Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in popular culture

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This article highlights the use of, and references to, material, lines, characters, or ideas from the 1971 movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory in pop culture.

Contents

[edit] Music and music videos

  • Popular Pop/Rock band Maroon 5 recorded an updated version of "Pure Imagination" for an album entitled, "Mary Had a Little Amp".
  • Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of several films parodied in the music video for the Alien Ant Farm song "Movies".
  • The boat ride sequence is heavily imitated and somewhat parodied in Marilyn Manson's video for the song Dope Hat, which features Manson dressed as Wonka, Oompa Loompas and also Manson licking a wall covered with pornographic images, while the words 'The boys taste like boys' appears on the screen.
  • The video for Craig David's hit "What's Your Flava?" is a parody of the movie; in the video four contestants who found the "Golden CD" are given a tour of David's home, and as in the movie three of the four contestants misbehave and disappear from the tour.
  • A sample of dialogue from the film was used by well-known electronic music artist Aphex Twin on the song "We Are The Music Makers", from his 1993 release Selected Ambient Works 85-92
  • 1990s alternative rock band Veruca Salt named themselves after the film's character who refused to accept "no" for an answer.
  • Is the favorite film of shock rocker Marilyn Manson, who often makes references to it in his songs and music videos.
  • The 2002 documentary about the rock band Wilco, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, features "Pure Imagination" in the closing.
  • Australian drum & bass group Pendulum sampled dialogue from the boat ride sequence on their 2005 album Hold Your Colour.
  • American progressive band echolyn sampled the phrase 'A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men', spoken by Wilder, in their song "A Little Nonsense", as well as paraphrasing it in the song lyrics.

[edit] Television

  • In an episode of Family Guy, there is a beer factory, with singing oompa loompas and a beer room.
  • Kate Winslet in episode 3 of Extras says: "I'd love it if you stuck your Willy Wonka between my Oompa Loompas."
  • In a 2001 episode of Saturday Night Live, the 30th Anniversary DVD is parodied with new comments and bonus features. They include: The Oompa-Loompa song being turned into a music video featuring Nelly Furtado; "never-before seen" screen tests with Telly Savalas and Sidney Poitier; child actor Peter Ostrum as having had a homosexual relationship with the actor who portrayed Augustus Gloop (Michael Bollner); child actress Julie Dawn Cole as having moved back to London, trying to start her own band named "Veruca Salt", and becoming a prostitute who for £75 would say sexually-suggestive phrases from the movie, and outtakes with Gene Wilder questioning whether the movie was directed towards children during the riverboat scene.
  • In another SNL sketch featuring former Vice President Al Gore, an "additional" scene is shown where Charlie and Willy Wonka go to the office of Willy's brother, Glenn, who handles the finances for the company. Upon hearing that Willy has given the factory to a 12-year-old boy, Glenn proceeds to berate Willy viciously for his terrible business practices. Willy justitifes himself with a typical bit of poetry, which Charlie disagrees with. Charlie and Glenn then begin implementing more cost-effective solutions such as cheap chocolate from Mexico.
  • In the Futurama episode Fry and the Slurm Factory, Fry and company win a trip to the Slurm Factory. The episode mainly parodies the "Pure Imagination" scenes, and the Oompa Loompas (as the Grunka Lunkas).
  • Family Guy also parodies Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, when Peter Griffin wins a silver scroll to the fictional Pawtucket Patriot beer factory. The Oompa Loompas are parodied as the Chumba Wumbas; they sing a parodied tune called "Chumba Wumba", after Joe is asked to leave (because there was no wheelchair entrance). The "Pure Imagination" song is parodied as "Pure Inebriation". Charlie and Grandpa Joe also make a brief cameo at the beginning of the tour.
  • The Simpsons episode Sweets and Sour Marge includes a scene where a lethargic Oompa Loompa can been seen smoking a cigarette.
  • In an episode of Simpsons, a contest is held and to win, Homer had to find the Golden Ticket. He instead found the Silver Ticket after buying lots of packages of bacon.
  • On an episode of Arthur, Buster tries to learn to read. One books he tries to read was Sam and the Sandwich Factory. Oompa-Loompa-like elfs made a brief appearance singing, and the nameless sandwich maker talks about how Sam was lucky to come by winning a golden sandwich (Golden Ticket).
  • Willy Wonka's curt dismissal of Grandpa Joe before Charlie returns the Gobstopper ("So you get nothing! You lose! Good day, sir! I SAID GOOD DAY!") is an oft-repeated catch-phrase used in The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. In one notable use, the scene of Wonka shouting the line was intercut with footage from Senate hearings on the Iraq troop surge, following several senators berating Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for the administration's policy. Wonka is listed as "D-Wonkaville," and after the clip John Stewart remarks "I don't think I've ever seen Senator Wonka that mad."
  • "Good Day Sir, I said good day" was also frequently employed by the character FEZ in That 70s Show.
  • The song "Pure Imagination" was performed by Ben Vereen on an episode of The Muppet Show
  • Craig Kilborn sang "Pure Imagination" in promos leading to his takeover of The Late Late Show.
  • Jori sang "Pure Imagination" on a remixed album: Pure Imagination-EP.

[edit] Film

  • In the 2001 Broken Lizard film Super Troopers, the stoner's line "The snozberries taste like snozberries!" is a reference to the flavored wallpaper in Willy Wonka's factory.
  • The 2005 short film "Citizen Candy Man: A Chocumentary" is a satirical look at the children from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory as they might appear 30 years later.

[edit] See also