10 Family Movies That Are Almost As Good as 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'

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In 1971, a movie based on a beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl was released to a somewhat underwhelming box office. If numbers dictated a movie’s lasting success, then Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory would have been dead on arrival. However, like several rare movies throughout history, as time went on, audiences began to appreciate the film for its understated genius and realized it was a true masterpiece, released ahead of its time.

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory stars Gene Wilder in the titular role. The movie takes an interesting shift in focus from Dahl’s book entitled Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and gives the audience a hint with this important title change. It is a clue that, although Charlie (Peter Ostrum) would be the central focus, Wonka would be the main character. Wilder’s performance is spectacular. He is coy, mysterious, and deceptive. Ironically, Dahl was opposed to having Wilder cast in the role and didn’t think he could play the part with sufficient edge. Luckily, Wilder’s masterful combination of underhanded motives, hidden idiosyncrasies, and wit made his performance and the film itself iconic.

With the phenomenal acting, fun fantasy elements, and thrilling high-stakes, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory has become one of the best family movies in the last 100 years. Though many films have tried, it is difficult to recapture that elusive “lightning in a bottle” that happens for a film only once a decade or so. Not to be dismissed, these 10 films have incredible value on their own, and while they come very close, they are still almost as good as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

10 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' (1968)

The cast sit in the titular car outside a castle where a crowd of children cheer in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

A candy factory, children, attempted murder, there are a lot of things Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has in common with Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. This eclectic musical stars Dick Van Dyke as the amateur inventor and single father Caractacus Potts. When his two children, Jeremy (Adrian Hall) and Jemima (Heather Ripley), have their hearts set on owning a broken-down car, he uses his ingenuity to rescue it from a scrap heap and turn it into something extraordinary. Together with their new friend and confectionery heiress Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes), they embark on a fantastic adventure with castles, kings, queens, flying cars, and more.

Similar to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has a grounding in reality but takes off into flights of fancy and mixes fact and fiction. It has some wonderful comedic moments and musical numbers and is a vastly underrated gem that is a must-watch for fans of Willy Wonka.

9 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' (2004)

Jim Carrey as Count Olaf shrugging in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Three orphans must rely on each other to navigate A Series of Unfortunate Events in this delightfully macabre movie. With the exception of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, most of the children and family movies released in 2004 were bright, upbeat, and cheerful. Perhaps that is why A Series of Unfortunate Events received a less-than-hoped-for reception at the box office. However, for those who like to brood, plot, and embrace Gothic themes, A Series of Unfortunate Events is perfect.

Starring Jim Carrey in a rare villain role, A Series of Unfortunate Events has thrills, chills, and plot twists along the way. It is a mystery why this dark fantasy flies under the radar so often. Perhaps like Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, it was released before its time, and audiences will steadily continue to realize its value.

8 'The Greatest Showman' (2017)

Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum in a top hat and coattails looking up as confetti falls down in The Greatest Showman

Loosely (very loosely) based on the life of entertainment entrepreneur P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), The Greatest Showman is a modern musical with some truly fantastic songs. Due to its glossy and overly positive representation of Barnum and how he viewed and treated the people he employed, The Greatest Showman is more well-known for its soundtrack than it is for its writing.

Hugh Jackman is a spectacular actor, and his talent for musicals is well known. Seeing him don a top hat and coattails is exciting as evocations of vintage performance art and circus shows come alive for a new generation. Though far from a true biopic, The Greatest Showman does a terrific job of capturing the electricity of the live entertainment industry and how fickle success in it can be.

7 'Hook' (1991)

A reverse of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, where children run the show and adults get pranked, is Hook. Starring Robin Williams as a now grown-up Peter Pan, Hook features a phenomenal cast and an endearing story. Hook was received with a markedly split reaction. Younger viewers and children loved the movie, while adults, critics, and even director Steven Spielberg largely dismissed it.

For those who grew up loving the film, Hook remains a whimsical adventure full of humor, heart, and heroism. Dustin Hoffman gives a phenomenal performance as Captain Hook, capturing the vanity and pomp of a self-indulgent captain. Julia Roberts is heartbreaking as Tinkerbell, and Maggie Smith is amazing as always as Wendy. Hook is a banger of a movie from start to finish, and perhaps you had to be a child or a child at heart to truly appreciate it.

6 'The NeverEnding Story' (1984)

Atreyu next to the dragon Falkor in The NeverEnding Story

Another fantasy movie that has Steven Spielberg to thank for its American debut is The NeverEnding Story. A world within a world sets the stage for a young book reader named Bastian (Barret Oliver) to become intertwined with the story as it unfolds on the pages before his eyes. This key factor is part of what has made The NeverEnding Story resonate so strongly with fans. What fantasy aficionado doesn’t dream of being swept away into the very world they are reading about?

