Who captured that pure imagination best? Welcome to MsMojo, and today, the cocoa shavings are gonna fly as we determine who has the golden ticket as the best Wonka.
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00:00 "See, I'm something of a magician, inventor, and chocolate maker.
00:03 So quiet up and listen down. Nope, scratch that, reverse it."
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today, the cocoa shavings are gonna fly as we determine who
00:13 has the golden ticket as the best Wonka. "You're going to love this. Just love it."
00:18 It's Gene Wilder vs. Johnny Depp vs. Timothy Chalamet. This battle royale will include
00:25 both character portrayals and the films themselves. Round 1. Candyman.
00:30 In order to become a chocolatier, one must pull off the look of a chocolatier. Now,
00:35 how exactly does one figure out how to dress for success? Well, it's all in the aesthetic.
00:41 All three Wonkas do bring that chocolatier flair in their attire.
00:44 "If the good lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates."
00:48 Wilder comes with the royal purple coat and brown top hat, a classic appearance that still holds
00:53 the same level of pizzazz as it did back in 1971. Seriously, this look is never going out of style.
00:59 "Ninety-nine, forty-four, one hundred percent pure."
01:04 Depp's wardrobe has a much darker tone, almost to the same degree as artisanal high-percentage
01:09 dark chocolate. Fancy. But Wonka is a character of modesty in his way, and Depp's outfit is a
01:15 bit too elegant for the character. "You're such a funny haircut."
01:18 "I do not." Chalamet borrows the brown top hat from Wilder,
01:22 while sporting Depp's coat, but in a lighter shade. It helps reflect his character while
01:27 still matching the graceful appearance of chocolate in a royal wrapping.
01:31 "This...marshmallow?" "That's right. Harvested from the
01:35 Mallow Marshes of Peru." Depp and Wilder certainly look like
01:38 chocolatiers. However, Chalamet dresses as if he's chocolate in its original and purest form.
01:43 Without all the magic tricks and spectacle he brings, this is still a man who we'd be eager
01:48 to buy chocolate from. Winner, Chalamet. "Cherry."
01:52 "Cherry picked by the pick of the cherry pickers from the Imperial Gardens in Japan."
01:56 Round Two, Humor. To be Willy Wonka, the character needs a bit of zaniness,
02:01 wit, and bite to his demeanor. Each Wonka actor brings their own humorous spin to the character.
02:06 "It's a lot of nonsense." "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest man."
02:15 Humor is part of what makes Gene Wilder's Wonka so memorable. There is a reply for every kind of
02:20 statement or question, whether it's dry, sarcastic, or downright insulting.
02:25 "You sure this thing will float, eh Wonka?" "With your buoyancy, sir, rest assured."
02:28 Even in dire situations, his wit is on point. Even in the face of Mr. Beauregard yelling at him,
02:34 or Mrs. TV panicking, he always keeps his cool and kind of makes a big joke of the situation.
02:39 "Great. He's completely unharmed." "You call that unharmed?"
02:43 Depp in his role, on the other hand, is a bit of an oddball. Lovable, but odd.
02:48 "Are you hept to the jive? Can you dig what I'm laying down? I knew that you could slide me
02:51 some skin, so brother." Whereas Wilder's Wonka has some sharp comebacks and subtlety to his insults,
02:57 Depp's Wonka is a lot more direct. His disruptions are often loud and without warning,
03:02 and his disdain towards children is a lot more obvious.
03:06 "You're all quite short, aren't you?" "Well, yeah, we're children."
03:10 "Well, that's no excuse. I was never as short as you."
03:12 In a way, it sort of adds to his mysterious persona and makes you wonder what happened
03:16 to break him into such a maddening figure. It works for and against him.
03:20 "Seriously, I cannot understand a single word you're saying."
03:24 Chalamet's Wonka is, unfortunately, the least impressive if you're purely looking for comedy.
03:29 "Woohoo! There we have it, ladies and gentlemen, an endorsement from Mr. S- Wait, the worst?"
03:35 While there are some fun gags and one-liners in Wonka,
03:38 Chalamet's version of the famed candy maker is the weakest for laughs.
