Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: movie has scenes inspired by Tim Burton’s childhood

The fantastic chocolate factory (2005) was the second film based on the book by Roald Dahl and, at the time of its release, it received critical acclaim for keeping the plot faithful to the book. Nonetheless, Tim Burton revealed that some scenes and characters are inspired by his childhood.

The biggest example is the Dr. Wilbur Wonkaplayed by Christopher Leea dentist and father of Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), who disapproves of his son’s dream of being the world’s biggest candy maker.

In an interview with blackfilm in 2005, Burton explained that this story element was inspired by her strained relationship with her parents. An interview with the The Guardian in 2012 goes into more detail about the filmmaker’s difficult childhood, in which he described his parents as “a perfect nuclear family”.

In the movies, you try to solve your problems and then you realize that these kinds of traumatic problems stay with you forever.

Another detail of the film taken from the reality of Burton was the scene in which the doctor’s office Dr. Wonka is filled with framed articles about your child’s success.

In his autobiography, Burton on Burtonthe director commented that during a visit to his mother before her death in 2002, he discovered that she had framed movie posters on her walls.

It was terribly touching in a way. We couldn’t really connect, but at the same time she was certainly following what I was doing.

About Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

The plot follows the poor boy Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), who wins an exclusive visit to the sweets factory in Willy Wonka. In the company, he learns several life lessons, while seeing other children getting bad for being bad. At the end of the film, Willy and Dr. Wonka come together and resolve their problems in sincere dialogue.