Netflix brings a new twist to Willy Wonka with Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory

There's a new Charlie in town

Netflix's slate of animated feature films has yet to produce a flop, with last year in particular being dominated by the streaming service's most popular movie, KPop Demon Hunters. And a new animated sensation is set to debut: Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory.

The film stars Kit Connor (Heartstopper) as the voice of Charlie Paley, a brand-new character, and Taika Waititi (JoJo Rabbit) as the voice of the chocolatier Willy Wonka. Waititi also serves as the film's executive producer.

Jared Stern (The LEGO Batman Movie) and Elaine Bogan (Spirit Untamed) are taking the reins as the directors behind Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, with Academy Award winner Aron Warner (Shrek) and Timothy Yoo (Green Eggs and Ham) serving as producers of the film. Sony Pictures Imageworks, the studio behind visual masterpieces like KPop Demon Hunters and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, will animate the film.

The original Roald Dahl tale, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, follows Charlie Bucket, who, after winning a Golden Ticket from a Wonka chocolate bar, is thrust into the weird and wonderful world of Willy Wonka and his illustrious chocolate factory.

Now, however, Netflix is adding a unique spin to Dahl's work with Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory. Set in modern-day London and years after the Golden Ticket contest, Wonka was just released from prison after serving time for the nefarious crime of turning a child into a blueberry. He returns to work at the factory, determined to make up for lost time and address the bitterness of modern-day life with the sweetness of chocolate. Unfortunately, teenager Charlie Paley and his friends have a plan of their own: break into Willy Wonka's factory, steal a priceless Wonka Bar, and use it to save their families from eviction. But, as you'd expect from Wonka's kooky factory, shenanigans ensure Charlie and his friends' visit isn't peaceful.

"Having been raised on the delightfully twisted world of Willy Wonka, it’s a privilege to bring his continued adventures to life as twisted adults. And how sweet to do it like never before via the magic of animation, creating a Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory that’s more deliciously unhinged than your wildest imagination," say directors Stern and Bogan in a news release. "If we do a rotten job, you can throw us down a rubbish chute!"

Fans will know that this is far from the first time Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has been imagined, but it is the first time the IP has been given such a modern-day twist—and animated to boot.

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Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory will be available to stream on Netflix in 2027.