Aren’t you a little short for an Ompah Loompah?

Before distributing golden tickets to his infamous chocolate factory, a twenty-something Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) arrives in the big city with a pocket full of change, a coat full of holes, and a hat full of dreams, intent upon selling his most-unusual and unique chocolate to anyone and everyone. Opposed to a bright new competitor are a consortium of established chocolatiers — Ficklegruber (Mathew Baynton), Prodnose (Matt Lucas), and Slugworth (Patterson Joseph) — who rule their businesses through bribes, conspiracy, and deception. Innocent at heart and ever-willing to believe in basic human goodness, Willy immediately falls prey to the machinations of Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Coleman), but his misfortune exposes him to fellow-victims-turned-future-friends like a girl named Noodle (Calah Lane). Ever able to make the best of a terrible situation, Willy sets out to fix his own problems and those of anyone willing to help him, but will the skills of an inventor, a magician, and a chocolate-maker be enough to make everyone’s dreams come true?

“Come with me, and you’ll be, in a world of OSHA violations…” (okay, you’ve heard it). Sung by the late Gene Wilder (with the correct lyrics) for the first musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory wasn’t a hit in theaters but gained a following after broadcast television specials aired annually for years afterward. Director Mel Stuart often didn’t tell his actors what was about to happen, capturing their actual reactions to the insanity; Wilder reportedly required an opening scene where he limps forward, falls, and summersaults back up, establishing Wonka as a man of mystery and even a bit sinister. While the 2005 Tim Burton/Johnny Depp reimagining from the book was a mild success, fans of Wilder’s version remained steadfast and nostalgic. No one in particular clamored for a musical “Willy Wonka begins” prequel, yet here we are, waiting to see Timothée Chalamet can at least appear competent in Gene Wilder’s shadow under the direction of Paul King. There’s nothing else like it in theaters for the 2023 holiday season, but does this would-be treat offered by Warner Bros. Discovery taste bitter or sweet?

With no factory yet to speak of, Willy inexplicably attempts to set up shop in the one city ruled by a chocolatier mafia enforced by sweet-toothed officials like Keegan-Michael Key as Chief of Police and an underutilized Rowen Atkinson as Father Julius; never heard of starting small, kid? Like a remake of Oliver Twist set almost a century later, the borrowed story elements are sprinkled with enough nostalgia to feel like a Wonka story once the music starts, which is to say immediately. There’s an innocence to this Willy and his world view, believing in basic human goodness (especially in those he shouldn’t), but he gets by with the right allies, exotic recipes, and a little luck. As a Broadway show made for the big screen, it pushes the right buttons of hope, nostalgia, and comeuppance in a year when Godzilla and Oppenheimer are destroying the planet, so a little hope isn’t a bad thing.

Any semblance of magic in 1971 only appeared inside the chocolate factory, but Chalamet’s title character carries his magic with him wherever he goes thanks to modern VFX. The production employs many of the elements Robert Downey Jr’s Dolittle included but happily with far less toilet humor (although none would have been preferred). With nary a toothbrush in sight and filled with one-note characters easy for younger family members to follow, Wonka gets by on Chalamet’s charm and subtle lessons like the importance of being literate. Amazingly, Hugh Grant’s Ompah Loompah is a better effect and more entertaining than the trailers suggest as a foil and future collaborator for the enterprising Willy. While every sung note may not be pitch perfect, the film works overall and could be an end-of-year success for folks looking for something new and lighthearted, especially among all the re-releases try to fill empty screens.

It could be argued Chalamet is the “Charlie” version of Willy Wonka — a hard-working innocent unaware some folks don’t deserve second or more chances — while Wilder played the adult Wonka looking for something of his old self when the last golden ticket is found. Toward the end of this prequel, one can see Timothy evolving into the “feed them all the rope they need to hang themselves with” version who does not suffer fools. Viewers forget much of “Curmudgeon Wonka” was an act to weed out the unworthy, but it’s nice to meet the Willy who believed in invention, magic, and sweets long before hiding away from a cold, cruel, and unforgiving world.

Wonka is rated PG for some violence, mild language, thematic elements, and eating way too much chocolate.

Three skull recommendation out of four