WONKA [2023] [Blu-ray] [2023 / 2024] [UK Release] Every Good Thing In This World Started With A Dream!
Based on the extraordinary character at the centre of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the jewel in the Roald Dahl crown and one of the bestâ€Âselling children’s books of all time. ‘WONKA’ tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolateâ€Âmaker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today. This irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chockâ€Âfull of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time — proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
FILM FACT: In October 2016, Warner Bros. Pictures reacquired the rights to the film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ [1964] character Willy Wonka from Roald Dahl's estate, with a film in development from producers David Heyman and Michael Siegel. The announcement of the project was met with a mostly negative response as it came less than two months following the death of Gene Wilder, who portrayed Willy Wonka in the 1971 film adaptation. The following month, David Heyman revealed that the project would not be a third straight adaptation of the book: “They've done two films, quite different. But it's possibly an origin of the story. We're just in the early stages of it, working with a writer called Simon Rich, which is wonderful.” In February 2018, it was announced Paul King was in negotiations to direct and ultimately decided against completing his ‘Paddington’ (2014) and ‘Paddington 2’ (2017) films, as he had been satisfied with his first two films and felt “it was time to let go and give somebody else a shot.” That year, it was revealed that the film would be a prequel to the events of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ Paul King grew up as a fan of both the book and the 1971 film adaptation and enjoyed Tim Burton's 2005 adaptation as an adult. “I was a bit nervous because origin stories don't always feel essential, and I was aware this is such a beloved property,” he said. Paul King's hiring as director, as well as the project's title, ‘WONKA’ was announced in January 2021. Principal photography began in the United Kingdom in September 2021, initially with Seamus McGarvey as cinematographer, Nathan Crowley as production designer Mark Everson as film editor, and Lindy Hemming as costume designer. Filming took place at historic Lyme Regis and Bath at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in Watford, and the Rivoli Ballroom in Brockley, London. By December, Seamus McGarvey exited as Korean film cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung replacing him. Additional scenes were shot in Oxford in December and February. Graham Page served as the visual effects supervisor, while Dominic Sidoli served as the visual effects producer. Visual effects vendors included Framestore, Outpost VFX, Goldcrest VFX, and Host VFX, providing over 1,163 shots. Neil Hannon, lead singer of the Divine Comedy, wrote the film's original songs, and the music score was composed by Joby Talbot. The soundtrack with the original songs and the composed score was released by WaterTower Music Record label on the 8th December, 2023.
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Gustave Die, Murray McArthur, Paul G. Raymond, Bertie Caplan, Isy Suttie, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Matilda Tucker, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, Calah Lane, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Freya Parker, Keegan-Michael Key, Jim Carter, Rakhee Thakrar, Natasha Rothwell, Rich Fulcher, Colin O'Brien, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Ellie White, Rufus Jones, Simon Farnaby, Susie Fairfax, Macie Blake, Charlotte Ritchie, Phil Wang, Bleu Woodward, Robyn Rose, Millie O’Connell, Hugh Grant, Ben Howard, Muzz Khan, Ian Bartholomew, Sophie Winkleman, Lola Shepelev, Michael Abubakar, Justin Edwards, Marina Bye, Tim Fitzhigham, Jane Bertish, Dominic Coleman, Tracy Ifeachor, Ellie Blake, Alison Pargeter, Malcolm J K Baker (uncredited), Nassie Barro (uncredited), Pierre Bergman (uncredited), Gianni Calchetti (uncredited), Anil Christie (uncredited), Rene Costa (uncredited), Grant Crookes (uncredited), Ramone Daley-Campbell (uncredited), Keir Donohoe (uncredited), Stanley Duventru-Huret (uncredited), Hayden Ellingworth (uncredited), Stephane Fichet uncredited), Luan Gallagher (uncredited), Matt Gibson (uncredited), Zafar Hashmi (uncredited), Joelle Stephanie Koissi (uncredited), Jessica Leigh (uncredited), Nick Owenford (uncredited), John Porter (uncredited), Richa Prakash (uncredited), Richard Price (uncredited), Alfredo Tavares (uncredited) and Edward Terry (uncredited)
Director: Paul King
Producers: Andrew Lary, Anthony Tittanegro, Alexandra Derbyshire, p.g.a., Bernie Hall, Cate Adams, David Heyman, p.g.a., Luke Kelly, Michael Siegel, Pete Chiappetta, Rob Silva, Rosie Alison and Tim Wellspring
