Guest Author - Cheryl Lewis

Trailers for the movie Charlie And The Chocolate Factory have been running for quite a while. There's also been a lot of speculation about how good this version will actually be. It's not actually a remake of the 1971 version starring Gene Wilder, but rather Tim Burton's interpretation of the book Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

The first time I saw a trailer, I wasn't all that impressed and really didn't think this would be that good. I was also dismayed to find out the movie had been rated PG instead G. I did some checking and realized that the PG rating didn't come from anything sexual or bad language, so I decided to take the kids to see it.

I'm not exactly sure why it was rated PG rather than G. I think it's because it's more suited to elementary aged kids rather than toddlers or preschoolers. I just don't think it's a movie that would hold a really young child's interest as well as it did my elementary aged and middle school aged kids.

I was really pleasantly surprised. This movie was great! We all left the movie theater feeling light-hearted and happy. My oldest was singing happily and stopped to comment on how engrossed in the movie he had been. He thought it was really "cool" that he was eating Willy Wonka candy at the time too.

The movie stars Johnny Depp as the quirky Willy Wonka. He really does a great job with this character. This movie gives you more background on the eccentric chocolatier and a much better understanding of how the oompa-loompa's came to be at the factory. Depp gives more depth to Willy Wonka.

Little Freddie Highmore is postively awesome as Charlie! He's so sweet and seems to have such a loving and understanding heart.

The ending in this version is very different than the 1971 version. I remember thinking in the earlier version as a child, about what happened to them floating around in that elevator. This version clears that up and leaves you smiling.

So, my advice to other parents is that if you have elementary or middle school aged kids, take them to see this movie. If you have very young ones, you might prefer Madagascar or something animated. In fact, you might want to consider picking up the book for your child. Tell them that you thought the movie was a little different than the book and see if they'll tell you what they think after they've read it.