Over many years people have debated whether “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” or “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was better. A new 2023 film titled “Wonka” was released into theaters, adding its name to the running, and refueling the fire to this long-debated topic. In 1971, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was released, about five kids who got the chance to tour a famous chocolate factory that was shut down for years. One of those kids was Charlie Bucket, who came from a poor, but happy, family. Bucket had bought a chocolate bar after finding money on the street shockingly and won the last golden ticket. Not many people liked this movie at first, but it eventually became more popular as the years passed.

34 years after the film was released, a remake of the movie came out, called “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” which had the same story and the same characters. It became more successful than the ‘71 original. People started to compare the two films relentlessly, divided between which was superior.

A third movie titled “Wonka” was released in Dec. 2023, but it wasn’t about kids getting golden tickets to the factory, rather, it was an even deeper dive into Willy Wonka’s backstory. The 2023 adaptation was not the same as the story they gave Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Although each movie had a similar concept, out of the three movies “Wonka” was not only the highest-grossing movie at $466 million, but it was also the top movie in the box office of 2023. The cost to produce this movie was $125 million and it gained $341 million from sales worldwide. 

In my opinion,“Wonka” is overall the best movie in the Wonka movie franchise; it has an unforgettable soundtrack, impressive effects, and top-notch editing. Critics usually rate movies based on originality, dialogue, characters, and context. With all of that in mind, it still is ahead of the two previous Willy Wonka movies.

“Wonka” was directed by Paul King, who also directed the Paddington movie series, and is renowned as a great director. The new film has originality, even if it is from a series. The new backstory of Willy Wonka was given a creative spin, rather than another remake of the original. They gave the story a more heartfelt feel by having it be just him and his mom, to create a narrative around not all families having two parental figures. The movie overall had a phenomenal plot which brought tears to my eyes during the happy ending.

The second greatest Wonka movie is the original “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”, based on the novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl, released in 1964. The movie has won or was nominated for multiple awards such as Academy, Golden Globe, and Saturn awards. In third is “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, released in 2005 as a remake of the old one. It had a new director named Tim Burton, known for making gothic horror movies. Since Burton became the director, the movie was more similar to the book, along with having the same title and having a darker feel than the original. It had some parts that would be considered too scary for younger audiences, and was directed towards a more grown-up audience. It has a decent story line and soundtrack, but it still doesn’t compare to the original movie and “Wonka”.