Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film) Elfman contributed to a film score using written songs and his vocals. Filming took place from June to December 2004 at Pinewood Studios in the United Kingdom. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was released to positive critical reception and was a box office success, grossing $475 million worldwide. Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) is a poor boy who lives near the Wonka Candy Company. The company's owner, Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp), has for long closed access to his factory due to problems concerning industrial espionage that led him to fire all his employees, among them Charlie's Grandpa Joe (David Kelly). One
Willy Wonka Wonka exudes none of the gravity required for the role. It's as though he didn't take the role seriously. Rather than an intimidating candyman teaching brats a lesson, this Wonka is simply a freak." Depp received a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his role as Willy Wonka, but lost to Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in "Walk the Line". Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character who appears in Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and its sequel "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator". In