03:42 Many of his jokes lean too heavily into his naivete and innocence.
03:45 It's a little too wholesome and doesn't properly set up,
03:48 much less allude to, his frustrations with a dishonest world.
03:52 "Just popping out for a bit. I'll be back before roll call.
03:55 Until then, Tiddles has agreed to-" "Scrub scrub."
03:59 We don't often do this in a triple threat fight, but we're going to give both Depp
04:03 and Wilder Wonkas this round. Even if Depp is a bit different in demeanor with his humor,
04:08 both he and Wilder still manage to be funny overall.
04:12 Chalamet's Wonka needs some more edge to his comedy.
04:14 "How do you like it? Dark, white, nutty, absolutely insane."
04:17 Winner, Wilder and Depp.
04:19 Round 3. Songs
04:22 A crucial aspect to making a great Willy Wonka movie is the track list.
04:26 You need a good selection of songs that truly capture the magic and wonder of making candy.
04:30 "Willy Wonka makes everything he makes satisfying and delicious."
04:36 We'll just knock the Depp Wonka out of the way first.
04:39 We can admire the ambition for making the Oompa Loompas take on different genres of music for
04:43 every number. However, the songs are hard to follow with overwhelming visuals and bizarre vocals.
04:49 "It is quite a special occasion of course, they haven't had a fresh audience in many months."
04:53 The Chalamet Wonka is a true step up from Depp's. The songs are charming and fit with
04:58 the tone of the movie. Unfortunately, that's the most we can say about the music.
05:02 "Oh, I don't think I want to hear that."
05:03 "Too late. I've started dancing now. Once we've started, we can't stop."
05:07 Overall, the songs are mostly forgettable because of how generic they sound.
05:11 Sure, A Hat Full of Dreams and the movie's rendition of Pure Imagination are wonderful,
05:16 but the rest of the songs sound a little too much like many other songs you've heard in other musicals.
05:21 "Oompa Loompa, dumpa dee dee, I'm not in premium economy."
05:27 We suppose you could say Wilder Wonka takes the win rather easily here.
05:31 "I've got a golden ticket, I've got a golden ticket, I've got a golden chance to make my way."
05:39 With Cheer Up Charlie being the only weak song in the 1971 classic,
05:43 it still sets the standard for the kind of songs a Wonka movie should have.
05:47 Pure Imagination, I've Got a Golden Ticket,
05:50 The Candyman are all songs that defined the movie and the wondrous world of Wonka.
05:55 "We'll begin with a spin, traveling in the world of my creation."
06:03 Really, need we say more? Wilder wins this one pretty easily.
06:06 "We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams."
06:12 Winner, Wilder.
06:13 Round 4, Sending a Message.
06:16 The fourth key ingredient to a fantastic Wonka film is heart.
06:19 Most importantly, a heartfelt message for audiences to learn from.
06:23 "Oh Charlie, forgive me for putting you through this. Please forgive me."
06:27 The original Wilder Wonka laid the foundation for the theme of honesty
06:30 by telling a tale of temptation and perseverance.
06:33 Although the film takes a long time fully addressing its message,
06:37 it all leads to a rather rushed ending where Charlie's honesty earns him the grand prize.
06:41 "The chocolate?"
06:42 "The chocolate, yes, the chocolate, but that's just the beginning."
06:46 Depp's Wonka focuses a lot more on resentment.
06:49 Much of the movie shows how Wonka's father kept him from chasing his dream
06:52 of becoming a candy maker.
06:53 "Some children are allergic to chocolate. Makes their noses itch."
07:00 "Maybe I'm not allergic. I could try a piece."
07:04 "Really? But do I take a chance?"
07:08 Problem is that the broken relationship between him and his father
07:12 steals the spotlight from Charlie and pays no mind to the original movie's message of honesty.
07:17 Kind of an odd approach considering the source material.
07:19 "Wow. Well that's just unexpected and weird."
07:30 And what of Chalamet? Well, his version follows the blueprint Wilder's Wonka laid out.
07:35 Honesty is at the forefront of the movie's themes,
07:37 as we see the soon-to-be chocolatier constantly getting conned,
07:41 threatened, and sabotaged by big business owners Slugworth, Fickle Gruber, and Prodnose.
