Throughout grade school, Roald Dahl was my favorite author. ‘James and the Giant Peach’ is a giant success in my eyes and ‘Matilda’ is a magical experience, but the pièce de résistance is ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ The novel is good and all, but the true reason that it stands out among Dahl’s works is the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (Fun fact, Roald Dahl was not a fan of the original movie adaptation).

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

I’m sure you already know the story. Either you’ve read the book, or have seen the movie adaptation starring Gene Wilder… or have seen the other (far inferior) movie adaptation starring Johnny Depp. Just in case you aren’t aware I’ll give you a brief run down. Willy Wonka is the owner and operator of the Wonka Chocolate Factory. He owns the most popular candy companies in the business, but due to competitors trying to steal his trade secrets the factory was locked down. People were no longer employed by Wonka, yet it continued to produce scrumptious confections. 

Years after this mysterious shutdown occurred, Wonka announced a contest. Five lucky customers would randomly find a golden ticket inside of a candy bar wrapper. Should someone receive this ticket, they get the once in a lifetime opportunity to go on a tour of the chocolate factory.

Four of the five lucky customers turned out to be spoiled children. Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregard, Augustus Gloop, and Mike TV. The fifth child was named Charlie Bucket. He grew up in poverty. His grandparents were bed ridden, his father was deceased, and his mother worked to support the entire family. For his birthday he was given a coin to buy a chocolate bar. Despite not finding the golden ticket on his first try, he manages to get another piece of chocolate and, lo and behold, it contained the final ticket.

The five kids and their chaperones toured Wonka’s factory and saw the miraculous desserts that Wonka was busy perfecting. One by one, they made a mistake which resulted in them being kicked out of the factory until only Charlie was left. After making the last minute decision to return a secret piece of candy to Wonka, Charlie learns that he will inherit the factory.

Oompa Loompas (1971)

Winning a world famous chocolate factory is nearly a capitalist’s dream. The only thing that could improve upon such a prize would be an endless source of free labor. Enter: the Oompa Loompas. As we learn early in the factory tour, the candy production is kept up by a staff of small orange men with a pension for speaking in rhymes. The factory is their home, they work all day, and they earn all the cacao beans they can eat. You can probably see what I’m getting at here. Yes, Willy Wonka’s factory is run on slave labor. 

While the 1971 film hides the truth, the original novel and Johnny Depp film couldn’t be more clear. In the novel Wonka clarifies that he “discovered them [himself]” “direct from Africa.” The Johnny Depp movie even includes a scene where he finds the tribe of Oompa Loompas. There is no world in which one of the most beloved children’s films features a white supremacist as the title character. This article by David Yacavone highlights more details of the deep rooted white supremacy behind the original novel and some of Dahl’s other books. 

Original Illustration of the Oompa Loompas

Despite the unfortunate racism which plagued Dahl’s famous works, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory remains a classic. It is still a childhood favorite and I think it deserves to be. While the source material may be legendary, Gene Wilder is a racist actor… Scratch that. Reverse it. Wilder’s performance is truly iconic and elevates any film he is a part of. Additionally, the fantastical factory still leaves me with a sense of childlike wonder. Watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but do not forget the perverted white supremacist beliefs that serve as its foundation.