returned the box, Wonka announces that he hid five "Golden Tickets" in Wonka Bars. Finders of the tickets will receive a factory tour and a lifetime supply of chocolate. Four of the tickets are found by Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous boy; Veruca Salt, a spoiled girl; Violet Beauregarde, a gum-chewing girl; and Mike Teevee, a television-obsessed boy. As each winner is announced on TV, a man whispers to them. Charlie opens one Wonka Bar, but finds no Golden Ticket and loses hope. The newspapers announce the fifth ticket was found by a millionaire in Paraguay named Alberto Minoleta.

George and Patty earn a dollar by recycling milk bottles, but lose it in a gutter after fighting over it. Charlie finds the dollar and uses it buy a Scrumdiddlyumptious bar. With the change, he also buys a Wonka Bar for Grandpa Joe. The TV news reveals that Alberto Minoleta has been arrested for forging his ticket; when Charlie opens the Wonka Bar, he finds the fifth Golden Ticket. While rushing home, he is confronted by the same man seen whispering to the other winners, who introduces himself as Slugworth and offers to pay for a sample of Wonka's latest creation, the Everlasting Gobstopper. Charlie returns home with the Golden Ticket and chooses Grandpa Joe as his chaperone.

The next day, after George and Patty rush to the factory with the Golden Ticket that Grandpa Joe forgot, Wonka greets the ticket winners and leads them inside where each signs a contract before the tour. Meanwhile, George and Patty notice Slugworth and his henchman Brutus (who is also the very same delivery man who was delivering the box they stole before) devising a sinister plan for Charlie. After avoiding being caught by Brutus, the duo decide to warning Wonka of Slugworth's plan.

The factory includes a river of chocolate, edible mushrooms, lickable wallpaper, and other sweets and inventions. The visitors meet Wonka's labor force, dwarfish men known as Oompa-Loompas. Individual character flaws cause the other winners to give into temptation, resulting in they falling into a trap along with their elimination from the tour while the Oompa-Loompas sing a song of morality after each. Augustus falls into the chocolate river and is sucked up a pipe to the Fudge Room. George and Patty follow Wonka and the other guests on a boat trip to the Inventing Room, where everyone receives an Everlasting Gobstopper. Violet becomes a large blueberry after chewing an experimental gum containing a three-course meal, despite Wonka's warnings. The group reaches the Fizzy Lifting Drinks Room, where Charlie and Grandpa Joe ignore Wonka's warning and sample the drinks. They float and have a near-fatal encounter with an exhaust fan, but Patty saves them by making them burp down, allowing them to descend back to the ground. In the Chocolate Eggs Room, Veruca demands a golden goose for herself before falling into a garbage chute leading to the furnace, with her father falling in trying to rescue her (after they get out, Mr. Salt starts to have a more firm hand towards Veruca by pulling her away by the ear). The group tests out Wonka's Wonkavision, only to have Mike teleport himself and become only a few inches tall.

At the end of the tour, Charlie and Grandpa Joe, now the only two remaining guests, ask about the other children, and Wonka assures them that they will be fine. Wonka then retreats to his office without awarding them the promised lifetime supply of chocolate. George and Patty arrive and warn Charlie that Slugworth and Brutus have stolen a Gobstopper from them and are on their way out of the factory. Following a fight in the Wonkavision Room, Charlie stops Slugworth. After this, Grandpa Joe and Charlie enter Wonka's office to ask about the prize, where Wonka angrily informs them that they have violated the contract by drinking Fizzy Lifting Drinks and allowing George and Patty in the factory and therefore will receive nothing.

Infuriated at this, Grandpa Joe attempts to protest but Wonka demands them all to leave at once. Grandpa Joe suggests to Charlie that he should give Slugworth the Gobstopper, but Charlie returns the candy to Wonka. Because of this, Wonka declares Charlie the winner. He reveals to him and Grandpa Joe that "Slugworth" is really Mr. Wilkinson, an employee of his, and the offer to buy the Gobstopper was actually a morality test which only Charlie passed.

Charlie, Wonka and Grandpa Joe enter the Great Glass Elevator, a multi-directional glass elevator that flies out of the factory. George and Patty shrink Wilkinson and Brutus for the troubles they put them throughout the film and use Fizzy Lifting Drinks to catch up with the others. Soaring over the city, Wonka reveals that his actual prize is the factory; Wonka created the contest to find a worthy heir and Charlie and his family can immediately move in. Wonka then reminds Charlie not to forget about the man who suddenly received everything he ever wanted. Charlie asks, "What ever happened to him?" to which Wonka replies, "He lived happily ever after."

Voice cast

• Peter Ostrum as Charlie Bucket
• Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka
• Jack Albertson as Grandpa Joe
• William Hanna (uncredited) as George
• Pamelyn Ferdin as Patty
• Vincent Price as Arthur Slugworth/Mr. Wilkinson
• Frederick Worlock as Brutus
• Roy Kinnear as Henry Salt
• Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt
• Leonard Stone as Sam Beauregarde
• Denise Nickerson as Violet Beauregarde
• Dodo Denney as Mrs. Teevee
• Paris Themmen as Mike Teevee
• Ursula Reit as Mrs. Gloop
• Michael Bollner as Augustus Gloop
• Diana Sowle as Mrs. Bucket
• Aubrey Woods as Bill, the Candy Shop owner
• Hans Conried as Alberto Minoleta
• David Battley as Mr. Turkentine
• Mel Blanc as the Tinker
• Peter Stuart as Winkelmann
• The Mellomen as the Oompa Loompas
• Victor Beaumont as Doctor
• Frank Delfino as Auctioneer
• Gloria Manon as Mrs. Curtis
• Stephen Dunne as Stanley Kael
• Tim Brooke-Taylor as Computer scientist
• Ed Peck as FBI Agent

Soundtrack

Songs

• "The Candy Man" – Bill, the Candy Shop owner
• "Cheer Up Charlie" – Mrs. Bucket
• "It's Your Chance" - Arthur Slugworth/Mr. Wilkinson
• "I've Got a Golden Ticket" – Charlie Bucket, Grandpa Joe, and Patty
• "Pure Imagination" – Willy Wonka
• "Oompa Loompa (Augustus)" – The Oompa Loompas
• "The Wondrous Boat Ride"/"The Rowing Song" – Willy Wonka
• "Oompa Loompa (Violet)" – The Oompa Loompas
• "I Want It Now!" – Veruca Salt
• "Oompa Loompa (Veruca)" – The Oompa Loompas
• "Oompa Loompa (Mike)" – The Oompa Loompas
• "Pure Imagination (reprise)" - Chorus

Deleted songs

Some of them were written by the songwriter duo Richard and Robert Sherman, until the producers had offered to them writing songs for Charlotte's Web instead. However, most of these songs would be reused to the 2013 stage musical play based on the book. The only song written by the Sherman Brothers used in the final film was Slugworth's song "It's Your Chance".

• "Almost Nearly Perfect" - Charlie Bucket
• "What Could Possibly Go Wrong?" - Patty
• "The Amazing Tale of Willy Wonka" - Grandpa Joe
• "If Your Father Were Here" (replaced with "Cheer Up Charlie") - Mrs. Bucket
• "When Veruca Says" (replaced with "I Want It Now!") - Veruca Salt
• "It's Wonkavision Time" - Willy Wonka