Willy Wonka

Charlie and Chocolate Factory  – Johnny Depp version

Some of the points can be used from the original (and in my view, much better!) movie, ‘Willy Wonka: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ with Gene Wilder.

Jonny Depp puts in the performance as the eccentric and immature Willy Wonka, a man not gifted at relating to children and one who is slightly bizarre. As good as the original movie? I’d say not, but there are several points we can bring from the movie. If you don’t have the latest movie, some of these points are good for using the old movie with Gene Wilder.

1. Faith – Charlie and Grandpa Joe have faith that Charlie will find one of the golden tickets. This faith is tested when he originally doesn’t find a ticket and hears that all the tickets have been found. However, Charlie realises his dream when he finds a ticket. Sometimes we have to persist in our dreams and in faith, even when hope seems lost. (Hebrews 11). 

Faith – You can also illustrate the point of ‘faith’ in the TV room, when Willy sends a piece of chocolate into the TV screen. Willy Wonka says, ‘go on, take it’ to Mike TV, who doesn’t take it, telling Willy Wonka it’s impossible. So he says the same to Charlie. Charlie reaches in and gets the chocolate, acting in faith.

(The clip is found just after the group enter the ‘TV room’ and Willy Wonka has demonstrated the chocolate being beamed into the TV. It’s around 20 mins before the end of the movie. If you know the story, you’ll know where to find it!) 

2. Selfishness – We find that one by one the other children fail (or fall) due to their own selfishness. Willy Wonka appears to have set specific ‘traps’ in order to test the children, and they all fail except Charlie. We can also say that satan attacks us in our areas of weakness, and we need to protect ourselves in these areas especially, with the Word of God and prayer. You can illustrate any of the children going wrong (eg Augustus Gloop falling into the chocolate river) 

3. Facing up to your past (not in the original movie) – Willy Wonka feels there’s something missing inside of him and this stems back to family problems, with a broken relationship with his Father. He confronts this and rebuilds the relationship with his Father. Other points to note here, is that Charlie accompanies Willy when he journeys to visit his dad. Sometimes we need to help someone else, or be helped. 

We can also illustrate the point that all of us have had a broken relationship with our Father in heaven – and that we need to accept Jesus in order to restore this relationship. 

You could also use this clip to look at the fact that we can be restored to our family, in a positive sense. 

(The clip is found right at the end of the movie, around 8 mins before the end. The start clip will be when we find Willy Wonka having his shoes polished (by Charlie) and ends with Willy’s restoration with his father.)

4. Jealousy – the children (except Charlie) are jealous and competitive to win, especially the 2 girls. Best clip for this is as the children enter the chocolate factory and push in front of each other to introduce themselves to Willy Wonka. 

5. Family – Charlie has a strong family and this means a lot. Despite their poverty, they love and care for each other and support each other. 2 clips. Firstly, when Charlie gets given a wonka bar for his birthday by his parents. He insists on sharing it with everyone. Second clip is when he has ‘won’ the ‘contest’ with Willy Wonka and him and they arrive at the family home (by crashing through the roof!) and Willy offers Charlie the chance to take overt the factory. Charlie asks if he can bring his family. When Willy says no, Charlie says that he’d rather stay with his family.