Who better to bring Roald Dahl's adored children's story to life than the mastermind behind inventive films like EDWARD SCISSORHANDS and BEETLEJUICE? From Tim Burton's opening shot--against Danny Elfman's eerie score--this CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is recognizably darker than the Mel Stuart-directed 1971 version starring Gene Wilder. Though the mysterious chocolate factory has been closed for 15 years, it continues to produce and ship candy all over the world. When a contest promises a tour of the plant to the lucky finders of five golden tickets hidden inside wrappers, no one is more excited than Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore), an impoverished boy whose family lives mere steps from the factory. Though he can barely afford even one candy bar, fate intervenes, and Charlie finds the last golden ticket.

Joined at the gates by a group of despicable brats named Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregarde, Augustus Gloop, and Mike Teavee, Charlie and his Grandfather (David Kelly) venture inside proprietor Willy Wonka's (Johnny Depp) delightful factory for a wild adventure. Each room is a feast for the eyes, and more importantly the taste buds--a sugarcoated dreamland where everything is edible. One by one, however, the children meet unfortunate fates, until only Charlie remains in the company of Wonka and his curiously small workers, the Oompa Loompas (all played by Deep Roy, whose image is multiplied with CG). Sporting a severe bob, and talking in a high-pitched voice, Depp makes his Wonka even weirder than Wilder's. While Burton adds some amusing contemporary touches (like the musical Oompa Loompa routines), and an elaborate back story, he also preserves the charm of the original book. Overall, Burton's visual innovation succeeds in capturing the vividness of a child's imagination--but whether this version trumps the beloved '71 film is for viewers to decide.

Theatrical Release Date: July 15, 2005

HD DVD Features:

Keep Case
Package Note: Elite Red HD Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Closed Captioned - English - Optional
Dolby Digital Surround Sound 5.1 - English
Subtitles - English SDH, English, French, Latin Spanish - Optional
Additional Release Material:
Trailers: Theatrical Trailer
Audio Commentary: Tim Burton - Director
Featurette:
1. "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: Chocolate Dreams"
2. "Different Faces, Different Flavors"
3. "Designer Chocolate"
4. "Under the Wrapper"
5. "CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: Sweet Sounds"
6. "Becoming Oompa-Loompa: How They Turned One Man Into Hundreds of Oompa-Loompas"
7. "Attack of the Squirrels: A Look at the Trained Nut-Sorting Squirrels"
8. "Fantastic Mr. Dahl: A Look Into the Life of Roald Dahl"
9. Music-Only Track - "Showcasing Danny Elfman's Score and Songs"
10. "European Club Reel"
Text/Photo Galleries:
"2 Previsualizations: Augustus Gloop Dance and Mike Teavee Dance"

Johnny Depp: American Actor - SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STR
Freddie Highmore: Actor, TWO BROTHERS (2004)
David Kelly: Irish Star, began in early '60s, WAKING NED DEVINE (1998)
Helena Bonham-Carter: British Actress
Noah Taylor: Australian Actor/"Flirting"
Missi Pyle: Actress, JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS (2001)
Christopher Lee: British actor, DRACULA (1958)
James Fox: British Actor
Deep Roy: 
Adam Godley: British Actor, COR BLIMEY (2000)
AnnaSophia Robb: Star, SAMANTHA: AN AMERICAN GIRL HOLIDAY (2004)

Tim Burton: American director

Brad Grey: Producer
Richard D. Zanuck: Producer

John August: Writer: 'Go'

Danny Elfman: Score composer

Chris Lebenzon: Editor, XXX (2002)

"Tim Burton surrounds Depp with miraculous visuals of spun sugar and creeping menace. Their missionary lunacy is a treat for twisted children of all ages."
"[I]t's very much Burton's vision: the modern fairy tale town, kitsch musical number and 'gothic' Edward Gorey-inspired design."
"Those Oompa-Loompas are the beat, and soul, of Burton's finest movie since ED WOOD: a madhouse kiddie musical with a sweet-and-sour heart."
"Depp's Wonka is both flamboyant and reserved....He can be plaintive...or hilarious..."
"Depp deserves kudos for fashioning an original and outlandish if occasionally menacing character in CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY....[The film is] a marvel of rich, colorful design and flair."
Included in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten Films Of The Year -- "[A] delectable sweet-and-sour madhouse kiddie musical..."
Ranked #8 in Rolling Stone's "Top 25 DVDs Of 2005' -- "The colors on the two-disc DVD are tempting and toxic. Dahl would approve."
4 stars out of 5 -- "This is a dazzling confection for the senses..."
"Wondrous....[The film] moves, like Dahl's original, in a straight line from one inspired set piece to the next..."
"[I]t's movie candy: an optical endorphin rush."