Screenplay: Roald Dahl (characters created), Paul King (story / screenplay) and Simon Farnaby (screenplay)
Composer: Joby Talbot
Make-up and Hair Department: Alan Murphy (Prosthetics), Alex Lawton (Prosthetics: John Nolan Studio), Alice Batten-Jacobs (Prosthetics), Brendon Heath (Make-up Artist (uncredited) / Personal hair stylist) (uncredited), Charlotte Brooks (Make-up Artist) (uncredited), Chloe Muton-Phillips (Prosthetics Make-up Artist), Colum Mangan (Key Prosthetics Make-up Artist), David Darby (Prosthetics designer), Davide Losi (Prosthetics), Diana Estrada Hudson (Make-up Artist) (uncredited), Emily J Short (Crowd junior hair and Make-up Artist) (uncredited), Heather Manson (Make-up Artist) (uncredited), John Nolan (Special Make-up effects designer) (uncredited), Kristie Southcott (Prosthetics), Louise Dupin (Prosthetics), Louise Young (Make-up Artist: crowd), Martha Fein (Prosthetics), Rod Hamlin (Prosthetics), Sally Alcott (Prosthetics), Sam Ostwald (Prosthetics), Sarah Jo (Special Make-up Effects Artist) (uncredited), Sarah Rowland (Make-up Artist: daily, second unit) (uncredited), Sophie Rechtberger (Prosthetics Make-up FX), Stephen Murphy (Prosthetics Make-up Artist), Zosia Stella-Sawicka (Prosthetics), Adam James Phillips (Crowd hair stylist) (uncredited), Amy de Rees (Crowd hair and Make-up daily) (uncredited), Carmel Jackson (Hair and Make-up supervisor), Charlotte Clark (Hair and Make-up Artist), Cheryl Garvey (Hair and Make-up Artist), Chloë Pyne (Crowd hair stylist) (uncredited), Christine Whitney (Hair and Make-up supervisor), Dumebi Anozie (Hair and Make-up Artist: Tracy Ifeachor) (uncredited), Elaine Solomon (Hair and Make-up Artist), Emily Balazs (Crowd hair and Make-up trainee: daily) (uncredited), Emily Guyon (Crowd junior hair and Make-up Artist) (uncredited), Francesca Thomas (Contract crowd hair and Make-up trainee) (uncredited), Gemma Lowin (Crowd hair and Make-up trainee) (uncredited), Gillian Thomas (Hair and Make-up Artist), Grace O'Brien (Crowd hair and Make-up trainee: daily) (uncredited), Hafasa Ghate (Hair and Make-up Artist), Ivana Primorac (Hair and Make-up designer) (uncredited), Jade Levene-Endfield (Hair and Make-up Artist), Jason Lawrence (Hair and Make-up Artist) (uncredited), Jemma Carballo (Hair and Make-up supervisor: second unit), Jo Casserley (Crowd hair and Make-up Artist) (uncredited), John Fallows (Hair supervisor), Karen Dawson (Hair and Make-up Artist), Lacey Corbould (Crowd hair and Make-up Artist: daily), Lara Vujasevic (Hair and Make-up trainee) (uncredited), Laura Blount (Crowd hair and Make-up Artist: daily) (uncredited), Natasha Richards (Hair stylist) (uncredited), Natasha Stone (Hair and Make-up Artist), Niall Monteith-Mann (Hair and Make-up Artist), Nicole Milton (Hair and Make-up trainee) (uncredited), Olivia Barningham (Hair and Make-up Artist), Piotr Berkowicz (Crowd hair stylist) (uncredited), Poppy Haldar (Crowd hair and Make-up trainee: daily) (uncredited), Rachel Sweeney (Crowd junior hair and Make-up Artist) (uncredited), Ricci-Lee Berry (Hair and Make-up supervisor), Robb Crafer (Hair and Make-up supervisor), Samuel James (Wig maker) (uncredited), Shelley King (Hair and Make-up Artist), Sophia Weston (Hair and Make-up Artist: daily (uncredited), Sorcha Fisher (Junior hair and Make-up Artist) (uncredited), Suzanne David (Hair and Make-up Artist: Olivia Colman) (uncredited), Thalia Sparrow (Crowd hair and Make-up Artist) (uncredited) and Wendy Topping (Hair and Make-up Artist)
Costume Design: Lindy Hemming
Cinematography: Chung-hoon Chung (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio: English: 7.1 Dolby Atmos TruHD Audio
English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio Description
Spanish: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
Danish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Finnish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Norwegian: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Swedish: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish
Running Time: 116 minutes
Region: Region Free
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures / Village Roadshow Picture / Domain Entertainment / Roald Dahl Story Co. / Heyday
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘WONKA’ [2023] Starring Timothée Chalamet in the leading role of Willy Wonka, and we slowly see the story behind Willy Wonka unfold and discover how he came to own his chocolate factory. After experiencing his mother’s death as a child, Willy Wonka finds himself creating chocolate to share with the world in an effort to keep the memory of his mother with him. Willy Wonka travels to a city known for its chocolate, with dreams of opening his own shop, only to be thwarted by the evil chocolatiers who control the sales of all chocolate. We see Willy Wonka navigate his difficult journey with the help of some new friends along the way.
