This month from our DVD Select column:

Looking for something different to watch that’s appropriate for the whole family? Eric Thom takes the time to unearth some treasures that you may have forgotten, or never heard about.

Charlie & The Chocolate Factory (Warner Home Video)
http://chocolatefactorymovie.warnerbros.com

You know the story by now, as you’ve either seen the original Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) version of the Roald Dahl tale, or you’ve caught Johnny Depp starring in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory in a recent upgrade by wunderkind Tim Burton. By comparison, Gene Wilder’s Willie Wonka, the mysterious chocolatier, is the more comedic of the two. Depp, as is always the case when directed by Burton, (they did, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, and Corpse Bride) darkens the role by comparison.

Both films share the basic story line. Charlie Bucket comes from a poor family, and chocolate is an unaffordable luxury that he can only dream of. When chocolate czar, Willie Wonka introduces a promotion to win a tour of his wondrous factory, the world goes crazy loading up on Wonka chocolate bars to find one of five gold tickets hidden within. Charlie is among the wide-eyed winners of a tour that extends to seeing the River of Chocolate and meeting unique staff workers – the singing Oommpa Loompas – together with sights and sounds that only Burton can muster. Wonka – in something of a re-characterization of Michael Jackson – has suffered a troubled childhood. He takes a shine to the young Charlie, who survives the tour – it’s a kind of test – and wins a prize beyond “his wildest imagination.”

The original movie is holy ground to many, and Burton always goes beyond, shrouding his tales with twisted and wildly inventive characterizations and set designs. This is no exception, and is a colourful swirl of slightly surreal, magical fun. Burton’s world is always slightly off-centre, but he can challenge a child’s imagination like no one else. Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas has permanently altered my children’s reaction to The Wizard of Oz, the latter leaving them wanting, by comparison. The sets, including Charlie’s off-kilter house, and the wild characters – Grandpa Joe and his bed-mates – within, help to form a much more indelible imprint than the previous version, although many will prefer the earlier film for its more innocent approach. Different strokes – but both are good family fun.