Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory may be a great tale of dreams coming true, but was Charlie's fate really luck, or was it planned from the start?
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a sweet and psychedelic trip to a world of pure imagination that has since become one of the most beloved family films out there. Charlie's fateful journey into the eccentric candymaker's factory never gets old—but, upon rewatching, there's something peculiar about that Golden Ticket contest.
In his episode comparing both the 1971 and 2005 film adaptations, as well as the book by Roald Dahl, podcaster Paul J. Hale brought an interesting theory to light about the Golden Ticket contest. Charlie's chances of finding that ticket were next to nothing, but his victory might not only have been luck—it was planned.
The wily and weird Wonka said so himself, the winner had to be a child, as a grownup would want to do things their own way and not his. So, there's no way Wonka didn't put each of the tickets somewhere frequented by a high concentration of children as customers.
The bars weren't distributed at random, and, as seen by his partnership with "Slugworth," Wonka had people on the outside who knew the chances of a kid finding them. He knew the odds from the beginning, so he tipped them in his favor.
The Everlasting Gobstopper is Wonka's greatest creation, he knew that it would forever revolutionize his candy empire. So, to keep the secret of the invention safe, he implemented the final test of the contest amongst the children. Though it might seem a life-lesson moment to some, this was all a safety measure to be sure that the right kid could keep company secrets under his hat.
The Gobstopper process is still a mystery, and Wonka wouldn't just tell anyone in that room, which means he kept the real method to himself until after the contest. He needed to know the greatest invention in his company was going to the right person.
The ticket scheme not only goes further than first suggested, but there's an element that hits very close to home for Mr. Charlie Bucket. Whether it's Gene Wilder or Johnny Deep, Wonka is an impressive figure for a reason. He knows his customers and knows where to find them, and he also knows that Bill's Candy Store is at a convenient location in the vicinity of his factory.
There's no way that Wonka didn't have Bill on his payroll. Bill wasn't just pedaling his best-selling treats fresh from the factory; he was scouting out potential talent for his candy competition.
Bill more than likely wasn't the only "talent scout" Wonka planted during his Golden Ticket escapades. More than likely, he had spies or agents of the company with a foot on every continent to make sure the contest was as diverse as possible.
This might have been done to make sure that every contestant had a fair chance and had representation from potential candidates around the world. But, it also might have been done to conceal an already chosen winner. The competition was certainly stacked in Charlie's favor from the beginning.
If his incredibly likable demeanor wasn't enough to signify that Charlie would be the winner, then this little detail certainly might. Wonka already had in mind the kind of person he wanted to leave his factory to, and who better than someone who not only has a genuine love for his candy, but who already knew something about the factory, as well?
Charlie stands outside that factory multiple times just as the lights go on. If this is really the case, then someone—maybe even Wonka—had to at least once look out of an upstairs window and see him out there. His fate was sealed from the start.
Not only could Wonka have had Charlie under surveillance, but he had to have been considering him from the very moment the children entered the factory. Charlie was the one that showed the most interest, the most delight, and followed all the rules minus the incident with the Fizzy Lifting Drinks.
Being the successful businessman he is, Wonka was noticing everything the children did at all times, including getting into trouble. Seeing Charlie's behavior and response to factory hazards, he was already in the winner's circle.
"A few surprises here and there, but nothing dangerous" is putting it lightly, especially when considering that freaky tunnel scene in the original Willy Wonka movie. While there might not be anything life-threatening in Wonka's factory, there's definitely something somewhat sinister in the way each child is tempted and trapped by something seemingly personal for them.
He traps a glutton with a river of chocolate, a TV addict with a giant camera, and a gum-chomper with a magic stick of gum. Pair that with the Oompa-Loompa's improvised songs, and there's no way these stunts weren't planned from the start. It was only Charlie and Joe's quick thinking that got them out of trouble.
Bouncing back to Bill, one of the biggest pieces of damning evidence for Wonka's "contest" might seem like nothing at first, but it was the catalyst that Charlie needed to get into that factory. If it wasn't for Bill's suggestion to "try a regular Wonka bar," Charlie would have never won.
One of the main reasons Charlie was struggling to find a ticket was that he was opening Wonka chocolates—he wasn't opening a Wonka Bar. The contest instructions even say the tickets are in "five ordinary Wonka Bars," but Bill was definitely doing more than correcting Charlie's error.
It's revealed that "Slugworth" was really Mr. Wilkinson, an employee of Wonka's sent to test each contest winner to ensure he was making the right choice. But, if the tickets were really distributed at random, how was Slugworth there within minutes of discovery?
Wilkinson was planted in proximity to each winner by none other than Wonka himself because Wonka knew where each winning ticket was going, who would find them, and when the media circus would strike. He could only do this if he had each child chosen from the very beginning.