There is something magical in the way this film has been produced. Sitting at just shy of 2 hours long, it keeps you entertained with every minute and has something for everyone. Whether you grew up watching the original films or reading Roald Dahl books, or if you’re bringing a child to introduce to the world Roald Dahl, this is perfect. It even makes a few references to musicals, such as Les Misérables, for those theatre fans amongst the audiences. It has moments to make you smile and laugh, whilst also packing certain scenes and songs with enough emotion to get you tearing up.
It connects so brilliantly as a prequel to the “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” story. We always knew Willy Wonka as this character that was so magical and could do wonderful things but never understood why he did them or how he came to be that way. This film offers you that knowledge to satisfy the curious part of your brain as a child who just wanted to know more about him. Timothée Chalamet could not have been more perfect to take on the role of young Willy Wonka. With the expectations both Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp had created for this character, it felt like Timothée Chalamet had a lot to live up to and standards to please the public and he met them swimmingly, and yet still made the character every bit of his own. As the story predates the factory’s existence, he had the opportunity to show a fresh side to Willy Wonka before his fame and success, and that’s exactly what did.
Particular moments that stand out for me are the scenes shared between Willy Wonka and his new friend Noodle [Calah Lane]. The friendship they share is sweet as they confide in each other about their lives and the struggles they’re facing, whilst working out a way to escape Mrs Scrubit who keeps them and a few others trapped inside her hotel. To add to this Mrs Scrubit [Olivia Colman] equally appears similar to the previous character Miss Trunchball in her attitude towards Noodle, often throwing her in a place called “the coop” when Noodle fails to follow the rules. The film is littered with references to the original “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” story, but it’s not in your face obvious. They’re subtle enough that children may not notice them, but for those older viewers who read the book front to back many times, you will spot things that mimic events that happen in clever ways.
Willy Wonka even carries around the last chocolate bar created by his mom, a candy-maker who raised him in the jungle, and stares at it whenever he needs inspiration. We see flashbacks with Mama Wonka [Sally Hawkins], who's become a good luck charm for big-budget fantasies.
The main bad guys are a triumvirate of all-powerful businessmen Slugworth [Paterson Joseph], Prodnose [Matt Lucas], and Fickelgruber [Matthew Banton] who control the manufacturing and distribution of candy, keep the city's corrupt police force under their thumbs, including the chocoholic Chief of Police [Keegan Michael Key], and have gotten laws passed that make it almost impossible for anybody else to break into the business.
The central storyline of young Willy Wonka trying to succeed as a chocolatier is a template that often begins with an eager young man from the country stepping off a bus in a big city wearing an old suit and a tattered straw hat and carrying sticker-covered suitcases that get stolen they instant he sets them down. Willy Wonka is joined in this sudsy prison by his fellow tenants Abacus [Jim Carter], Lottie [Rakhee Thakrar], Piper [Natasha Rothwell], Mr. Chucklesworth [Rich Fulcher]. Everything else, however, seems powered by the movie’s adrenal glands, including Rowan Atkinson as the noxious Father Julius.
