Will Wonka be able to change the sickly movie chocolate?

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Even prior to its release, it is evident that Wonka has surpassed all previous films in its portrayal of chocolate. This is due to two factors. Firstly, according to director Paul King, every edible item shown in the movie is actually edible.

Throughout the making of Wonka, a professional chocolate maker was present at all times to ensure that every imaginative treat was genuine. In an interview with Radio Times, they stated, “All the food featured in the movie is fully edible and delicious, including the flowers and leaves.” The chocolatier, Gabriella Cugno, shared that she had to create five variations of each dessert described in the script, as well as chocolate cups, saucers, and hundreds of the film’s main attraction, hoverchocs.

This is the primary explanation. The secondary is that Hollywood has struggled with portraying mouth-watering chocolate on screen. This is odd, considering that a) the film industry has advanced technology to realistically create entire individuals and b) chocolate is undeniably tasty.

The evidence can be seen by examining the two previous live-action Willy Wonka movies. As a child, when reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you likely imagined the chocolate river as thick and glossy, resembling a luxurious ganache that is only a distant dream. However, upon watching the 1971 adaptation of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, what did you see? A delectable chocolate river? No. Any version of a chocolate river at all? No. Instead, the film depicted a brown water that looked more like a flooded sewage plant. When Augustus Gloop fell into the river in the movie, the concern was not drowning, but rather contracting a severe case of gastroenteritis from being submerged in what appeared to be human diarrhea.

The 2005 remake of Tim Burton’s film did slightly better. The production enlisted the help of chemical company Vickers to create over a million liters of artificial chocolate. However, the final product was still not entirely convincing. The fake chocolate was made with hydroxyethyl cellulose, organic pigments, and food-grade biocide, which do not sound appetizing and it showed in the appearance. While it had a nice shine compared to the unappetizing sludge in the 1970s version, it still looked too wet and unappealing. In one scene, Willy Wonka scoops up some chocolate from a river and gives it to young Freddie Highmore, who eagerly consumes it. Highmore has since become a talented actor, but his most impressive feat may be not vomiting warm, brown almost-chocolate all over Johnny Depp when he swallowed it.

However, this is just the beginning of the unpleasant chocolate situation. Another film based on a book by Dahl, Matilda from 1996, also includes a notably horrific chocolate scene. In this scene, a young boy is coerced into consuming unimaginable portions of chocolate cake. He does so by scooping handfuls of the moist cake and shoving them into his mouth, and then simply putting his mouth directly onto the plate. By the conclusion of the scene, his face, arms, and clothes are coated with frosting, and you never want to come across another piece of cake for the rest of your life.

In Ken Russell’s film Tommy, there is a scene where Ann-Margret’s character is overcome by a disturbing frenzy and sensually throws herself into a barrage of food items. She begins with champagne, which is acceptable, but then moves on to baked beans, which is less desirable. Finally, she is bombarded with large amounts of melted chocolate, causing a natural response of feeling nauseous and possibly shedding tears.

The most disappointing instance of chocolate in a movie is found in Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun. Despite the absence of any repulsive scenes, Christian Bale’s character finds solace in the thought of a Hershey’s bar during moments of intense terror. He yearns for it, daydreams about it, and finally gets to taste it at the end of the film. This experience leads an entire generation of British individuals to believe that Hershey’s chocolates are the most delicious in the world. However, upon trying it for themselves, they are dismayed to discover that all Hershey’s chocolate has a stale, unpleasant taste. This is a major disappointment for many. We can only hope that Wonka can do better.

Source: theguardian.com