Ranking the Willy Wonka Movies From Worst to Best

Of all of Roald Dahl’s works, no book of his has been more frequently adapted than his 1964 novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It’s widely considered one of the best children’s novels ever written, and given its popularity and bizarreness, it’s no wonder why this particular Dahl story is the one that’s seen the most film adaptations.

Sadly, they weren’t all scrumdiddlyumptious. Every Chocolate Factory film is certainly unique in its own right, but put them all side by side and it’s easy to see which ones are the sweet treats and which ones needed more time to bake in the oven. While we all know and love 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the very first adaptation of the Dahl novel, let’s see how well the succeeding adaptations stack up against it.

4. Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (2017)

Director: Spike Brandt

Tom and Jerry and Willy Wonka are two franchises that have nothing to do with each other, and yet this movie exists for some reason. It’s not even a new interpretation of the book. It’s an animated shot-for-shot remake of the 1971 film, including the musical numbers.

The only real difference is that Tom and Jerry are constantly interrupting the story with their antics. While their antics and slapstick have made them household names for a reason, their comedic schtick really doesn’t fit into a heartwarming musical about a young boy inside a fantastical chocolate factory.

Weirdly enough, this isn’t the only time Tom and Jerry interact with famous fictional characters from other intellectual properties. The two also have movies where they meet Robin Hood, Sherlock Holmes, and even the characters of The Wizard of Oz. What a head-scratcher of a direction for the comedic duo, and certainly not an intelligent one if it produces insipid films like this.

3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Director: Tim Burton

While this is a more faithful adaptation of the Roald Dahl book than the 1971 film, it’s also a lot less fun. Both films are musicals, but this film only has its songs sung but the Oompa Loompas, and while it’s interesting how every song is of a different genre and meant to emulate a different era, none of them are memorable at all. Ask any random person and they’ll probably be able to sing you songs from the 1971 film like ‘Pure Imagination’ or ‘Cheer Up, Charlie’, but could they so much as name you a song from this version?

On top of that, both Charlie and Willy Wonka are terrible iterations of their respective characters in this film. Charlie is a boring and bland good Samaritan who doesn’t seem to have a single flaw, and Willy Wonka is strange and childish in all the wrong ways, as if Depp had no clear vision on how he wanted to portray the candy maker.

Luckily, the rest of the cast is excellent, particularly the kids: these four brats are all entertainingly awful, and certainly more interesting than Charlie himself. The special effects have also aged much better than the 1971 film, and the visuals all look Burton-esque — a big plus if you’re a fan of the eccentric director.

2. Wonka (2023)

Director: Paul King

Probably Paul King’s smartest move when writing and directing Wonka was that he didn’t force the script to be a strict canonical prequel to the 1971 Gene Wilder film. “What I wanted this movie to be was like a companion piece to that movie,” King has stated, and so Wonka succeeds largely because it mostly feels like its own thing rather than a direct prequel to something else.

You could even see the film as having nothing to do with the Roald Dahl story — rather, an original story about a quirky young man looking to fulfill his dream of making chocolate and selling it in his store. Yes, Timothy Chalamet’s Willy Wonka is significantly less cynical than either Depp’s or Wilder’s versions of the character. However, the movie’s overwhelming positivity should be enough to win over most audience members, especially fans of King’s previous two films, Paddington and Paddington 2.

The songs could use more work, but they’re far more memorable than the tunes from the Johnny Depp film, and the brightly-colored set pieces are joys to look at and experience. Wonka does force its whimsy a little too desperately at times, though, and the humor doesn’t always land, but those are problems easy to set aside when most of the film is so wide-eyed and energized.

1. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Director: Mel Stuart

To nobody’s surprise, 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is at the number one spot of this list. Why wouldn’t it be? The musical fantasy film is an absolute classic, with memorable characters and songs so well-crafted they’re still fondly remembered to this day. ‘Pure Imagination’, especially, is so iconic even people who’ve never seen this movie know the lyrics to it, and Gene Wilder sings it so fantastically it’s no wonder why the track has endeared so many.

Wilder’s performance as a whole is the best thing about the film — his version of Wonka is a blast to be around, as he’s funny and charming but also clearly has a mad and cynical edge to him. Charlie himself is a likable kid, one who acted realistically as he was kind and loving to his family but also had moments where he got upset, angry, and even self-centered. Every other character is great as well, from Charlie’s family to the other kids to especially the Ooompa Loompas, whose character designs have become so iconic you’d recognize a silhouette of them.

Admittedly, the special effects have not aged very well, but considering the year it came out, the film still looks colorful and enchanting, and that train tunnel scene is still absurdly trippy. An effervescent and exuberant movie that’s as imaginative as it is unpredictable, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory rightfully earns its classic status, and will no doubt remain a family favorite for generations to come.

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