When it comes to the songs, they may not be the most memorable musical tunes ever; however, they are very fitting for this film. I didn’t find this to be overwhelming with music; it was a nice balance between having the musical numbers and then scenes to advance the plot. Having never heard Timothée Chalamet sing before, but I was pleasantly surprised by the soft and warming quality of his voice. It wasn’t always perfect, but given his character it never felt like it had to be. Some songs such as “You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This” and “Scrub Scrub” will be floating around in your head for days afterward, but others can fail to have that memorable quality. Long-time fans will be happy to hear the memorable sounds of “Pure Imagination” and of course the iconic “Oompa Loompa” song brought to life once again with a slight twist on them.
I think this film had the potential to either be amazing or completely ruin the magic that the original films created. I can happily say that the former option is true. Whilst it might not be perfect in every aspect, it is every part magical that it needed to be to succeed. The balance of emotion and humour sits in a wonderful place where you can experience both without one being more prominent than the other. If you’re looking for a cosy winter film that has something for everyone then look no further, because ‘WONKA’ is a must see magical film.
WONKA MUSIC TRACK LIST
PURE IMAGINATION (Lyrics written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley) [Performed by Timothée Chalamet]
OOMPA LOOMPA (Lyrics Written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley) [Performed by Hugh Grant]
A HATFUL OF DREAMS (Lyrics Written by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnaby and Paul King) [Performed by Timothée Chalamet]
YOU’VE NEVER HAD A CHOCOLATE LIKE THIS (Prelude) (Lyrics Written by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnaby and Paul King) [Performed by Timothée Chalamet]
SCRUB SCRUB (Lyrics Written by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnaby and Paul King) [Performed by Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Rakhee Thakrar, and Rich Fulcher]
SWEET TOOTH (Lyrics Written by Neil Hannon) [Performed by Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton and Keegan-Michael Key]
FOR A MOMENT (Lyrics Written by Neil Hannon) [Performed by Timothée Chalamet and Calah Lane]
YOU’VE NEVER HAD A CHOCOLATE LIKE THIS (Lyrics Written by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnaby and Paul King) [Performed by Timothée Chalamet and Cast]
A WORLD OF YOUR OWN (Lyrics Written by Neil Hannon, Simon Farnaby and Paul King) [Performed by Timothée Chalamet]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Picture, Domain Entertainment and Heyday presents us the film ‘WONKA’ with a wonderful colourful 1080p and is shown in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio. ‘WONKA’ is a film that offers a very distinctive picture image quality that gives us a wonderfully colourful and visually dynamic image. Hues are vibrantly rich and warm with strong primaries within a wide colour spectrum that exhibits finely nuanced hue shadings. Wonka's trademark maroon suit jacket is nicely saturated. Flesh tones are perfectly natural. Black levels are deep and nicely defined. Shadow delineation reveals superb depth, White levels light up the screen with beautiful dynamic intensity. Resolution is superb with the production design exhibiting fine object and structural textural detail. Costumes are colourful with excellent fabric detail. Facial features exhibit fine detail such as skin pores, lines, hair and moustaches. This is a vivid picture with a wonderful colour palette and excellent contrast is definitely reference quality.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Warner Bros. Pictures, Village Roadshow Picture, Domain Entertainment and Heyday brings us the film ‘WONKA’ with a 7.1 Dolby Atmos TruHD soundtrack experience and delivers superb fidelity and dynamics. As a musical fantasy, the music is a major sound element. The orchestral and choral score is forward sounding and whimsically lively. The singing is terrific as well as the dance numbers, and the recording extends wide and deep across the soundstage and the side channels. The music extends aggressively to the surrounds and creates an enveloping sound field with excellent dimension. Foley sound effects are perfectly synced to picture. Atmospherics sound realistic as do sound effects, which play a major element in the proceedings from nuances to loud sounds. Deep bass sounds natural, whether at the low end of the orchestral arrangements or as an enhancement to the sound effects. The most dramatic example is a ship explosion. Dialogue is intelligible throughout though a bit forward sounding at times, which has become the norm in sound design to enhance dialogue impact.
