But things are not as easy as they seem. Because of the angst of his past, Willy Wonka makes an offer that is unacceptable to the winning child.  Perhaps things could change with a glass elevator tour back to the place of childhood wounds?

For all its quirkiness, the strange “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” does paint a great back-story for Willy, filling in some blanks for those of us who loved the 1971 original ("Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" starring Gene Wilder) but never quite knew why the chocolatier was so very strange.  It seems that his father, a dentist (who incidentally created ghastly braces and head-gear contraptions for Willy to wear), never let his son have candy, and even burned his Halloween treats in the fire.  And, as we all know, such parenting is known to induce children to run away and became chocolate fanatics – and eventually recluses.

In the end, though, as some truths come to light, so does the healing.  The message of the movie is that the importance of the love and unconditional acceptance of a father cannot be overstated. And "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" does a fine job in making this theme clear.

The production value is high, with some good acting, a brilliant music score, and some clever special effects.  The children around me in the theater especially enjoyed Willy’s glass elevator, which could travel not just up and down, but sideways, crossways, and diagonal.

If you’re not a Tim Burton fan, however, (“Nightmare Before Christmas”, “James and the Giant Peach”), and would rather skip the strange, distorted creepiness, and even some questionable, off-color sexual allusions, you may want to opt for something a bit lighter and friendlier this summer, like “Herbie.”

AUDIENCE:  Children and adults

OBJECTIONABLE CONTENT:

• Drugs/Alcohol:  None
• Language/Profanity:  Grandfather mouths curses, though inaudible, and people call each other things like “porker” and “bugger" (homosexual); Willy talks about cannibalism; Willy licks bug’s blood; Willy says, “Don’t touch that squirrel’s nuts!” There is scatological humor, discussion of pimples and fart noises; someone is called "idiot;" someone says “gosh darn;” Willy tells Charlie’s grandparents that they smell like old people and soap.
• Sex/Nudity:  Lots of cleavage from one of the moms; some scenes of men dressed as women; allusion to bestiality with a mysterious area where pink sheep are sheared … for Willy.
• Violence:  Not as much violence as weird creepiness, like:  dolls on fire, with their eyeballs falling out, hideous head-gear contraption, cows being whipped to make whipped cream, fish guts and skeleton, pink sheep being sheared for some mysterious purpose, several other scattered skeletons, mangled puppets, Willy continually slamming into glass elevator and falling over, and a guy using a knife to swat at a child in a tub.