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Calling All Wonkas

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OK, this is totally cheating. This is really more of a scrap, but I'm posting it as a Deviation to accquire maximum exposure because this is the beginning of a work in progress.

I like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; it's a great book. If I am to believe that the previews for the Tim Burton movie with Johnny Depp shows me good portions of the movie, I think they have ruined both the story tone and the character of Willy Wonka (although I must say I am a fan of both Burton and, to an only slightly lesser extent, Depp). But mostly I think that the real Willy Wonka would ridicule anyone with that hair or method of facial expression (again, going only from short trailer clips). This is just my opinion, the point of this exercise is not to bash the movie or say I don't like it. Please don't comment on this because it's likely my opinion will shift, and I'm not stating it here except to say it got me thinking.

So I started this as a way to come up with my own Wonka design. The rules I'm trying to stick to are that he should have most everything described in his first appearance in the book. I might be willing to change things like the color of his goatee (as in this picture), but he definitely has to have a goatee and be able to sustain quick, squirrel-like movements (something both Depp and Gene Wilder seemed to have missed.)

For the record, I really like the Wonka they have for the animated commercials a ton. But I'm going to not purposely use any aspect of that. If mine ends up looking identical, that's fine, but I want to have arrived there on my own.

The other things I have kind of latched onto for inspiration are the hair of John Linnell of They Might Be Giants, and the skeletal (although not facial) structure of Jafar from Aladdin. I like the way his goatee works.

As far as tone, it's an amazing coincidence that I think the music of TMBG goes along well with what I'm thinking. I think it's a mistake to purposely make Wonka dark in any way. Kids getting sucked up tubes and turned into berries is dark without any tone decisions. I like it much better when he's just cheerfully unaware. I think Gene Wilder did this quite well.

The other thing I'd like to add that maybe hasn't been in a movie version before is energy. Squirrel-like is how they describe it. I want Wonka to act like Wile E. Coyote, constantly thinking, singularly bent on candy, elated when something new is arrived at. Like Wile E. without the sneakiness.

Why am I telling you all this? If anybody's interested in coming up with their own Wonkas I'd love to have the comparisons to bounce back and forth between and gather inspiration. I'm really curious to see what somebody else might come up with , and what we might take from each other.

Or if you're pressed for time, comment with suggestions. This is totally jsut a starting point, I think this still sort of reeks of genericness or mediocrity, but I'm onto a couple little things sso I'll go ahead and post it and leave it to you for now.

And now that you've read this long, sordid history, I can never bring it up again and keep the comments on future Wonkas short and sweet.
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TheRussianLunchLady's avatar
THAT IS AWESOME. I'm glad you're sticking to the one from the book; that's the best one. :nod: My suggestion for this Wonka is to make sure his eyes are blue; out of most of the movies and the book that is the similar quality. And the hat of course. :giggle:

Very original. I usually imagine from the Quentin Blake illustrations because that's what I grew up with. My profile has a picture of Wonka, but it just derives from the book; nothing original. :(

Another person I recomend you see their Wonka is ShovelDuct. I think they commented on my Wonka. Her Wonka is based on the book but has its own uniquness to it.

I wonder why no one has ever been squirely doing Wonka? :? I think if they HAD to do a movie of CATCF (which is a stupid idea because they've done it enough), but if they had to, then I would suggest they animate it with Quentin Blake illustrations and have a not so recognizable actor be him. ie: Ryan Stiles. (Although I'm not sure he'd be squirrely enough. Maybe.)