Greedy, Totalitarianst, Drug Abusing, Clinically Insane Madman. Who are these words describing you ask? An evil dictator? A terrorist? Someone bent on taking over the world? No, these words of course describe Willy Wonka. Confused? Let me explain.

We have all been duped into believing that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a harmless children’s movie with a quirky and likeable chocolate maker in search of a good soul to take over his beloved chocolate factory. We’ll we’ve all had the wool pulled over our eyes and it’s about time someone talked about it. And Wonka isn’t the only tainted character here. As you’ll see this movie is riddled with atrocities.

The movie starts out relatively innocent enough. We’re introduced to this wonderful little boy Charlie and his family and some other children about town. Then suddenly the town begins to go crazy. What is it? Willy Wonka put 5 golden tickets in 5 chocolate bars around the world and the finders of these will be taken into his factory and given a life time supply of chocolate. You have to buy candy bars to win. Ummm, can you say “marketing ploy”? Everyone in the world starts going nuts and buying Wonka bars. Kids, adults, they’re buying them by the truckload. In a matter of weeks every store in the world is practically sold out. This Wonka is one shrewd businessman. His little ploy couldn’t have worked any better. This contest has made him immensely rich!

In the mean time we’re introduced to all these horribly spoiled little children who have each found one of the tickets. Poor Charlie still doesn’t have one. So his mother decides to sing a song, “Cheer up Charlie”. What’s this song about you ask? Well basically Charlie should just wait it out and eventually his lucky day will come. Yeah right, get real! Is this what we want our children growing up believing. That if you’re a good person eventually you’ll just get lucky and things will go your way. Not likely. Sure that’d be nice and all, but that’s just not the way things work. Maybe that’s why six of them are stuck in one tiny little shack together. Waiting for their luck to kick in.

So finally little Charlie finds himself a golden ticket and asks his Grandpa Joe to come with him. Now mind you this is a man who hasn’t moved from his bed in over 20 years! And has not helped support his family at all because of this disability of his. Well looky here! Suddenly Grandpa Joe is up and walking, and singing and dancing! He pretends to be disabled until he gets taken on a free ride and then suddenly has a miraculous recovery. Well we’re not buying it Grandpa Joe. And listen to the song he sings, “Cause I’ve got a golden ticket.” Oh, I see, so now it’s YOUR golden ticket. This man is a fraud! And just using Charlie to get ahead.

Finally we get to meet Mr. Wonka who in a spectacular little performance fakes an injury and suddenly summersaults out of it in front of an astonished crowd. What does this first glimpse of Wonka tell us? Get used to the man lying! He will lie for effect whenever he feels it is necessary. And yet the people still don’t see it. Fools I tell you. Fools!

We are brought into the factory and what is the first thing Wonka has everyone do? Sign a waver. Not only this, but he doesn’t give them a chance to read it, skips over points as he goes over it, and makes the writing so small that it’s illegible even if someone does try to read it. And for God sakes, they’re children! Have you no heart? Shady practices, let me tell you. Shady practices.

Now we begin our journey through the chocolate factory. The first thing this sick twisted man does is disorient all his guests. How? Well the rooms change around, you have to go forward to go backwards, small doors open up to big doors, and the whole time Wonka is speaking in random literature quotes. What were we saying about this man being nuts? Then we are taken into his prize room. A fairyland of sorts, where everything is magical, and colorful, and edible. Clearly this room has been designed by someone who has had a few too many acid trips in his time(and is still on one for all we know).

Oh but it gets better. Now are insane tour guide decides to burst into song. What does he sing about? Some sort of crazy song about living in “pure imagination” in a “world of his creation”. That “life can’t compare with pure imagination”. Basically he’s created this drug-induced paradise for himself and letting everyone know that everything would be easier if we just forgot about responsibilities and life and just do drugs all day and live in our own little fantasy land. Great message for the kids there buddy! Do you do childrens parties?

Next we meet the Oompa Loompas(Blacks) taken from Loompaland(Africa) a land of desolate wastes and fierce beasts. Willy Wonka(the white man) takes them out of their homeland and brings them overseas to work in his factory(slavery). Isn’t it obvious? Has no one seen this? So it’s the lesser of two evils. They’re aren’t being eaten by ferocious animals, but they still don’t have their freedom. They’re never even allowed outside the factory. Why? So they never know what’s really going on out in the real world, and never know that they are slave labor. Wonka doesn’t let anyone in so no one will see his horrible wage practices. The man is a slave runner, but in his warped little mind he’s a benevolent savior from another land.

