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I grew up watching the Gene Wilder version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory". I watched it many times and remember most of the lines from the oompa-loompa songs. In High School I had the pleasure of reading the book, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and noticed many differences between the book and the film and I thought the book was far better than the film that I grew up watching.

When I heard that Tim Burton was doing a version of the Charlie story, I was thrilled. Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors and I loved his version of the "Sleepy Hollow" story, and I knew that Tim Burton would be able to faithfully tell the Charlie story. Not only did Tim Burton's film live up to the original book, he also added a back story to Wonka and the oopma-loompas without making the film too long. Although I didn't exactly enjoy the song choices, overall I enjoyed the film far more than "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory".

As for Johnny Depp's portrayal- Johnny Depp is one of the most versatile and unique actors of our time. In every role he plays he is able to change his mannerisms, voice, and look to fit with every character. He invents characters with his ability to morph into different people. His interpretation of Willy Wonka is a testament to his talent. Every so often in the film you catch the evil gleam in Wonka's eye that tells a completely different story with the performance alone. He gave me the impression that the whole thing was planned and that he knew from the very beginning who he wanted to run his Chocolate factory. I also thought that the whole look was brilliant considering he has been in seclusion and away from people for so long.

Overall, I would definitely choose the Johnny Depp version of Willy Wonka.

Learn more about this author, Cristina Vazquez.
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