Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Gene Wilder, as the iconic on-screen Willy Wonka from Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, plays a mistrusting, volatile chocolate manufacturer who hides five Golden Tickets in his famous Wonka Bars. The lucky ticket finders are invited to Wonka’s mysterious factory tour, where fantastical exuberance and unpredictable happenings unfold. Director Mel Stuart emphasizes the Wonka Bar’s importance through the film’s color palette: the bright orange wrapper, beautifully realized in Technicolor distribution prints at the time of its release, pops in contrast to young Charlie’s drab grey surroundings. The original “Wonka Bar” prop is now on view in the Academy Museum’s Color in Motion exhibition.
Gene Wilder, as the iconic on-screen Willy Wonka from Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, plays a mistrusting, volatile chocolate manufacturer who hides five Golden Tickets in his famous Wonka Bars. The lucky ticket finders are invited to Wonka’s mysterious factory tour, where fantastical exuberance and unpredictable happenings unfold. Director Mel Stuart emphasizes the Wonka Bar’s importance through the film’s color palette: the bright orange wrapper, beautifully realized in Technicolor distribution prints at the time of its release, pops in contrast to young Charlie’s drab grey surroundings. The original “Wonka Bar” prop is now on view in the Academy Museum’s Color in Motion exhibition.