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Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Unwrapping WONKA: Paul King’s Vision [2023] [1080p] [2.40:1] [12:28] With this featurette, director Paul King takes us on a deep dive into his experience of adapting the beloved story of Willy Wonka and is a wonderful information piece on the overall making of the spectacular film, including the director placing the film in the 1948 period. We get to view lots of in-depth behind-the-scene on location filming . We also get to view lots of scenes from the film ‘WONKA.’ Everyone in this featurette say that everyone who were involved with ‘WONKA; were all honoured to be part of the film and that it was a joy to come to work on the film, and that they feel director Paul King has made a classic film and also a film we can all enjoy and generations to come. Contributors include: David Heyman [Producer], Matt Lucas [Prodnose], Alexandra Derbyshire [Producer], Paul King [Director], Keith Ferris [Propmaker], Jim Carter [Abacus Crunch], Keegan-Michael Key [Chief of Police], Timothée Chalamet [Willy Wonka], Mathew Baynton [Fickelgruber], Tom Davis [Bleacher], Rich Fulcher [Larry Chucklesworth], Rakhee Thakrar [Lottie Bell]
Special Feature: The Whimsical Music of WONKA [2023] [1080p] [2.40:1] [6:01] With this featurette, we once again get an in-depth look behind-the-scene of filming ‘WONKS.’ We also get to meet composer Joby Talbot and songwriter Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy take us into the studio to illuminate the craft behind the making of the film’s wondrous songs. We also get to view an in-depth look at the orchestra and conductor in the recording studio. They inform us that director Paul King has been a massive fan of The Divine Comedy and all of their work and on top of all that Paul King contacted Neil Hannon and formed a partnership, because Paul King feels Neil Hannon’s songs a very funny, tender and emotional, and Paul King also feels Neil Hannon can write songs that can live the spirit of author Roald Dahl. Neil Hannon says that he worshipped the song writing of Anthony Newley [Actor and singer-songwriter] and Leslie Bricusse [British composer and lyricist] and would hope to emulate them both with his songs in ‘WONKA,’ and Paul King was very happy with the lyrics that Neil Hannon came up for the film ‘WONKA’ and some of the cast and crew feels Neil Hannon and Simon Farnaby came up with lyrics that tells a story and harks back to the days of the old Hollywood musicals, and all in all it was a dream come true to be involved with the film ‘WONKA’ and feel it was really beautiful experience. They all say that Timothée Chalamet was totally brilliant with his singing, and especially the fact that he has never sang in a musical film, and they also say that Timothée Chalamet work ethic was totally brilliant. We also get to view lots of in-depth behind-the-scene filming of the film ‘WONKA.’ Once again we get to view lots of clips from the film ‘WONKA.’ Contributors include: Paul King [Director], Alexandra Derbyshire [Producer], Neil Hannon [Songwriter], James A. Taylor [Music Supervisor], Joby Talbot [Composer], Timothée Chalamet [Willy Wonka], Christopher Galletti [Choreographer], Jim Carter [ Abacus Crunch], Keegan-Michael Key [Chief of Police] and Mathew Baynton [Fickelgruber].
Special Feature: Welcome to WONKA Land [2023] [1080p] [2.40:1] [10:51] With this featurette, Production designer Nathan Crowley and the rest of the ‘WONKA’ crew discuss creating the magical set designs that transports us into the magical world of the 2023 film. Director Paul King says he grew up loving author Roald Dahl who he thought was a great writer especially through Paul King’s childhood and the first Roald Dahl book he read was “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” which was a paperback that he read it, read it and read it a dozen times until the pages started to fall out of the paperback book. A lot of them say they felt very lucky to be working with very talented artists who were working behind the camera and also feels it heightened the amazing image experience of all the fantastic built sets that were also built by the brilliant and talented set decorator Lee Sandales and their whole team as well and also made a really rich world, and they also felt the city in the movie was created in a sort of wonderful fairy tale city somewhere in the middle of Europe and also the greatest hits of Europe, and they also feel it takes its influences from English, French, German and Swiss architectures, but they also felt building the architectures on the backlog of the studio was the best option, and they also felt what was built was a total phenomenon and totally awesome, and they also felt what was built was a massive undertaking, but at the same time was also a lot of fun opulent playground for all the characters in the film, and was also totally whimsical, and they also said it was an absolute joy to make this fantasy world. We get to view lots of behind-the-scene filming of the workers building the massive sets. Contributors include: Paul King [Director], Alexandra Derbyshire [Producer], Timothée Chalamet [Willy Wonka], David Heyman [Producer], Lee Sandales [Set Decorator], Nathan Crowley [Production Designer], Keegan-Michael Key [Chief of Police], Tom Davis [Bleacher], Matt Lucas [Prodnose], Paterson Joseph [Slugworth], Rakhee Thakrar [Lottie Bell], Natasha Rothwell [Piper Benz], Jim Carte [Abacus Crunch] and Calah Lane [Noodle].
