Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film) channeling Keith Richards, which may have primed us to look for possible inspirations for this performance." Mick LaSalle from the "San Francisco Chronicle" found "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Burton's "best work in years. If all the laughs come from Depp, who gives Willy the mannerisms of a classic Hollywood diva, the film's heart comes from Highmore, a gifted young performer whose performance is sincere, deep and unforced in a way that's rare in a child actor." Peter Travers wrote in "Rolling Stone" magazine that "Depp's deliciously demented take on Willy Wonka demands to be seen. Depp goes deeper to
The Willy Wonka Candy Company film version in exchange for the candy bar tie-in. Quaker, who had previous experience in the film industry, bought the rights to the book and financed the picture for the purpose of promoting their new "Wonka Bar". The name of Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" however was renamed to "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" for promotion purposes. The new brand was produced by Chicago-based company Breaker Confections (a subsidiary of Quaker Oats), which in 1975 was acquired by Sunmark Corporation of Saint Louis, Missouri. The original Wonka Bars never saw store shelves due to factory production problems prior