The world of Willy Wonka just got a little bit bigger, with the release of 2023’s Wonka.
The film serves as an origin story for the titular candy maker, and stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role. It arrived in theaters on Dec. 15, quickly taking audiences off guard with its sweet, stylish approach to the story, mixed in with just the right portion of the dark intrigue that made the original so captivating.
The success of Wonka may pave the way for a new franchise of films, delving into the background, origins, and motivations of a range of popular characters. For now, however, only three Wonka films exist — unless, of course, you count the Tom and Jerry reimagining of the classic tale. We’ve already given the baffling 2017 release more respect than it likely deserves by including it on another guide to the Wonka empire, but we won’t be doing so here. This list is purely dedicated to the three live-action Willy Wonka films, released between 1971 and 2023, that dazzled their audiences anew every time they hit theaters.
How to watch the Willy Wonka films in chronological order
There are, so far as I see it, two ways to watch the Wonka films in order. The first, and most straightforward, is in order of release. Its the easy way to approach things, and it allows audiences to understand the sly creative process going on behind the scenes. Sure, Johnny Depp and Chalamet gave us their own unique takes on Willy Wonka, but each and every performance, post 1971, was informed by Gene Wilder’s incredible stylings. He created the on-screen Wonka we’ve known for four decades now, and everyone else was just trying to match up.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
You can’t start anywhere but the beginning. Just seven years after Roald Dahl released his eccentric original novel, Gene Wilder was debuting as the world’s very first live-action Willy Wonka. He delivered the part in unmatched style, and in the process created a performance that would long outlive him. Even for those foolish few who’ve yet to set sights on the 1971 classic, anyone who’s seen a Willy Wonka film since has seen at least a glimmer of Wilder’s performance. He was simply too good to beat, and every attempt in the four decades since has carried a flavor of Wilder’s impeccable style.
The original 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory can be streamed with a subscription to Max.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
More than 30 years after the initial film hit theaters, the very first reimagining of Roald Dahl’s story came to be. Shifting out Gene Wilder for a Johnny Depp at the top of his game, 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory provides a trippy visual feast that, while similar to the original, feels like a completely separate film. It covers the same events of the first flick, following a kind and eager Charlie — this time played by the talented Freddie Highmore — as he joins a tour of the Wonka factories, but it brings enough changes to the story’s delivery to feel like far more than a remake.
It, like Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, is currently available to stream over on Max.
Wonka
The latest reimagining of Roald Dahl’s classic tale is much more unique than its predecessors. The first two Wonka films were both adapting the book behind this beloved tale, but the 2023 return to Wonka’s factory switches things up. It serves as an origin story for the titular Wonka, and provides a fresh, modern look at how the candy king was made. Many audiences were initially leery of the release, viewing it as little more than a renewed attempt to leech money from a beloved franchise, but audiences quickly changed their tune upon seeing the flick for themselves.
Wonka is currently still in theaters, and has yet to receive an official streaming release date. We’ll update this article once we know where, and when, it will come available for streaming audiences.
How to watch the Willy Wonka films in timeline order
Then there’s what I see as the proper way to enjoy the Wonka library of films. Sure, the other way lets you enjoy the performances that inspire every return to Wonka’s world, but watching the films in timeline order allows you to digest the story in a much more streamlined way.
Wonka
So why not start at the beginning? Wonka is an origin story, after all, and it only makes sense to dive in at the start. The story shows as Chalamet’s youthful Willy Wonka endeavors to establish a candy empire, discovers the orange-tinted staff he’ll ultimately take on, and lays down the groundwork for the delightful and delicious films to follow.
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Chalamet’s performance in Wonka is clearly inspired directly by Wilder’s 1971 delivery, so it only makes sense to follow the 2023 flick with the man who helped make Willy Wonka a legend. It fast forwards a fair amount from the origin story, but it only makes sense to pivot from Chalamet’s imagining of Wonka’s early days to the continuation of his story.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Then there’s the Depp version, which — as noted above — follows the same story as the Wilder version. It delivers its narrative with a distinctly separate, but still enjoyable, style, however, which makes it the perfect fit to polish off your Wonka viewing. It’ll feel a bit like a rehash of the 1971 version, but there are enough differences, both in story and delivery, that you’ll find plenty new in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
