“Who can take a sunrise, Sprinkle it in dew Cover it in chocolate, and a miracle or two? The candy man… The candy man can… The candy man can ‘cause he mixes it with love and makes the world taste good…” The first question that crossed my lips upon hearing that director Tim Burton was going to remake yet another classic film, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, was, “Why?” I’m a huge fan of the original, flaws and all and consider Gene Wilder’s performance to be one of the best and most memorable of his career. What would be the point in re-making a film that is so beloved by so many? Of course, the same question was raised when Burton went bananas and attempted to remake… excuse me… I mean ‘RE-IMAGINE’ “Planet of the Apes.”

His version of the film offered some of the coolest ‘ape-man’ makeup, but lost was the soul of what made the original so great. Burton’s was all flash and little substance. Still, if anyone could ‘re-imagine’ Roald Dahl’s original story of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, Burton seemed the one to do it. After all, the garishness of the factory presented in Dahl’s book (and original film) seems right up Burton’s alley.

I even became intrigued when I read that Johnny Depp was set to step into the shoes of the great candy man. After all, I still consider Depp to be one of the greatest lead character actors of modern times, able to immerse himself into completely into a role. I respected the fact that he wanted challenge himself with part that demanded he created a fully developed character and not just rely on his good looks.

So while I passed on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” in theatres, I was eager to see what the team of Burton and Depp had in store for audiences. So when the DVD showed up on my desk, I planned a night where I could watch it, then follow it up with the original Gene Wilder film (in order to do a little comparison, where appropriate). But I ended up only watching this new one. I thought to be fair, I had to disassociate it from the original.

At first glance, Tim Burton’s version of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” seems like a carbon copy of the original film, but in reflection there are many differences. AS for the comparisons, the factory interior looks very similar and the representation of the children who win the Golden Tickets are exactly the same. There are even Oompa Loompas in abundance, except that they are all played by one actor. The main difference between the two films lies in the focus. Where “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” revolves around Charlie, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” actually centers more on the character of Wonka (which seems a bit ironic when looking at the titles).

Tim Burton’s celebrates the eccentric that is Willy Wonka, going so far so to create a back story for him to ‘explain’ some of his eccentricities. We are introduced to his overbearing father (the great Christopher Lee) and can see the effect he had on young William. There is also the matter of Depp’s interpretation of Wonka, which is a far cry from that of Gene Wilder. Each delivers a Wonka that is without a doubt a bit deranged, but Depp’s is frighteningly psychotic. There have been a lot of critics who have said his performance evoked a feeling of watching Michael Jackson at home. And while I can see a little bit of that, I disagree that it totally envelopes the character.

As young Charlie, Freddie Highmore is reunited with Johnny Depp after their tremendous work in “Finding Neverland.” As a matter of fact, Depp was so taken with his performance in that film, that he suggested Highmore to Burton. He was perfect as Charlie and brought a natural sweetness to the role that was quite reminiscent, if not wholly different from that of Peter Ostrum.

Warner Brothers is releasing the DVD this week in both a single and double disc version. I had the opportunity to check out the double disc version, and let me tell you the movie looked amazing. As you might expect, this movie requires a palette of colors that would make a leprechaun go blind (see if you can catch the reference…) and Warner made sure that this DVD release offered a crystal clear presentation.

The double disc version also offers a tremendous amount of extra features, so this is the direction I suggest going if you decide to pick up a copy. Though I have to mention that most of these extra features are not normal or run of the mill. The absolute best of these is a lengthy tribute to the late author Roald Dahl, which features interviews with friends and a good portion of the Dahl family. There is also a look at actor Deep Roy’s experience being turned into multiple Oompa Loompas as well as a hysterical look at how 40 squirrels were trained to work alongside animatronic ones in order to film the ‘nut sorting’ sequence. You’ll also find a documentary, which is broken up into sections that gives and in-depth look into the making of the film. It covers everything from the actors to the costumes and the sets. We are even treated to a look at the songs created for the film by veteran rocker and film score composer, Danny Elfman.

Once you make it through all of these delightful treat, you cane through several activities, including a Tetris-style nut sorting game, a chance to invent your own candy and a search for the Golden ticket. The most fun, at least for kids, has you using the remote to keep up with the Oompa Loompa’s dances. Plus, if your into this sort of thing, the set also comes with a pack of 5 trading cards.

There are going to be a lot of people who will either not like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” at all, or won’t even give it a chance because they are totally married to the 1971 version. I can understand their stubbornness, but to be fair this new version is every bit as entertaining, just different. I had to completely mentally disassociate myself from the original to fully enjoy it, and if you do the same, I’m sure you will to.

Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore
Extras: The Fantastic Mr. Dahl: Learn about Dahl's life story and extraordinary body of work, Challenges: Oompa-Loompa Dance Machine, The Inventing Machine, The Bad Nut, Search for the Golden Ticket, Attack of the Squirrels: See how they trained live squirrels to perform in the film, Five making-of featurettes, Becoming Oompa-Loompa: See how one actor, Deep Roy, was turned into a multi-talented army of Oompas, Pack of 5 limited-edition trading cards
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 11/8/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: PG
Website

We'll give Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a B.