Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Play trailer

3:11

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

G

Released Jan 1, 1971

1h 40m

Kids & Family

Musical

Comedy

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

63 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

The last of five coveted "golden tickets" falls into the hands of a sweet but very poor boy. He and his grandpa then get a tour of the strangest chocolate factory in the world. The owner leads five young winners on a thrilling and often dangerous tour of his factory.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is strange yet comforting, full of narrative detours that don't always work but express the film's uniqueness.

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

Exuberant, macabre and unpredictable...

Aug 23, 2022

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Probably the best film of its sort since The Wizard of Oz. It is everything that family movies usually claim to be, but aren't: Delightful, funny, scary, exciting, and, most of all, a genuine work of imagination.

Rated: 4/4

Jul 9, 2018

Full Review

Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

The passages in the mysterious factory, which should be Charlie's and our release from the oppression of the earlier scenes, are just as ugly as everything that's come before, so there's no contrast.

Rated: 2/4

Dec 22, 2009

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…this chocolate factory feels like a watered-down, Americanised Wonka, shot on unhelpfully off-message German locations, and with a weird transatlantic, moralistic tone that feels like Dahl’s involvement with the script was fairly minimal (it was)…

Rated: 2/5

Jun 30, 2025

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The imaginative visuals tend to be the highlight, though the ideas intermittently seem too farfetched even for this flighty spectacle, causing the film to be far more memorable for individual elements rather than the production as a whole.

Rated: 7/10

Feb 6, 2025

Full Review

KT Mahe

For Your Reference Podcast

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a classic delight for all the senses. Gene Wilder has the commendable ability to balance levity and no nonsense charm to confectionery and commentary.

Rated: 4.5/5

Jan 16, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Ryland C

A classic that doesn’t get enough credit because of where it came from!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/27/25

Full Review

Joey G

Such a great classic movie!!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/11/25

Full Review

John B

My favourite movie of all time! The cast is perfect, everybody in this film are awesome. It's funny, adventurous and a spectacular fantasy film. My favourite!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

Quinoa A

Deliciously unhinged candyman with caste system of little people sings about how he won't be sued for child endangerment.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/19/25

Full Review

Mark M

Roald Dhal's stories are very unpredictable which make them great in all aspects of the film. The strangeness and uniqueness make them stand out from every other film and this one is a masterpiece

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

Full Review

Bobby B

BETTER THAN 2005! This film is a classic. Its shot in vibrant, beautiful technicilour, it has amazing special effects and great songs. Even "Cheer Up Charlie" which is usually considered the worst of them is still good. That veing said, there is still some iffy vfx, random scenes and a chocloate river that looks like my toilet bowl after taco bell. Aside from thus, its just great. A must see.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/03/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Mel Stuart

Director

Gene Wilder

Willy Wonka

Jack Albertson

Grandpa Joe

Peter Ostrum

Charlie Bucket

Roy Kinnear

Mr. Henry Salt

Julie Dawn Cole

Veruca Salt

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

70%

71%

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Watchlist

The Three Caballeros

85%

64%

The Three Caballeros

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Three Caballeros

The Great Muppet Caper

78%

78%

The Great Muppet Caper

Watchlist

Freaky Friday

71%

57%

Freaky Friday

Watchlist

The Barefoot Executive

83%

48%

The Barefoot Executive

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Know Your Critic: Vincent Schilling, Akwesasne Mohawk Author, Speaker, and Journalist

Know Your Critic: Alonso Duralde, Film Reviews Editor at TheWrap

Ready Player One Easter Egg Watchlist: What To See Before Seeing Spielberg’s Latest

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: Trailer 1

3:11

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

The last of five coveted "golden tickets" falls into the hands of a sweet but very poor boy. He and his grandpa then get a tour of the strangest chocolate factory in the world. The owner leads five young winners on a thrilling and often dangerous tour of his factory.

Director: Mel Stuart
Producer: Stan Margulies, David L. Wolper
Screenwriter: Roald Dahl, Roald Dahl
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Quaker Oats Company, David L. Wolper Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Musical, Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 1, 1971, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2015
Runtime: 1h 40m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now