1. It’s just a feel-good story.
In addition to the utter buffoonery that occurs in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, there’s a touching overall story.
Charlie is a quiet, kindhearted boy who lives in poverty with his mother and four bedridden grandparents. The family shares a small shack and regularly eats cabbage water for dinner. Charlie also delivers newspapers after school to help his struggling mother make ends meet.
To make matters worse, Charlie watches glumly from a window as his peers live it up at the local candy shop after school, wishing he could join them. Instead, he uses his measly earnings to buy a loaf of bread, a “banquet” for his family.
You can’t help but feel sorry for the kid. His family’s situation is not his fault, and all he wants in life is just for it to get better.
And after a zany day in Wonka’s funhouse factory, it finally does.
Cue melting heart.