Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Blu-ray Book Review

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory has always been one of my favorite movies. I’ve seen it a million times, can quote a good portion of it, and have always loved the music. Oddly enough, I’ve never owned it until now. It was always a movie I caught whenever it was on TV, rented it on weekends, or watched it at my in-laws’ house. That’s not a bad thing though, because the new Blu-ray Book is by far the definitive version of the film to date.

Ever since I made the transition to Blu-ray about a year ago, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory has been a movie I’ve wanted in high definition very bad. I knew the colors and production design would pop off the screen, and I when I popped it in this week, I wasn’t disappointed.

First off, you may be wondering what a Blu-ray book is. Well, basically it looks like a small hardcover book instead of a standard Blu-ray case. When you open it, there are 38 full-color pages containing cast bios, song lyrics, and photos from the film. It is slightly taller than a standard Blu-ray case, so if you’re like me and have a dedicated shelf for Blu-rays, you may have to do some adjustments if you want it to fit in with your collection.

I’m definitely much of an audiophile, but what I heard sounded great. The next upgrade in our living room will definitely be a better sound system, so maybe then I will be able to appreciate the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio track.

As far as the bonus features go, there is a documentary called Pure Imagination: The Story of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory and the Wonka Kids commentary from the previous DVD and HD-DVD version. There is also a vintage featurette, theatrical trailer, and four sing-a-long songs for the kids.

In conclusion, this is a no-brainer if you’re a fan of the film and the Blu-ray format. If you haven’t seen the movie in a long time, you need to check it out; it is such a unique family film. I love the Willy Wonka character and Gene Wilder’s performance, and it looks great in high definition.

Own it on Blu-ray October 6th