Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. The film tells the story of Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) as he receives a Golden Ticket and visits Willy Wonka's chocolate factory with four other children from around the world.
The screenplay by David Seltzer was based on Dahl's book. The film includes songs written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for this film. Wilder was the first choice to play Wonka, but he initially declined the role because he did not want to be typecast as a children's character after his previous work in The Producers (1967). He finally agreed to play Wonka after Stuart promised he would not be required to wear make-up or a wig. The film was shot entirely in the United Kingdom, including locations such as Denham Film Studios and Bronson Albery's special effects workshop in London.
The film was released on June 30, 1971, by Paramount Pictures to positive reviews from critics, who praised Wilder's performance and the film's ability to capture the book's spirit. It became one of the highest-grossing films of 1971, earning more than $4 million by the end of its initial run. The film received several awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Charlie Bucket lives in a small shack with his parents and four grandparents. The family is so poor that they can only afford one meal a day and can't afford to send Charlie to school. One day, Charlie finds a dollar bill on the street and buys himself two chocolate bars. He then returns home to share his good fortune with his family, but finds that one of his grandparents has eaten both of them.
The next day, Charlie's grandfather tells him a story about Willy Wonka, an eccentric candy maker who owns a large chocolate factory. Wonka has hidden five Golden Tickets inside his chocolate bars. The finders of these tickets will be given a tour of the factory and a lifetime supply of Wonka's candy.
Charlie's grandfather dies soon after, but not before giving Charlie his last chocolate bar. Charlie eagerly unwraps it, only to find that he has won the fifth and final Golden Ticket.
The other ticket winners are Augustus Gloop, a gluttonous German boy; Veruca Salt, a spoiled British girl; Violet Beauregarde, an American gum-chewer with anger issues; and Mike Teevee, a television-obsessed child. Charlie and the other children board Wonka's factory boat, the Wonkatania, and begin their tour.
Augustus falls into a chocolate river and is sucked up by a pipe to the fudge room. Veruca demands that her father get her a golden goose from the egg room. Violet turns into a blueberry after chewing gum that has been flavored with a three-course meal. Mike is shrunken down to fit inside a television set.
As punishment for their bad behavior, Wonka sentences all four children to be ejected from the factory. Charlie is the only one who remains. Wonka then takes Charlie on a private tour of the factory, during which they visit the Inventing Room and the Everlasting Gobstopper room.
The tour ends with Wonka revealing that he has chosen Charlie to be his heir. The two then fly away in a Great Glass Elevator.
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