Blu-Ray Review: ‘Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory’ in HD

CHICAGO – You can keep Tim Burton’s remake of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” with Johnny Depp. I’ll be watching the classic “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” recently released on Blu-Ray, for years to come. It’s not a must-own family film release like the recent “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” or “Wizard of Oz” packages, but the film remains remarkably timeless.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

I’ve seen “Willy Wonka” countless times and can sing “Pure Imagination” for you from the top of my head. So, watching it on Blu-ray isn’t exactly a revelatory experience. And if I need to recount the plot of “Willy Wonka” to you then I can only be jealous of the wonderful, first-time viewing Blu-Ray adventure you’re about to have. It’s a beloved family classic for a reason.

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory was released on Blu-Ray on October 6th, 2009.
Photo credit: Warner Brothers Home Video

As someone who is so familiar with the actual movie, I had two thoughts watching it again on Blu-Ray…

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory was released on Blu-Ray on October 6th, 2009. Photo credit: Warner Brothers Home Video

One, the film is unbelievably easy to get sucked into no matter how many times you’ve seen it. You may intend to only watch a bit and suddenly find yourself near the end. A sign of a great film is one that can make you lose track of time and “Willy Wonka” does that easily.

Two, as much as I clearly love the actual movie, the Blu-Ray release of it is a bit of a disappointment, especially from a studio that produces lavish, impressive packages for their most beloved films. Why do I have sixteen hours of special features for “Wizard of Oz” and collectibles that include an actual watch, but very few bells and whistle to highlight my trip to the “Chocolate Factory”?

Special features on “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” include a 38-page booklet with sing-along song lyrics, fun cast bios, and colorful photos, housed in a very nice package that resembles a hardcover book, a documentary called “Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” Mouth-Watering Commentary with the Wonka Kids, 4 Scrumptious Sing-Along Songs, and a Vintage Featurette.

The problem with this release is that, unlike a lot of WB catalog releases, it feels a little like the bare minimum. The title had already been released on HD-DVD before that format lost the war and it seems like a bit more could have been done to spice up this tasty treat’s arrival on Blu-Ray.

All of the special features have been available before (on the HD-DVD release and anniversary edition DVD release from four years ago) and even the HD video and audio transfer is merely adequate. It’s not bad, but it’s not as memorable as it could be. The color is nicely mixed and not overly polished like some classic films but it’s a bit too soft and I think it could have been tidied up a bit more. To be clear, it’s certainly better than the DVD that you probably have in your collection right now, but it doesn’t stand up to something like “Wizard of Oz”. And shouldn’t it?

Ultimately, no one is going to walk away from the Blu-Ray release of “Willy Wonka” disappointed by what they get for their dollar, but it’s simply not as memorable a release as it could have been when classic family films are getting more expansive treatments nearly every week.

It’s been a great season for family films on Blu-Ray with “Wizard of Oz,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” and, now, “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory”. For the technology of Blu-Ray to take off, there need to be more releases like these - titles that families want to sit down and watch the day they buy their first machine. Could this release have been better? Undeniably, but the movie itself goes a long way in making this bitter Blu-Ray go down more smoothly.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com