The NeverEnding Story was an incredibly ambitious movie. It featured large sets, extensive special effects, and early blue screen work. Combining the intricate visuals with a compelling tale of good versus evil made The NeverEnding Story an epic adventure movie that the whole family could love. It continues to influence sci-fi and fantasy projects and was most recently referenced in Stranger Things. Audiences everywhere couldn’t help but sing along to the iconic themesong. A fun reminder that this film’s popularity seems to be its own never-ending story.

5 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005)

Willy Wonka and a group of kids and adults wear large goggles and look at a screen in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Dahl’s original book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is a much darker tale than any movie adaptation lets on and more closely resembles a horror than anything else. With this background, hiring Tim Burton to direct a movie adaptation should have been a perfect match. With the final result not hitting hard enough to be truer to the book and not being underhandedly whimsical enough to compete with the first film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory lands in an odd middle ground.

Johnny Depp provides his own interpretation of the character and leans more into the eccentric rather than the enigmatic aspects of Wonka’s character. Reportedly, Burton had Jumanji star Dwayne Johnson picked as a second choice, leaving viewers to speculate what that version of the movie would have been like. Fans of the lore will most likely enjoy this version of Dahl’s work, but it comes nowhere near eclipsing the original movie.

4 'Matilda' (1996)

Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, and Mara Wilson as the Wormwoods looking in the same direction in Matilda

Also based on a book by Roald Dahl, Matilda highlights the preeminent child star of the ‘90s, Mara Wilson. In Matilda, Wilson is the title character who must use her wits and special psychic ability to battle mean teachers and neglectful and condescending parents. In many of Dahl’s works, a young child has to face peculiar and daunting challenges, and Matilda is no exception.

Directed by and featuring Danny DeVito as the heroine’s father, Matilda is a funny and classic kids' movie that has immense rewatchability. Dahl’s books didn’t shy away from young people facing harrowing circumstances or the challenges that come when children feel ignored and unheard. Matilda is a wonderful adaptation of his vision and is definitely almost as good as Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

3 'Mary Poppins Returns' (2018)

Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins with a haughty expression on a staircase in Mary Poppins Returns

Modern adaptations of beloved works fall into their own specific category. Most of them will never be as good as their predecessors, but some of them, if done well, can have their own unique value and charm. Mary Poppins Returns revisited the most infamous on-screen nanny and featured Emily Blunt in the lead role. While it lacked the emotional poignancy of the first film, it does have some charming musical sequences and pleasant acting performances.

Blunt brings her own style to the character and interprets her motives in a unique way. In an interview, she noted, “I feel that I just try to approach her as I would any other character and not be caught up in the white noise of, ‘Oh my God, you are Mary Poppins.’” Julie Andrews, who played the pivotal role in the first film, was asked to be a part of the project but politely declined, deciding to give Blunt the artistic space and freedom to make the movie her own.

2 'Annie' (2014)

Jamie Foxx as Will Stacks and Quvenzhané Wallis as Annie eat pretzels and look at each other in Annie

Annie, starring Quvenzhané Wallis, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, and Rose Byrne, is another modern makeover that brings fresh charisma to an established story. Another tale about a child who gets a singular opportunity from a wealthy benefactor, Annie leans into love where Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory leaned into consumerism.

Annie, though iconic, was in desperate need of an update, and the talented cast and revitalized soundtrack make this rendition superb.

Having been key characters in films like Beasts of the Southern Wild and 12 Years a Slave, Wallis was already a movie star when she appeared in Annie at the young age of 11. She and Foxx have great on-screen chemistry together and make a perfect pair. Wallis is one of the youngest nominees ever for an Academy Award and is effervescent as Annie.

1 'Wonka' (2023)

Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in a top hat looking disappointed on a city street in Wonka

A prequel to the events taking place in Wilder’s movie, Wonka has Timothée Chalamet as a younger version of the candy tycoon. Years before he had his own factory, Willy Wonka was an optimistic dreamer and culinary innovator trying to break into the sweet world of confectionery. Upon arrival, Wonka learns that the industry he desperately wants to revolutionize is run by an exclusive cartel of chocolatiers.

Wonka was a tremendous box office success and earned over $600 million globally. It has some truly great musical numbers and captures the essence of imagination that the 1971 film initiated. Wonka is a fantastic addition to the canon because it gives audiences not only a glimpse into the namesake’s backstory, but an insight into his point of view as well. Wonka is one of the best kids and family films released post-COVID and is as close to being on par with Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory as any movie can be.