When talking about film musicals, “Wonka” first came to my mind because I am a fan of Timothée Chalamet, and I knew he did a film musical last year, but I had never had a chance to watch it. Finally, I have had a chance to watch it now, and I feel that “Wonka” is a musical movie that involves many elements of the music business after watching the whole film. I am majoring in the management of musical enterprises so I want to talk about “Wonka” from the perspective of the music business. Wonka was released on December 15, 2023, directed by Paul King and produced by David Heyman and Alexandra Derbyshire.1 “Wonka” has grossed over $600 million worldwide2 and I think several reasons led this film musical to be a big success. The film draws inspiration from Roald Dahl’s well-known novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,”3 which draws audiences who feel emotionally attached to the original story. Also, we cannot ignore the significant star power. Timothée Chalamet4, a handsome young actor who plays the main character, attracts his loyal fans (both local and international fans) to watch the movie. The most important thing is that this film involves a lot of singing, dancing, and different visual effects. It is a musical! These elements can attract the audience’s eyes to keep focusing on the movie and won’t get bored of it. Today, I’ll explore two essential aspects of “Wonka”: the artistic approach that shapes the innovative ideas for this musical and the business strategy that drives this movie’s commercial achievement.
First, I want to discuss the influence of the artistic side. I think the music here is not only used as the background music, but the producer also uses the music for the narrative. Since “Wonka” is a movie about Willy Wonka’s life, the music in this movie conveys the character’s personality and emotions. Especially the scene where Wonka sings “World of Your Own,”5 he invites the customers into his store and tries the chocolate that he made. This scene involves many colorful and imaginative images, such as the chocolate trees and the cotton candy clouds that are “eatable.”
Willy Wonka always seems confident and energetic and isn’t afraid of challenges and adventure. The music here has a vibrant and playful tune that fits Willy Wonka’s cheerful personality. The upbeat music and lively choreography is very appealing to the audience. Wonka dances with the people in a happy mood. The lyrics “A world of your own, A place to escape to. A world of your own, Where you can be free” conveys the theme of searching for freedom and “Here is the kid with the curious mind…Back when the magic was real” indicates Wonka is a creative person and he hopes there is a world with fantasy. I think this kind of production will inspire songwriters and film producers. For example, they can learn how to integrate music, visual images, and special effects more effectively in films. Music also helps strengthen storytelling and triggers the audience’s emotions. It can make the scene more captivating.
There is more to talk about on the business approach. In “Wonka,” Timothy Chalamet sings the classic song “Pure Imagination,” which is reproduced from “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” (1971).6 I have watched the 1971 film version and know that “Pure Imagination” is an iconic song for Willy Wonka. It left a deep impression on my mind. The melody of “Pure Imagination” composed by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, is very simple and catchy.
The audience can remember the lyrics “Come with me, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination” easily. In this movie, there is another important character called Noodle. She is a smart girl, but she no longer believes good things will happen in her life because she lost her mother at a young age. However, in the end, she reunites with her mom with help from Wonka. This song encourages people never to lose hope and good things can happen again. Compared to the original version, this adapted version of “Pure Imagination” in the final scene is more upbeat and sung with a happy voice with whimsical accompaniment.7 The shift from a soft to a loud voice with the visual image of Wonka building up his own imaginative chocolate factory allows the audience to grasp the theme of positive hope from this film musical. In terms of the music business, this song becomes the basis of the brand. When people hear this song, they think of Wonka, including any type of commercials and products related to the character.
When I was doing the research for this film, I found an interesting advertisement that used the melody of “Pure Imagination.” AT&T used this song as their fifth birthday advertisement in 20108. The narrator even asked “Remember when you were five, anything was possible?” in the advertisement. I think this song would give people a nostalgic feeling and makes them think of good childhood memories. It also helps build a good brand image because this song conveys positive values and makes a strong emotional connection with the consumer, making more people support the brand.
Furthermore, “Wonka” is rated PG, which means it is family-friendly.9 A wide range of audiences, both adults and children, can watch the movie. This large demographic drives into a bigger market and leads them to increase ticket sales. As children can also enjoy the film, it can generate more revenue from merchandising. From what I learned from the entertainment marketing class, I knew that clothing, food, toys, and anything branded with the movie’s name would also increase revenue streams for the movie. At the same time, the retailers would sell the Wonka products when the film is released. It will lead to a cross-promotion, which can boost sales for both sides as a win-win strategy.
All in all, the musical film “Wonka” successfully blends creative concepts with business strategies. Musicals can resonate emotionally with audiences and provide powerful branding for films. It can effectively increase ticket and merchandise sales. I believe this is a great example of how music can be used to improve storytelling and be effectively used commercially, providing impactful ideas for aspiring filmmakers and people who work in the music industry.
- https://www.framestore.com/work/wonka ↩︎
- https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2942927617/ ↩︎
- https://www.sdamustang.com/featured-stories/2024/03/21/comparing-the-film-adaptations-of-willy-wonka/ ↩︎
- https://lanthorn.com/102544/opinion/wonka-falls-short-compared-to-timothee-chalamets-other-roles/ ↩︎
- https://youtu.be/3mNMXafmfLY?si=XVjMOj3SHlLQsP7d ↩︎
- https://www.kuvo.org/stories-of-standards-pure-imagination/ ↩︎
- https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-12-15/wonka-debuts-new-version-pure-imagination-timothee-chalamet ↩︎
- https://youtu.be/6jIWNbexyhU?si=riM5V7j1yVaEbsYa ↩︎
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6166392/ ↩︎
