High on Twinkle

Rating: 8/10 (2 August 2010)

"What wonders await you in Willy Wonka's factory?" asks the film's synopsis, "You'll find a lot that's funny, a little that's mysterious and an adventure as sweet as a satisfying as a Wonka Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight bar. This dazzling film adapted from Roald Dahl's classic children's novel, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore, is your Golden Ticket to a world so inventive, so imaginative, you won't want to miss a delicious moment!"
In the film, Mr. Depp (as Willy Wonka) explains it in one sentence: "I invited five children to the factory," through the Golden Ticket contest covered early in the running time, "and the one who was the least rotten would be the winner." You'll see four VERY rotten children, and super-sweet young Highmore (as Charlie Bucket). They are accompanied by four dysfunctional parents, and Highmore's wise old grandpa David Kelly (as Joe). So, you know who the winner will be, but not the prize.
There was, of course, another film made from this material, "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971), starring Gene Wilder. It's really a shame nobody thought about doing a version with Paul Reubens in the title role, but that's beside the point. Both the 1971 version and this one are excellent in their own way. Mr. Burton and his frequent co-star add some background (childhood) information about Wonka that isn't in the original work. The effort to add something distinct is appreciated.
The earlier film's sly winking at the contemporary drug counterculture is retained. Depp introduces himself with, "Good Morning Starshine, the Earth says hello," which quotes one of the hit songs from "Hair" (the play celebrating sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll). When Depp walks into a glass door, he says, "I'm sorry, I was having a flashback." He wears a Mad Hat, and parodies the facial expressions of Greta Garbo and several old-time movie queens. You twinkle above us, we twinkle below...
By the way, the scene where Depp goes through decades of cultural slang, when explaining a hair tonic to his befuddled factory guests, offers a great visual explanation, after all these years, for "Cousin Itt". Deep Roy and the effects are outstanding. It's very entertaining.
******** Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (7/10/05) Tim Burton ~ Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Deep Roy