Feature: Pure Imagination for Gene Wilder and Timothée Chalamet in Wonka vs. Wonka

Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 6, 2024 - 1:36pm

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on January 4th, 2024, comparing “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971) with “Wonka” (2023), which is currently in theaters.

Rating: 5.0/5.0

In the 1971 “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” young Charlie (Peter Ostrum) must find a golden ticket to take a tour of the reclusive Willy Wonka’s (Gene Wilder) magical chocolate factory. As the world searches for the tickets, five kids get lucky through various means. But when one ticket turns out to be fraudulent, Charlie opens a chocolate bar he possesses to reveal that he has found the last elusive gold. He and his grandfather (Jack Albertson) are about to take the tour of a lifetime.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

In 2023, Timothée Chalamet takes on the Willy role in ‘Wonka.’ In this prequel to the story above, Willy Wonka comes to London after traveling the world to create his brand of chocolate magic. Through a series of unfortunate events, he becomes beholden to Mrs. Scrubbit’s (Olivia Coleman) boarding house and laundry, and must find a way to escape with the help of orphan Noodle (Calah Lane) and a gallery of his fellow laundry inmates, including accountant Abacus (Jim Carter). Can Wonka establish a chocolate store before it’s too late?

Wonka vs. Wonka
Photo credit: Warner Bros./Warner Home Video

Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviewed “Wonka vs. Wonka” during the Morning Mess with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM, Monroe, Wisconsin, January 5th, 2023 …

”Wonka” is currently in theaters. Featuring Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Olivia Coleman, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter and Calah Lane. Screenplay adapted by Paul King and Simon Farnaby. Directed by Paul King. Rated “PG.” “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” is available for digital download or on Blu-ray through Warner Home Video. Featuring Gene Wilder, Peter Ostrum and Jack Albertson. Screenplay adapted by Roald Dahl and David Seltzer (uncredited). Directed by Mel Stuart. Rated “G”