The Oompa Loompas go Broadway

If you remember in 1971 Gene Wilder singing sweet little songs and spouting quotes as lessons for naughty little kids then just keep on remembering that. This movie, even though it is a fun one, adds and minuses several things from the original.

Gone are all the songs that Gene Wilder sang while the children frolicked, but then I guess Johnny Depp doesn't sing much. The only singers in this version were the Oompa Loompas played by only one guy, Deep Roy(Big Fish-The Haunted Mansion), digitalized into thousands of the little critters. They sang in Broadway style the lesson songs about the deadly sins we all learned about back in good old 1971. Don't eat too much. Don't chew too much gum. Don't watch too much TV. And don't want everything you see. Then what do we do for fun?:-)

I was really afraid that this movie would be VERY weird. Knowing Tim Burton's style and given the strangeness of the story at hand I was sure something maniacal would come out of this. It is a fun movie, but I only spotted one place where a young child might get upset.

When they open the doors to the factory for the first time a Disney-like scene starts singing about Willy Wonka and Wonka is talking to the crowd over the loud speaker. When the fireworks go off they set the whole scene on fire and the camera zooms in on the burning dolls as they melt and their eyes pop out of their heads. Later in the movie you get to see the doll infirmary, but by then you can't get that burning doll scene out of your head.

Johnny Depp's portrail of Willy Wonka is a cross between his Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhand characters. Some of the promos said that he resembled Michael Jackson, but I didn't get that at all. They said it because of the pale skin, weird clothes, and need to be around children. Go figure.

The story remains mostly the same, but adds flashbacks into Wonka's childhood that wasn't in the books or movie in 1971. They did add a nice touch of why Wonka was so weird, but did little else to help with the story of why he sent out 5 golden tickets to kids. If they had landed on the editing floor it wouldn't have mattered.

The special effects, especially in the main room where everything was edible, were real good. You could see Tim Burton's style here with the way things twisted like in "Nightmare Before Christmas." The room was much more beautiful, though. The boat on the chocolate river was much larger and looked like a pink dragon made out of hard candy. The boat ride was excellent. If they ever get that at Universal or Six Flags I'd like to ride it.:-)

I'm sure adults and children alike will love this new version of Willy Wonka. It IS a fun movie and has many funny places. I have to give Tim Burton one thing. He is great at making snow. This story takes place during winter and there is lots of snow. It makes you forget all about the HOT weather outside.

So, grab your Gobbstoppers or Wonka Bars and head out to have a good time watching Oompa Loompas dance and sing in hords and watch all the kids play "Elimination Wonka."