By John Corrado

Please note that this is a review of the 4K Ultra HD release of Wonka. For my full thoughts on the film itself, you can read my original review right here.

Fashioned as a prequel to the 1971 Gene Wilder film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Paddington director Paul King’s Wonka became a sizeable hit at the box office over the holiday season, and it was one of the nicest surprises of the last few months.

Timothée Chalamet stars as the iconic character from Roald Dahl’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, putting his own spin on the eccentric chocolatier in an origin story of how Willy Wonka got his start as a wide-eyed dreamer turned chocolate maker.

I quite enjoyed this one. While telling an original story, King’s film captures the spirit of Dahl’s work. It’s a delightful film on multiple levels, with King and his cast offering a feel-good musical that delivers fun song and dance numbers and some eye-catching production design. This is a lavish production through and through, and the 2160p 4K disc really allows us to pick up on the rich details of the costumes and practical sets.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)

Bonus Features (4K Ultra HD):

The 4K disc includes a selection of five solid featurettes on the production. A code for a digital copy is also included in the package, which ships with a burgundy slipcover.

• Unwrapping Wonka: Paul King’s Vision (12 minutes, 28 seconds): King and producer David Heyman talk about crafting a new story within Dahl’s rich world that stays true to his books, coming up with original characters, setting the film around 1948 so the timeline matches up with the Gene Wilder version, and the wonderful cast.

• The Whimsical Music of Wonka (6 minutes, 1 second): A closer look at songwriter Neil Hannon’s original tunes and Joby Talbot’s score, and how Chalamet perfected his singing and dancing skills for the film.

• Welcome to Wonka Land (10 minutes, 51 seconds): Takes us behind the scenes of designing this world and building the impressive practical sets, including Wonka’s colourful chocolate shop.

• Hats Off to Wonka (6 minutes, 47 seconds): A closer look at Lindy Hemming’s wonderful costumes for the film, including Wonka’s iconic burgundy velvet coat and hat.

• Wonka’s Chocolatier (8 minutes, 51 seconds): Chocolatier Gabriella Cugno shows us how she handcrafted several of the inventive chocolate creations seen in the film.

• Musical Moments (Play All – 30 minutes, 40 seconds): All thirteen musical moments from the film, playable together or on their own.

Wonka is a Warner Bros. Home Entertainment release. It’s 116 minutes and rated PG.

Street Date: February 27th, 2024