"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is, in my opinion, the best film adaptation of a Roald Dahl children's book, and the best fantasy film since "The Wizard of Oz." The characters, sets, and dialogue are priceless. The set designs of the chocolate factory, in particular, are stunning, just like the sets of Munchkinland in "The Wizard of Oz." Gene Wilder (famous in a lot of Mel Brooks movies) is perfect as Willy Wonka. In fact, to me, he IS Willy Wonka. I've heard some rumor that he's least proud of this movie than some of his others, and that's something of a shame, because this is the role I will always remember him for. He has a lot of funny lines of dialogue where he sings to Veruca Salt's father. My favorite characters are Willy Wonka and Charlie Bucket, one of the five golden ticket winners. My favorite scene is when Wonka, Charlie, Grandpa Joe, Mike Teevee and his mother are in the television room, WonkaVision. This long sequence is all in white, and makes for a wonderful psychedelic experience. The whole movie is, in fact, a kind of psychedelic trip to Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, and a fantastic one at that.