Special Feature: Hats Off to WONKA [2023] [1080p] [2.40:1] [6:47] With this featurette, we get to meet Welsh costume designer Lindy Hemming who details the amazing costumes we see in the 2023 film and breaks down the inspiration and intent behind each of the characters’ wonderful colourful costumes. They say that the work done by the costume department did was totally unbelievable. We also get to view a lot of the amazing colourful costume designs by Lindy Hemming who everyone thought was an extraordinary force of nature, and was hugely inspiring, and especially for the cloth designs for the Willy Wonka character and really enhanced the actor Timothée Chalamet. The actors Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton felt the costume designer Lindy Hemming felt their characters were enhanced when putting on their costumes designs by costume designer Lindy Hemming and they also felt the costumes were a sight to really behold and also so much fun to wear and again they felt they were completely transformed when they put on their costumes. They also felt that Lindy Hemming was a very talented and gifted costume designer. But on top of all that, they felt the people making the costumes were an extraordinary team of workers, and they think that when people come out of the cinema after seeing ‘WONKA’ they feel they will have seen something really special and totally unique. Contributors include: Alexandra Derbyshire [Producer], Paul King [Director], Timothée Chalamet [Willy Wonka], David Heyman [Producer], Mathew Baynton [Fickelgruber]. Matt Lucas [Prodnose], Keegan-Michael Key [Chief of Police] and Calah Lane [Noodle],
Special Feature: WONKA’s Chocolatier [2023] [1080p] [1. 2.40:1 [8:51] With this featurette, we take an in-depth look at all the chocolate we get to see in the film ‘WONKA’ and we get to meet master chocolatier Gabriella Cugno who has a huge passion for chocolate, creativity, and incredible flavour. Gabriella Cugno also talks of her recent place of work has taken her to the Warner Bros Studios UK to be the Chocolatier for the film ‘WONKA,’ where I designed and made the chocolates for the movie and found it a truly magical experience where I could combine my artistic background with chocolate. Gabriella Cugno also informs us of what she loves most about Chocolate is the incredible things that can be created with it! Chocolate brings so much joy to so many people, and for me, it is an entire experience, from opening the box, to the smell, and the burst of delicious flavour and texture. It is such a treat and I really love that my work allows me to share these experiences with others. But with this featurette, Gabriella Cugno provides an in-depth look at the crafting of some of the amazing 2,000 fully edible beautiful chocolate confections for the 2023 production and we also get to see Gabriella Cugno and her amazing demonstration of her wonderful culinary skills with her amazing ability in making the chocolates we get to see in the film ‘WONKA.’ With this featurette we get to see Gabriella Cugno gives an in-depth look on how some of her chocolates were made and Gabriella Cugno wanted to be very creative with her chocolates for the film ‘WONKA.’ One of the chocolate designs we get to see demonstrated was entitled “Hoverchoc” and over 400 were made for the film and Gabriella Cugno says it is a marvellous morsel, incredible edible, and is an exotic combination of purest Wonka chocolate, marshmallow, caramel and cherry and in the film the real secret lies at the centre: a microscopic hover-fly that beats its wings so powerfully it allows the consumer to float. Another chocolate that we get to view an in-depth demonstration Gabriella Cugno make is the “Big Night Out” which is a single chocolate that mimics a night on the town. The outer layer is champagne truffle. Then comes white wine, followed by red. That is when the singing and dancing starts. Next is a layer of whisky fudge, followed by some old port which prompts a deep lasting sleep. A tiny aspirin at the centre of the chocolate fizzes on the tongue causing the victim / consumer to wake up with a strange aftertaste of shame and regret, but come five o’clock they will want to do it all over again and Gabriella Cugno says it was one of her all-time favourite chocolate that she got to make. Another chocolate that we get to view an in-depth demonstration Gabriella Cugno make is the “Silver Lining” which is made of condensed thunder clouds and liquid sunlight, the Silver Lining helps you see that