Johnny Depp plays candy maker Willy Wonka.  Influences for his bizarre performance include Captain Kangaroo and Fred Rogers.  

Preview by Christopher Vetter

he last time Director Tim Burton remade a classic film from the seventies, he chose Planet of Apes. The result was painful. Replacing Moses with the leader of the Funky Bunch, viewers found themselves rooting for the monkeys to shave a few minutes off the running time. Roddy McDowall, who passed away in 1998, actually rose from the grave to condemn the remake, jamming his cold, dead thumb into the soil.

The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry offers Portland audiences one of the largest screens in the world for viewing the film

Fortunately, Burton learned something from the experience. His remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a worthy successor to the 1971 original. Gene Wilder originated the role of eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka, though the film was a box office disappointment. After three decades in syndication, however, the film is a phenomenal success, introducing families across the globe to Oompa-Loompas, chocolate rivers, glass elevators, edible wallpaper, Everlasting Gobstoppers, and the potentially fatal consequences of being an obnoxious child. Despite a different ending and new musical numbers, the story is essentially the same. A desperately poor English waif named Charlie Bucket wins one of five golden tickets, allowing him entry into the world-famous Wonka Chocolate Factory. Along with his grandfather, Charlie embarks on an adventure of discovery, testing his character and potential.

ohnny Depp is delightfully creepy as Wonka. His previous collaborations with Burton include Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, and Edward Scissorhands. In all these films, Depp is strongly iconoclastic, playing a character that marches to the beat of his own drummer. In an Associated Press interview, Johnny Depp discussed his special relationship with Burton. “Early on for Edward Scissorhands we had this great meeting and somehow we connected. I never expected that he would cast me in that role. I never expected that he would take the risk which was a really big risk at that time. He just did and somehow there is this kind of mutual understanding of things, and a mutual fascination with people, human beings, weirdness, character flaws, human tics and all of that stuff. I watched the original Willy Wonka when I was a kid. I ended up watching it with my kids, up until it was time for me to play the role of Willy Wonka. When my kids would put the DVD in, I would run to the next room because I didn't want to be influenced at all. I was really conscious about making sure I went to a different area than Gene Wilder. I loved his character. I loved Willy Wonka as a kid. He was the best thing in it for sure.”

Intense colors, spectacular sets, visionary computer effects, and larger-than-life performances demand a larger-than-life screen for enjoying Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Critics have a sweet tooth for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The film earned an 83% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, the Internet site that ranks films according to a consensus of critical opinion. Rolling Stone writer Peter Travers calls the film a “twisted treat for children of all ages.” Critic Scott Weinberg raves that Charlie is “a perfect example of how to take a well-established tale and re-tell it for a whole new generation.”

harlie and the Chocolate Factory is visually stunning and should be seen in a theater. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry offers Portland audiences one of the largest screens in the world for viewing the film, the five-story OMNIMAX dome, located inside the museum on Water Avenue. IMAX movies use film frames ten times larger than 35mm motion pictures. The oversized image places audiences in the center of the action, including a 15,000 watt digital surround sound system. Intense colors, spectacular sets, visionary computer effects, and larger-than-life performances demand a larger-than-life screen for enjoying the film. Expect the first several performances to sell out, but wait to see the movie at OMSI even if it means a delay. You will be rewarded with one of the great movie experiences of your life.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The IMAX Experience shows at noon, 3:15pm, 7:00pm, and 9:15pm.  OMSI may add additional shows due to heavy demand for tickets.  Call the OMNIMAX Information Line at (503) 797-4640 for additional information.



The new version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory features an update on the Oompa Loompa.  These vertically-challenged factory workers periodically break into song for no apparent reason.