When I was facilitating a workshop, a parent asked me if I could suggest some movies that carry meaningful messages for parents. ˙✧˖°🎞️
On the spot, I could think only of the movie *Adolescence. By the way, you can read about it on my blog. (Link given at the bottom) Then another parent suggested Taare Zameen Par. Yes, of course—that one belongs on the list too!
But the question remained with me. So, I thought, why not explore movies that parents and children can watch together—movies that entertain, spark conversations, and leave us with something to think about?
I plan to talking about more such movies for parents and children. And today’s pick is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the 2005 fantasy film based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name.
It is, of course, a fantasy. There is magic, there are imaginary characters, and there are situations that could never happen in real life. Yet, beneath all that fantasy, the messages are surprisingly real—and relevant to both children and parents.
A little about the story—without spoilers 👁
A quirky chocolatier, Willy Wonka announces a rather extraordinary idea: hidden inside chocolate wrappers are five golden tickets. The lucky children who find them will get a chance to visit his mysterious chocolate factory.
But there is more to the visit than meets the eye. Wonka has a secret plan, and as the children move through the factory, one by one, they face situations that test their behaviour, choices and character. And that’s where the movie becomes particularly interesting from a parenting perspective.
I won’t give away what happens 🤫 Instead, I’ll let the movie do the talking.
Each time one of the four children is eliminated, Wonka’s wonderfully strange Oompa-Loompas sing a song explaining what went wrong. And if you listen carefully, those songs are not merely about the children. They also offer a reflection on parenting.
•What flaw led to the child’s downfall?
•Where did that behaviour come from?
•And, perhaps most importantly, how were the parents contributing to it?
So, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may look like a whimsical story about chocolate, golden tickets and a magical factory. But beneath the fantasy are questions about parenting, values, behaviour, relationships and the kind of adults our children may eventually become.
That is what makes the movie worth watching with a parenting lens.
The movie has another powerful thread running through it: Family relationships, what I like to call the power of positive relationships.
Willy Wonka, despite being a wealthy and successful factory owner, carries an emotional void. There is a particularly telling moment when he struggles even to utter the word “Papa.” I’ll leave that one for you to notice when you watch the movie.
Our relationships with our children can leave an imprint far beyond childhood. Sometimes, what a person becomes on the outside tells us very little about what they may be carrying on the inside.
And that makes it much more than just a children’s movie.
Before I end, I’d like to leave you with a few of the profound and meaningful conversations from the movie:
Willy Wonka: ❛ The best kind of prize is a surprise! ❜
❛ Whipped cream isn’t whipped cream at all unless it’s been whipped with whips. Everybody knows that.❜
Grandpa Joe: ❛ However small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance was there.❜
Here’s the coversation❝ ❞ Granpa and Charlie:
Grandpa George: Young man, come here. There’s plenty of money out there. They print more every day. But this ticket, there’s only five of them in the whole world, and that’s all there’s ever going to be. Only a dummy would give this up for something as common as money. Are you a dummy?
Charlie: No, sir!
Grandpa George:Then get that mud off your pants! You’ve got a factory to go to! 🏁
Perhaps these are worth reading, discussing—and reflecting upon, not just with our children, but with ourselves too.
Your thoughts? 🎤 Drop in the comment box ✎ᝰ.
Roots n Wings 