Hello! It’s so nice to “see” you! Thank you for joining us today. Today we’ll be discussing 2 movies… well, more like comparing and contrasting between the 2 movies. Yep, you guessed it… the 2 movies will be the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and the Johnny Depp remake, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I love chocolate. I actually once visited a Hershey’s factory in California, many years ago. It was overwhelming, but so cool to see. Of course, it smelled like chocolate, and it smelled so good.
Anyway, moving on to our little discussion about the 2 movies. I did something very similar to this about 4 years ago when I was trying my hand at doing a movie blog. So, if any of my followers/supporters read my work from back then, you might notice some similarities. It won’t be exactly the same, but there will be some things that will sound vaguely familiar. If you’re just joining us, welcome! We’re glad to have you. I will be bringing up things that maybe went unnoticed or was never thought about. There may be times when you might think the same thing I am, but you just never talked about it. Heck, there may even be times I don’t realize something until I’m trying to describe something else… believe me that does happen.
So, shall we begin? I will start of by saying I do enjoy both versions of the movie. I didn’t like the Johnny Depp version at first, but the more I watched it, the more I grew to like it. At this moment, I don’t even remember why I didn’t like the Johnny Depp version at first. I guess it doesn’t matter now. I had a discussion with my brother recently, saying that if I could take bits and pieces of each movie, and turn it into one movie, that would be perfection. Now, when it comes to the role of Willy Wonka, I feel like Gene Wilder (the original), fits the part better. I think it’s because of the “mad scientist” type of thing, except he’s just inventing new recipes for candies and chocolates. However, I do find Johnny Depp to be funnier.
Now, if we could just take a little bit of Gene Wilder’s “mad scientist” and mix it with a little bit of humor from Johnny Depp, that would be one interesting character. When it comes to singing, I don’t know why Johnny Depp’s version didn’t have Willy Wonka singing. I liked the song Pure Imagination from the original movie. Was it written into the script that Willy Wonka wouldn’t be singing in Johnny Depp’s version? Or was it an actor’s choice? Does anybody really know? Maybe it was the production’s way of making it their own, but sticking to the same story line.
When it comes to the role of Augustus Gloop, I think the actors who portrayed him did a good job. I don’t have a preference on who I liked better. However, when it comes to the song… I know Oompa Loompa is classic/iconic, but I like the rhythm and beat of Augustus’s song in the remake. It was written specifically for that particular character which I thought was really cool and clever. Does anybody else have a different opinion on the character? Do you prefer one over the other? I think both were good, so if I were to recreate the movie myself, I’d pick either one of the two for the role of Augustus Gloop.
Before I move on, I will say that I do enjoy the songs for each kid better in the Johnny Depp version. Not only are the songs catchy, but each kid has a song made especially for them. I think it’s really clever that each kid has an original song. It’s like having their own theme song which I think is interesting. Yes, I know Oompa Loompa can be catchy, too, however it’s always the same… of course the things change to fit that particular character. But, with each kid having their own beat, rhythm, and lyrics… that’s pretty neat.
Okay, moving on to Violet Beauregarde. I personally don’t have a preference between the two. I think they were both good, but if I had to pick, I’m leaning a little bit more towards the original Violet. I can’t quite put my finger on why, though. I’m racking my brain trying to think of why. I think it’s more of an image thing. When I’m picturing Violet Beauregarde, I’m seeing the original in my head. Although, I thought it was interesting how the Oompa Loompas were jumping and doing tricks and stuff on the second Violet. I don’t remember them doing that in the original. Of course, that may be more of an Oompa Loompa thing than a Violet thing. To each his own, I suppose.
Next, we have Miss Veruca Salt. When I was talking to my brother about it, we both agreed that both versions of Vercua were really good. Both were bratty, spoiled, obnoxious… in other words, they did what they were supposed to do. So, if I were to recast and do my own version, I’d pick either one. I know that character was written to be annoying and unlikable, but man the actresses who played that part did a good job, because I seriously don’t like that character in any way. Of course, a good portion of the credit goes to the writing… but those actresses made it jump off the page. They brought that annoying, spoiled thing to life. Does anyone else have a different opinion? I’m curious to see what you think.
Okay, now we have Mike Teevee. I will have to say, hands down, the original Mike is the best. Would you like to know why? Well, I’d be happy to share. In the remake, with Johnny Depp, Willy Wonka mentions to Mike that he needs to speak more clearly, or that he shouldn’t mumble. However, in my opinion, Mike Teevee is speaking rather clearly. I can understand every word he says. Now, when it comes to the original Mike, there are times where he is hard to understand. Not only does the original Mike talk fast he also has a bit of a lisp, so he can be hard to understand at some points. Therefore, it makes more sense for those Willy Wonka lines, to fit better with the original Mike Teevee. For those of us who have seen both versions, do we agree?
Ahh, Charlie Bucket… what can we say about Charlie Bucket? I don’t have any issues with either one. They are both cute, they are both sweet. How do you choose between the two? I mean, what’s not to like about the two boys who play Charlie Bucket? They were both perfect for the role. Casting did a really good job finding the two perfect actors for the role of Charlie. If I were to create it myself, I would take bits and pieces of the two of them… I just don’t know what though. Although, I do like how Charlie had brown hair in the second version, so I might keep that part. Other than that, I’m not sure what I would do.
Moving on to the last character I will be talking about… Grandpa Joe. I will say that I do like the original Grandpa Joe the best. He made it more believable that he had been stuck in a bed for years. Watching him trying to get up had some humor to it, where the new Grandpa Joe just jumped right out of bed without struggle. To me that’s not realistic. It could be that the movie makers wanted it that way for a laugh. But for me it just doesn’t make any sense. Plus, I do like the song Grandpa Joe sings in the original version, after he’s up and standing. However, it was pretty cool to see a flashback of Grandpa Joe, in the remake, working at the factory. But I would still choose the original grandpa if I were to recast it myself.
Now that I’m thinking about it, I feel like the original movie was more of a musical than the remake. Think about it for a second… in the original Grandpa Joe has a song, Charlie’s mom has a song Cheer Up Charlie, Wonka has a song or two, then of course there’s the Oompa Loompas singing for each of the 4 kids. In the new version, I can only think of songs being from the Oompa Loompas about: Augustus, Violet, Veruca, and Mike. That is interesting to think about. I hadn’t thought about it until just now. Maybe I’ll have to go back and rewatch both of them just to double check. Maybe I’ll find something new when I rewatch them. Did you notice that or think anything of it?
Hmm, anyway, thank you for joining us on a slightly longer post than usual today. I hope to “see” you all again soon. Take care.
Hanging with Kristina 