Wonka is a spin-off movie about Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s Willy Wonka, the chocolate maker, specifically based off of the 1971 movie. Throughout the movie we discover how Willy Wonka became the world’s best chocolate maker and what hardships he went through to get to that point. We witness him making friendships and discovering his never-before-told past.

While the majority of Wonka is focusing on him trying to open his first ever chocolate factory, there is a huge emphasis on friendship and finding a family. When Willy Wonka first arrives at the city he plans on making his chocolate shop at, he realizes that the little money he has doesn’t last long in a busy city, so he stays at a run down cheap hotel which he later finds out is a scam run by greedy owners. Having to work off his debt, he meets four other people who were caught, too: a  plumber, a telephone talker, a comedian, and a lawyer, as well as a little girl named Noodle.. Over time, Willy Wonka learns to call them friends and eventually family, as he shares the last ever chocolate bar his mom ever made him with them. 

Ever since reading the beloved children's book in early elementary, many kids wonder the same thing: How did Willy Wonka come to make chocolate? And while the way he makes his chocolate and the ingredients are explained, the why is never touched upon. This movie dives into how Willy Wonka became who he was and how he became who he was in the book. Wonka goes into his rivalry with Slugworth and how he came to dislike Willy Wonka and his want to steal his chocolate. The movie also goes into how he makes some of his impossible desserts and how he started the giant factory found in the book, as well.

While the movie was good, there are some inaccuracies and just plain strange things shown throughout. For example, in the book and movie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it is told that the Oompa Loompas came to work for Willy Wonka through a meeting with the chief Oompa Loompa. It says that in exchange for their help making the chocolate, Willy Wonka would give them protection from all the predators that threaten and chase after the Oompa Loompas. In Wonka, however, Willy Wonka steals cocoa beans and the Oompa Loompa that was guarding them, gets kicked out, and they eventually find and help Willy Wonka. Now, we all know that Rald Dahl’s books all have a factor of weirdness added to them, like Matilda gluing her dad’s hat to his head or the ever disgusting snozzcumbers the BFG eats, however this movie takes the cake. There is one scene where Willy Wonka has to milk a giraffe, which is very weird. Watching that scene right next to the seven year old you took with you is very awkward. 

Overall, Wonka was a very good movie that talked about friendship, family, and how to let go of your past. It had lovable characters and things that brought out the joy in children. It was very much based off of Roald Dahl’s writing and silly style and is making me want to re-explore the books that brought me so much joy as a young child. I recommend this movie to everyone, young and old, as it will start to bring out the child in you, too.