Crooked Table Podcast: Episode 103 — Will Ashton / Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

In this week’s episode, Rob welcomes Will Ashton, co-host of Cinemaholics, to the show to talk Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Based on the Roald Dahl book, the 1971 musical classic gave Gene Wilder the opportunity to embrace both warmth and mania and, in the process, created a cinematic icon. Not to mention one of the most ubiquitous memes the internet has ever seen.

Despite being a box office disappointment, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has emerged as one of the most celebrated family films ever made. We’ll discuss why the Mel Stuart film is a personal favorite of Will’s, explore the subtextual allegory at its heart and ponder how family entertainment has changed in the decades since its release. So grab your Golden Ticket, hop in the Wonka-vator and join us in a world of “Pure Imagination, where Oompa-Loompas roam and nightmarish children face a dark and ominous fate.

Synopsis of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory:

A sweet boy from a poor family dreams of finding one of five golden tickets hidden inside chocolate bar wrappers which will admit him to the eccentric and reclusive Willy Wonka’s magical factory. One after another, tickets are discovered by ghastly children – but will the lad find the last remaining one and have all his dreams come true?