The VERY Messed Up Origins of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Jon Solo・49 minutes read
Early drafts of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" underwent significant changes before its final published form, with two films adapting the book differently. Recently, revisions by Puffing Books and sensitivity readers altered Roald Dahl's works significantly, particularly affecting the iconic Oompa Loompas and sparking controversy.
Insights
- The film adaptations of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" from 1971 and 2005 differ in their focus and interpretation, with one emphasizing Willy Wonka's character while the other aims for a faithful representation of the book.
- Recent revisions to Roald Dahl's works by sensitivity readers and Puffing Books have significantly altered the original texts, removing descriptors related to age, weight, mental health, and gender, impacting the colorful characters' vividness and leading to controversy.
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Recent questions
How did the film adaptations of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" differ?
The 1971 film focused on Willy Wonka, while the 2005 version aimed for a faithful representation of the book.
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Summary
00:00
Evolution of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"
- The origins of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" underwent significant changes from Roald Dahl's original manuscript to its final published form.
- A prequel movie about Willy Wonka, the famous candy maker, is in the works, with Timothee Chalamet set to play the character.
- Two film adaptations of the book, one from 1971 and the other from 2005, differ due to the distinct visions of their directors, Mel Stewart and Tim Burton.
- The 1971 film titled "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" focused heavily on the character of Willy Wonka, while the 2005 adaptation by Tim Burton aimed for a more faithful representation of the book.
- The poverty of Charlie Bucket's family, as depicted in the book, is faithfully portrayed in both film adaptations, with minor differences in the sleeping arrangements of the grandparents.
- The character of Mr. Bucket, who works at a toothpaste factory, is alive and well in the book but is portrayed differently in the two film adaptations.
- Charlie's love for chocolate and the proximity of the chocolate factory to his home are key elements in the story, depicted in both films.
- The introduction of the golden ticket contest by Willy Wonka leads to a frenzy as people search for the tickets, portrayed humorously in both films.
- The winners of the golden tickets, including Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, and Mike Teavee, are introduced in the same order in both the book and the films.
- Charlie's stroke of luck in finding the final golden ticket sets the stage for his miraculous journey to the chocolate factory, with Grandpa Joe joining him on the adventure.
14:04
Wonka's Factory Tour: Dahl vs. Film
- Wonka is described as wearing a black top hat, a tailcoat of plum-colored velvet, bottle green trousers, pearly gray gloves, and a gold-topped walking cane.
- Wonka's appearance in the book is closer to Gene Wilder's portrayal than Johnny Depp's, with the choice of a purple coat avoided to prevent confusion.
- Wonka warmly welcomes his winners and leads them through a maze of corridors to the heart of the factory, which is underground due to space constraints.
- The iconic contract scene from the 1971 film is absent, replaced by a journey through the factory's corridors.
- The chocolate room is described as a lovely valley with green meadows, a chocolate river, and transparent silver pipes mixing chocolate by waterfall.
- The guests are amazed by the chocolate room, with the Wilder movie better conveying their awe compared to Burton's visually impressive version.
- The Oompa Loompas are described in the book as tall African people who love cocoa beans and work in the factory in exchange for them.
- Roald Dahl redesigned the Oompa Loompas after concerns of racial insensitivity, changing their appearance and origin to Loompa Land.
- The Oompa Loompas in Burton's adaptation resemble Dahl's original vision more closely, despite the changes made for sensitivity.
- The tour continues with the group exploring the chocolate room, witnessing Augustus Gloop's mishap in the chocolate river, and the Oompa Loompas' involvement.
27:46
Tim Burton's Squirrel Training in Wonka Film
- Tim Burton's adaptation of the movie involved training 40 squirrels over 5 months to deshell walnuts, with CGI used to enhance numbers but close-up shots being real.
- Veruca Salt, a spoiled child in the story, tries to take a trained squirrel as a pet, leading to the squirrels tossing her into a garbage chute.
- In the original book and Burton's film, the scene involves Veruca being deemed a "bad egg" and thrown down a chute after a tantrum.
- Willy Wonka showcases his Great Glass Elevator to the remaining ticket winners, allowing access to every room in the factory.
- Mike TV, a character, is shrunk in the television room using Wonka Vision, needing to be stretched back to normal size.
- In the book and Burton's movie, Charlie is revealed as the winner, contrasting with the Wilder film where he loses.
- Grandpa Joe's anger leads to Charlie returning a Gobstopper, revealing it was a test of honesty by Wonka.
- Charlie is chosen as Wonka's heir in the Wilder film, while in the book and Burton's movie, he is rewarded with a candy store.
- Early drafts of the story featured a different plot, with Charlie being encased in chocolate and witnessing burglars breaking into Wonka's house.
- The alternate ending in the early drafts sees Charlie owning a candy store, with a metaphorical racial symbolism highlighted by Roald Dahl's wife, Felicity Dahl.
41:32
Controversial Revisions: Dahl's Works Altered Drastically
- In early 2023, Dahl's Publishing Company, Puffing Books, began revising editions of Roald Dahl's works in the UK, allowing for extensive changes to be made to the original texts.
- Puffing Books partnered with Inclusive Minds, enabling sensitivity readers to alter, add, replace, or delete words or phrases deemed insensitive, resulting in hundreds of modifications to Dahl's works.
- Descriptions relating to characters' age, weight, mental health, and gender were removed or altered, significantly changing the colorful characters in Dahl's stories to a dull shade of gray.
- The revisions particularly affected the Oompa Loompas, with descriptors like "poor little fellow looking thin and starved" being removed, leaving vague and uninformative descriptions in their place.
- Roald Dahl had made changes to the Oompa Loompas in the past to distance them from real-world racial issues, but the recent revisions by sensitivity readers removed any visual descriptions, hindering readers' ability to imagine these unique characters.
- Despite Dahl's wishes for no changes to be made to his works after his death, Puffing Books proceeded with revisions, claiming to maintain the original spirit of the texts while making significant alterations, sparking controversy and backlash.