Now in each of the next rooms we visit Wonka has conveniently set a trap for these helpless children. Clearly dissatisfied with society he takes it upon himself to cleanse it. Sure the kids are spoiled, but they aren’t evil. He maliciously sets up these tempting little traps to snare the children in. Of course they’ll fall for them. They’re children. They’re curious. What is this, the Garden of Eden? This isn’t a sacred tree. He plays God and the Devil all at once. Why would you let all these kids in your chocolate factory if you won’t let them touch anything? Why? Because he is trying to stifle free thought! It’s Wonka’s way or the highway! He slowly eliminates all the children who might pose a threat to his crazy ways.

But lets not forget some other important things along the way. The boat ride through the tunnel. What can I say about this, that isn’t covered in his cute little poem?

There’s no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going
There’s no knowing where we’re rowing
Or which way the river’s flowing
Is it raining
Is it snowing
Is a hurricane a-blowing

Not a speck of light is showing
So the danger must be growing
Are the fires of hell a glowing?
Is the grisly reaper mowing?
Yes! The danger must be growing
For the rowers keep on rowing
And they're certainly not showing
Any signs that they are slowing!

He then goes on to scream and laugh hysterically. The man has lost it. I don’t know what he took but I’d like some. And remember, the whole time he’s reciting they are careening much too quickly through a dark tunnel while gruesome and scary images are being displayed all around them. If you don’t think Wonka is on something You’re on something.

Oh and just for good measure, remember what Wonka says in the invention room? “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker” I knew it! He’s a drunk too.

And also somewhere in this big mess our innocent hero makes a mistake. Our fraud of a grandfather tempts him into drinking the fizzy lifting drink. What was he thinking? Grandpa Joe is to Charlie what Eve was to Adam.

So finally the tour ends and Charlie and Grandpa Joe are kicked out for breaking the rules. But Charlie passes Wonka’s “test” and gives back the everlasting gobstopper. What does Wonka do? He gives Charlie the factory. Why not give it a faithful and devoted friend and long time employee(the fake slugworth)? Why not give it to an Oompa Loompa who’s been sweating away for years? Why a kid who doesn’t know the first thing about running a factory? Because he is easily manipulated. “A grown up would want everything done his way. Not mine.” Greedy bastard! And not just any child, “an honest loving child”. One he could control, keep things running his way, keep the slave labor around, and keep getting profits out of it. Someone he can get at early enough and enslave in his ways. Charlie is perfect. He’ll become Wonka’s robot while Wonka lounges out in the tropics somewhere sipping a margarita. Poor Charlie never had a chance against this crazy drugged out slave runner. Think twice before letting your children watch this movie!

So, was the film INTENDED to be a social commentary of sorts, a children's show, or just a crazy drugged up show?

I've have some serious questions about the movie like the ones you discussed. I think the movie is fabulous.

I sing this all the time!

quote:

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OOMPA LOOMPA DOOMPADEE DOO
I'VE GOT A PERFECT PUZZLE FOR YOU
OOMPA LOOMPA, DOOMPADAH DEE
IF YOU ARE WISE YOU'LL LISTEN ME
WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU GUZZLE DOWN SWEETS
EATING AS MUCH AS AN ELEPHANT EATS
WHAT ARE YOU AT GETTING TERRIBLY FAT
WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL COME OF THAT
I DON'T LIKE THE LOOK OF IT
OOMPA LOOMPA DOOMPADEE DAH
IF YOU'RE NOT GREEDY YOU WILL GO FAR
YOU WILL LIVE IN HAPPINESS TOO
LIKE THE OOMPA LOOMPA DOOMPADEE DO
DOOMPADEE DOO

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Much of the novels Roald Dahl wrote were for children, but they heavily drew off of his short story work (mainly earlier), which was very much not for children. Gruesome is the best way to describe most of these stories, and pretty much all of them are too much for young children. His children's books share similar themes, only masked behind some sleight of pen and euphemisms.

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Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple.

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The other four children were MEANT to parish

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“Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker”

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That said, you are right. I always thought that if anyone showed me a hoarde of orange midgets with green hair that he had "liberated" from "Loompaland" to work in his factory, I'd glock his ass faster than he could say, "Oompa Loompa Doopity Doo."

UN orders Wonka Inspections

tsk, tsk . . .

WIlly Wonka was gruesomely, awesomely, horribly fantastic . . . disturbing, thought provoking . . . yes, yes . . .

and such an icon of childhood when I was young - it was a big thing, the once a year showing . . . ahhhhh!!!!!