faint ray of hope beyond the shadow of despair. Side effects may include saying the word “huh” more often than normal. Another chocolate that we get to view an in-depth demonstration Gabriella Cugno make is the “Blue Flower” from which Willy Wonka takes a large bite in the film and each one took one day to make. Each had 250 to 300 petals individually stuck on and in the film ‘WONKA’ we see people’s hair turn a bright blue colour and Gabriella Cugno was keen to bring the chocolate “Blue Flower” to life, and when we see it up close, and it looks totally fantastic, and Gabriella Cugno also says that she had made 15 of the chocolate “Blue Flower” for the entire film, and I started to get nervous on the 11th take, but luckily we got it in the 13th take! We now get to see Gabriella Cugno goes in-depth in the making of the amazing “Giraffe Milk Macaroon” and it is really intriguing how this confectionary was made, and I feel Gabriella Cugno is a very talented lady and helped the film ‘WONKA’ be a very magical film and in the film they are made with the distilled milk of a giraffe; and this macaroon will restore your zeal and make you feel the tallest in the room. Say farewell to feeling small, and frightened of it all. With Willy Wonka’s “Giraffe Milk Macaroon” you’ll feel ten feet tall! We now get to see Gabriella Cugno goes in-depth in the making of the amazing famous “Noodle” chocolate we got to see in the film ‘WONKA’ and once again Gabriella Cugno shows us once again how it is a very intricate process in making this particulate chocolate “Noodle” and at the same time Gabriella Cugno goes in-depth in the making of the other amazing famous “Purple Flower” chocolate. As we get near to the end of this Gabriella Cugno featurette, Gabriella Cugno says it was the most totally magical creative experience working for the film ‘WONKA’ and was also a total experience for me as a Chocolatier [Chocolatier is a person or company who makes confectioneries from chocolate. Chocolatiers are distinct from chocolate makers, who create chocolate from cacao beans and other ingredients. They are pastry chefs or confectioners who specialize in chocolate and making chocolate candies. Chocolatiers work artisanally with ready-made chocolate mass and are therefore distinct from industrial chocolate makers]. Once again we get to view quite a few clips from the film ‘WONKA’ where people are eating the Willy Wonka chocolates and floating up in the air.
Special Feature: Musical Moments [2023] [1080p] [2.40:1] [30:40] With this featurette, we get to view a collection of the musical song numbers separated out from the actual film ‘WONKA’ and of course the musical song numbers are as follows: Hatful of Dreams [5:34]; Scrub Scrub 1 [1:37]; Sweet Tooth [2:07]; Scrub Scrub 2 [2:00]; For a Moment [2:53]; You've Never Had Chocolate Like This [3:50]; Oompa Loompa [0:59]; A World of Your Own [3:32]; Sorry Noodle [0:51]; Oompa Loompa 2 [0:21]; Pure Imagination [3:55] and Oompa Loompa [End Credits 1:00].
Finally, ‘WONKA’ [2023] is of course a musical set almost entirely in a fantasy town of chocolatiers with a large British supporting cast and hardly any appearances by small orange men with green hair. You have to start with Timothée Chalamet, he's quirky, and the film invites comparisons with Gene Wilder's interpretation. One of the few redeeming qualities is Hugh Grant as a sophisticated Oompa-Loompa. I loved the story, the energy, the laughs, and best of all, a killer performance from Timothée Chalamet, not quite sure I see him turning into Gene Wilder character. Olivia Colman is as always very good. As someone who grew up watching the Gene Wilder version, I have to admit I was slightly hesitant about this film especially after the lacklustre trailers. That being said, five minutes into the film I realised I was in for a delicious treat and Timothée Chalamet is a fantastic young Willy Wonka and I don't think any actor his age would've been able to pull it off like he did. Timothee Chalamet as an actor, I felt he cemented himself as one of the best of his generation if not the best in portraying a younger Willy Wonka. ‘WONKA’ is the only film in years that had me grinning pretty much the entire length of the film. I laughed; I cried and by the end of the film was filled with more joy than I have ever felt in a very long time. If that isn't enough information for you to purchase this brilliant Blu-ray disc, then I don't know what else to tell you. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
