Willy Wonka from dream to nightmare
In 2023, Willy Wonka, the famous chocolatier of Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryfound renewed interest thanks to the film Wonka with Timothée Chalamet, who recounted his beginnings. At the box office, the film directed by Paul King was a huge success, with over $600 million in revenue worldwide. Huge popularity, which affected a new generation, who were not necessarily familiar with the story of Roald Dahl.
In Glasgow, Scotland, this popularity led a company to imagine an immersive experience around the world of Willy Wonka, but the project that would take place on February 24 and 25 it quickly turned into a fiasco.
The organizers had promised total immersion in the magic of the chocolate factory, with magical settings and activities inspired by the world of Roald Dahl. However, soon after its opening, the event was criticized for failing to deliver on its promises, being called a farce by attendees.
On social networks, images and videos of the experience went viral. We can in fact notice that the decorations are very poor, and the activities proposed are catastrophic, even traumatic for the youngest children, like this masked character dressed in black, who emerges from behind a mirror:
An actress testifies
Faced with the general fiasco triggered by this experiment, which in any case cost more than 40 euros, spectators began to ask for compensation. While families expected majestic settings, and total immersion in Wonka’s world, as promised the official website of the experiencethey only found some plastic objects, scattered in a hangar, and some ridiculous decorations.
A Facebook group a number of disgruntled parents have since been created, with some even testifying that their children “left crying” over the total fiasco of this experience, and that they were hoping to be refunded for false advertising and scamming.
One of the actresses, hired for the experience, wanted to testify about the site Vulture. She quickly created a stir for this photo in which her desperation can be seen on her face:
Kirsty Paterson confided in this who was shocked by so much amateurism :
Frankly it took me by surprise. I didn’t think I would come across this. It seemed like preparation, but it was only the beginning, nothing finished. It was our first meeting with the other actors. Never in my life had I received the script the day before. When they said “improvise,” I was dubious. If you’ve written a screenplay, you’re normally attached to your words, right? The idea that this could be a job on artificial intelligence crossed my mind, but the contract was already signed.
Professional, Kirsty Paterson still wanted to follow through on her commitment and give children as much joy as she could:
I was on the verge of giving up everything because it didn’t correspond to what I had in mind when I signed. But I didn’t want to abandon the team. Despite the catastrophic decor, we tried to do our part, to bring a little joy. After the first group of children, we were told to forget the script and let the visitors wander freely.
The police called
In response to numerous complaints, the Glasgow police were even called to the scene, as we learn New York Times. But he didn’t think it was useful to intervene, because the event was canceled on the afternoon of February 24th. Also according to the New York Times, the organizers, The House of Illuminati, posted an apology message on their Facebook page, which has since been deleted:
We deeply apologize for what happened and are committed to refunding everyone who purchased the ticket
Experience creator Billy Coull said (via The independent) that he was “truly shocked that the event did not live up to expectations” and that he was “deeply sorry”.
The irony in all this? There wasn’t even any chocolate.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