07:45 "He's good. Too good."
07:48 "And anyone can afford them. Even the- the poor."
07:52 "He doesn't like it when people say poor."
07:54 It not only follows the footsteps of the original,
07:57 it also does an excellent job at setting up the events featured in that film.
08:01 It shows how honesty becomes a treasured trait to Wonka and why he values it so much.
08:06 In a sense, it winds up making the original even better in that regard.
08:09 "Where to begin? That's the question."
08:11 "I know. Silver lining."
08:14 The Chalamet Wonka can celebrate this victory with a big chocolate fountain.
08:18 When you not only follow in your predecessor's footsteps,
08:20 but also spectacularly build upon that legacy while elevating it,
08:24 you have done a tremendous service to both the source material and fanbase.
08:28 "Unmistakable sound of love."
08:30 "You what?"
08:32 "Don't tell me you hadn't noticed."
08:34 Winner, Chalamet.
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08:52 Round 5. Pure Imagination
08:55 The final ingredient to create the perfect concoction to the most scrum-diddly-umptious
08:59 candy flick of all time. An imaginative, breathtaking reveal of the main attraction,
09:04 the chocolate room.
09:05 "Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three."
09:09 To its credit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had an impressive and creative chocolate room.
09:14 The river looked like it was a deep, thick chocolate syrup.
09:17 The grass looked as if it was grown specifically for Easter baskets.
09:21 "Please have a bite. Please do. It's so delectable and so darn good looking."
09:25 "You can eat the grass."
09:27 "Of course you can."
09:29 It truly looked as if every bit of the room really was made out of or for candy.
09:34 And the mix of CGI and practical effects was well done.
09:37 We only wish we got a better, longer look at the room before moving on.
09:41 "It's beautiful."
09:42 "What?"
09:44 "Oh yeah, it's very beautiful."
09:47 Chalamet's chocolate room doesn't appear until the very end of the movie,
09:50 so we'll focus more on the scene where Wonka opens up his first shop.
09:54 As Chalamet sings "A World of Your Own," we see a chocolate cherry blossom tree,
09:59 strawberry cotton candy clouds, a sour gummy rainbow,
10:02 and a wide arrangement of colorful chocolate flower bouquets.
10:06 It definitely feels like a precursor to what would become the chocolate room.
10:10 Our only complaint? It seems a little small, and it's lacking the chocolate river.
10:14 "What are you talking about?"
10:15 "Do you mean that you don't even remember?"
10:20 "Remember what?"
10:21 So why should the Wilder Wonka win this round?
10:23 Well, it isn't just because it's the original.
10:26 It's more because of the impact it had and how it truly captured the idea of a world made of candy.
10:31 There are mushrooms with whipped cream spots, trees that spill jellybeans when shaken,
10:36 teacups made of chocolate, bouncy balls of bubble gum,
10:39 bushes of candy canes, lollipops, and, of course, the chocolate river.
10:43 "You know, no other factory in the world mixes its chocolate by waterfall.
10:46 But it's the only way if you want it just right."
10:50 It was a wondrous room, and the collective look on the cast's faces
10:54 is exactly how we felt the first time we watched the movie.
10:57 Fun fact, that shot was also their first time seeing the chocolate room,
11:00 as it was kept secret from them until it was time to shoot the scene.
11:04 "Take a look, and you'll see into your imagination."
11:10 Wilder's Wonka still has that timeless magic in its chocolate room.
11:14 It brings the vision of a chocolate room to life and leaves a massive impression.
11:19 Depp's Wonka has a vibrant and surreal chocolate room,
11:22 and Chalamet works with what he was given.
11:24 But it's official, folks.
11:25 Wilder still reigns supreme as the one Wonka to rule them all.
11:29 "Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted."
11:32 "What happened?"
11:33 "He lived happily ever after."
11:36 Winner, Wilder with three points to Depp's one point and Chalamet's two.
11:40 Did we choose the best Wonka? Let us know in the comments.
11:44 "Bravo! Well done. Aren't they delightful? Aren't they charming?"
11:48 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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