Netflix has announced animated feature Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory, featuring Kit Connor and Taika Waititi in lead voice roles, describing it as a contemporary reimagining with “a fresh twist” of the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory .
Connor, who won a Children’s & Family Emmy for his performance in Heartstopper, will voice brand new character Charlie Paley, with larger-than-life chocolatier Willy Wonka voiced by Jojo Rabbit Oscar-winner Waititi, who also serves as executive producer.
News of the movie, which is scheduled for release in 2027, comes five years after Netflix acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company with ambitions to expand the IP across various formats.
The platform previously announced in 2020 that it was developing two original animated series with Waititi based on the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Deadline understands that the newly announced movie is the fruit of the development process around these series.
The adaptation set in modern-day London introduces a new adventure and characters, alongside “surprise” returns, and original songs.
The official synopsis reads: “Willy Wonka (Waititi) has spent the years since the Golden Ticket contest behind bars (not the chocolate kind) for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry. Having served his time, Wonka returns to his factory determined to add a little sweetness to a bitter world. But one thing stands in his way: teenager Charlie Paley (Connor) and his friends. Facing eviction, this next generation of “rotten” kids plot to break into the factory, nab a priceless Wonka Bar, and save their homes. But like many before them who enter the fantastical world of the factory, these kids are in for a bit more than they can chew.”
Netflix have unveiled a first image of the film revealing the contemporary setting.
Jared Stern (The LEGO Batman Movie, Green Eggs and Ham) and Elaine Bogan (Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia, Spirit Untamed) are co-directing, under the auspices of Sony Pictures Imageworks (KPop Demon Hunters, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse, The Sea Beast).
“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. If we do a rotten job, you can throw us down a rubbish chute,” they said in a joint statement.
Producers are Oscar winner Aron Warner (Shrek) and Timothy Yoo (Back to the Outback, Green Eggs and Ham), with Waititi on board as executive producer.
“Our directors, Jared and Elaine, have a bold vision befitting this new adventure whilst remaining sympathetic to the legacy, and I’m thrilled to play my part in bringing Willy Wonka to life in animated form. He is so special to me, and the opportunity to voice such an iconic, eccentric candy genius, if a little mischievous at times, is hugely exciting,” said Waititi.
Aside from his live action roles, Connor previously voiced Brightbill opposite Lupita Nyong’o in Chris Sanders’ 2024 animated movie The Wild Robot.
“I’m so excited to enter the wonderful world of Wonka,” said Connor. “I was immediately caught by the early concept art, and the directors’ vision for the film – capturing the spirit and heart that made the original story so special, whilst imbuing it with something so fresh and unique. It’s such a fun representation of the London that I know.”
Charlie vs. the Chocolate Factory joins a raft of Netflix original animated features which include KPop Demon Hunters; Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, Nimona, The Sea Beast, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Over the Moon, A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon and Klaus; Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget among others.
“”With their singular comedic and visual flair, Jared and Elaine have concocted a delightful adventure that remains true to the spirit of Dahl’s beloved novel while imagining a brand new story that introduces this world to a new generation. We can’t wait for audiences around the world to experience the magic and mayhem for themselves when the film comes out next year,” said Hannah Minghella, Head of Feature Animation and Family Film at Netflix Animation Studios.
English (US) ·