In the new film “Wonka,” Timothée Chalamet captivates you as he takes you hand in hand on the journey of Willy Wonka: a naïve, ambitious chocolatier with a “hatful of dreams.” The young Willy Wonka befriends others with his imaginative and delicious chocolate and keeps them around with his charm along the way to reinventing the world of chocolate itself.
The musical follows young Wonka, who dreams of opening his own chocolate shop in the most sumptuous gallery that contains the most exquisite chocolates in the world. He has everything he needs: the finest, rarest ingredients from faraway places, the most exotic, never-seen-before chocolates, and a longing to recreate a feeling from his childhood.
Unfortunately, with no place to stay, the naïve Wonka is scammed and imprisoned just for a place to sleep. Also, the craze for his impeccable chocolates is not met kindly by the former chocolatiers, as they lose customers.
Of course, this does not stop the aspiring chocolatier. With the help of new, quality friends who believe in him and his dream, he might be able to make his mom proud.
My cousin, with whom I saw the movie, said this: “I think the movie was very inspirational, especially for the younger audience, because of the main theme that dreams can come true. Also, the message that you’re not alone in this world and friendship is priceless.”
The movie was uplifting, wondrous, and joyous. Timothée enchanted the audience with his voice and brought life to young Wonka and the movie’s soundtrack.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the director of “Wonka,” Paul King, stated he offered Chalamet the role without an audition because he’s “‘great and he was the only person in [King’] mind who could do it.’”
Additionally, King remarked he saw Chalamet’s “‘high school musical performances’” on YouTube and knew “‘that he could sing and dance really well,’” and continued to say, “‘I knew that was in his arsenal, but I didn’t know how good he was.’”
After seeing the movie for myself, I agree with King. Chalamet brought life to his character and the movie as a whole, which a different actor may not have been able to achieve.
Moreover, though the movie is cheesy in parts and may not line up perfectly with the mysteries of the original, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” it is worth watching. It takes you into a fantastical world of sweets where things always turn out right. You are bound to leave the theater with a smile on your face.
Want to feel immersed in the world of Wonka? Before you go, stop at IHOP and grab a bite off the Wonka-inspired menu!
For drink options, there is the Dreamy Lemonade and the Scrumdiddlyumptious Strawberry Hot Chocolate.
"Prickly pear-flavored lemonade served with a cream cheese icing rainbow sprinkle rim and topped with a cloud of cotton candy."
(IHOP)
"Hot chocolate flavored with strawberry syrup, topped with whipped topping, a drizzle of chocolate sauce and gold glitter sugar."
(IHOP)
The lemonade is typically a pear flavor, but the location I visited was out of that syrup, so they used strawberry flavoring instead. The cotton candy was incredibly sweet, but the lemonade tasted like any other strawberry lemonade.
The strawberry hot chocolate was topped with gold glitter to bring the magic alive. I was expecting a robust and offputting strawberry flavor, but instead, it was faint and tolerable. I really enjoyed this one!
As for food options, the menu offers the Daydream Berry Biscuit, Hoverchoc Pancake Tacos, and WONKA’s Perfectly Perfect Pancakes.
"Warm and flaky buttermilk biscuit split and filled with creamy cheesecake mousse, a mixed berry topping, topped with purple cream cheese icing & powdered sugar."
(IHOP)
"3 silver dollar chocolate pancakes folded and filled with chocolate chips, cheesecake mousse, sliced strawberries, and a chocolate drizzle. Served with extra strawberries on the side."
(IHOP)
"4 purple buttermilk pancakes layered with creamy cheesecake mousse & topped with purple cream cheese icing, whipped topping & gold glitter sugar."
(IHOP)
First up is the berry biscuit. I found the biscuit quite dry and the berries way too sour, but my cousin enjoyed it.
The pancake tacos were delicious, but only in small amounts. The cheesecake mousse was my favorite, but everything was so sugary I could only take so much.
If you are going to try anything off the menu, this is the one: WONKA’s Perfectly Perfect Pancakes. The cheesecake mousse mixed with the pancakes and whipped cream, with a dash of gold glitter for a little extra magic, perfectly represented the wonder-filled “Wonka” film.
So, run to IHOP, share a bite with a friend from the Wonka menu, and then head to the theater to ensure you don’t miss out on experiencing Wonka’s world of magic on the big screen!
All images from Google unless indicated otherwise.