‘Wonka’ Trailer Breakdown and Reactions — Timothée Chalamet Transforms Into the Famous Chocolatier
The trailer for Wonka — a prequel to Road Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier years before he rises to fame — dropped on July 11, 2023.
In the preview of what’s to come, Chalamet seems to embody a Willy Wonka reminiscent of both Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp’s interpretations (yet arguably orients more toward the latter). He seems warm, unfettered, and full of wonder like Wilder’s Candyman, yet also a smidge zany and unnerving like Depp’s chocolatier. He’s unpredictable but harmless (right?)
Chalamet narrates at the onset of the trailer, noting that he has spent years “perfecting [his] craft, and he is something of a magician, inventor, and chocolate maker, so quiet up and listen now.” He talks a bit fast, almost as if his mouth cannot keep up with each brilliant idea that pops into his head. Each comment he must utter is more important than the one he has yet to finish. His gestures are controlled but deliciously buoyant. He arrives in town to open up a chocolate shop but is warned that he will be crushed by the “chocolate cartel.”
The bright-eyed young man can’t even daydream about his magical future, for it’s legally restricted with a soul-crushing sign that reads “no daydreaming, penalty $3” and an officer who enforces the rule in a monotone voice with flat affect. But this doesn’t shake Wonka. He’s got a wide-eyed expression dripping with both instability and ingenuity. In the just under three-minute preview we’re awarded, Chalamet walks that fine line between genius and madness.
He chews with a sort of exaggerated fashion and walks with a cane he clearly does not need — his shoulders back as he adapts a light-footed yet precise stride. He sends people floating into the sky, and gravity seems to work a little differently for him, as he swings around light poles, descending a bit too slowly in a moment benefiting from magical realism. He flies into the sky with the help of balloons. Oh, and there’s a giraffe running through the street at one point.
Wonka is here to disrupt the status quo. He’s here to challenge those who hold all the chocolate power. And, it’s clear from the trailer that the robber barons of Candyland come to feel threatened by his originality. The trailer features a large choreographed dance number, flying confetti, and life-sized balls of pink cotton candy. And, right before the trailer closes, we meet Hugh Grant’s Oompa Loompa, who seems unusually calm while trapped in a clear jar. The Oompa Loompa song begins to close out the preview, as Grant notes that once Oompa Loompas start dancing, they can’t stop. The trailer definitely succeeds in building hype, but what are people saying about it?
Chalamet will be the current generation’s Wonka — following in Wilder and Depp’s footsteps
a whole new generation of children will grow up knowing timothée as their willy wonka ???????????? pic.twitter.com/OiJzfqcKJX
— cait atreides wonka (@timcqthe) July 11, 2023
the real willy wonka pic.twitter.com/6OPr4NLvED
— lis (@cinemidnights) July 11, 2023
That being said, it’s not easy to follow perfection
let's agree that Gene Wilder is the only real willy wonka???????????? pic.twitter.com/ve0AqVRSo1
— FictionRumble (@FictionRumble) July 11, 2023
Chalamet is already killing it
“cute”, “graceful”, “lovely” and “pretty” are not enough to describe timothée chalamet’s willy wonka
pic.twitter.com/lfMaqXVjB4— musetta – timothée chalamet daily (@Musetta_May) July 11, 2023
We have all the nostalgia feels. He did it…
he’s willy wonka ???? pic.twitter.com/0fKzSOj1cM
— ❤️???? (@ATR3lDES) July 11, 2023
Not everyone is about it…
Look, I don't like dismissing movies based on the premise alone, but WHO asked for a Willy Wonka origin story? https://t.co/I7ZmIYG4h0
— Wesley (@Wesley05489536) July 11, 2023
back in the day if u did a movie called willy wonka you'd see that fool making magical candy for two hours but in the prestige era the entire movie gotta be a long ass origin story of how he got the factory until you finally see him ride the glass elevator in the 5 min at the end
— peemo (@ptmoria) July 11, 2023
Fingers crossed for Chalamet
Willy Wonka is one of the greatest literary and cinematic characters of all-time. If Timothee Chalamet pulls this off, it will be among the two or three roles he'll forever be remembered for. It's the equivalent of taking on James Bond or an iconic superhero like Batman. https://t.co/346H9DIkbF
— Lights Camera Jackson (@LCJReviews) July 11, 2023
Some of us are only in it for the goods
The new Willy Wonka movie better have Nerds Clusters in it. Best candy out right now
— bojo (@chrixbojo) July 11, 2023
It may just be everything we’re hoping for
me after watching the #wonka trailer pic.twitter.com/DWYAzCuK2N
— jules⭑ (@stargrlrry) July 11, 2023
Wonka premieres in theaters on December 15, 2023