This past December, Willy Wonka, the whimsical chocolatier, returned to the big screen. Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet, chronicles Willy Wonka’s origin story with new characters, a riveting plot line, and even some fun song and dance numbers.
Wonka is an excellently- made movie that’s appropriate and entertaining for the whole family. Even better, it offers some talking points for parents that can hopefully be a springboard for gospel conversations with their children. Make no mistake, the movie is inherently secular. Parents would be wise to point out that the movie’s central themes of “believing in your dreams” and “following your heart” are contrary to what God’s Word teaches (Rom. 3:23).
And yet, in God’s common grace, even this secular tale gives us glimmers of the grander story of the gospel. So, grab some movie theatre candy, take your children to see Wonka, and consider the following talking points for the car ride home.
Warning: mild spoilers ahead!
The Beauty of Adoption
In Wonka, we meet Noodle, a young orphan girl who turns out to be Wonka’s unexpected sidekick and confidant. Noodle works in the laundromat of the wicked Ms. Scrubitt, a character who makes Mrs. Hannigan look like a walk in the park.
While Noodle’s story is fictional, it mirrors the true story for anyone who is in Christ. Scripture is clear: before Christ, we were like Noodle, alienated, slaves, and left without hope in the world (Col. 1:21). But in Christ, we have been adopted and brought near into the family of God. As Paul reminds us in Galatians 4:7, we are no longer slaves, but children of God the Father. Brought into the family of God by grace, everything about our identity changes, just like Noodle’s. She no longer is forced to work for Scrubitt. We are freed from the tyranny of the law and are blessed with a heavenly inheritance we could never earn or deserve.
It’s hard to not shed a tear when you watch Noodle run into the embrace of her birth mother, the person to whom she truly belongs. For those who are in Christ, we too can run into the embrace of our heavenly Father, freed from the bondage of our sin. Noodle’s adoption is nothing short of life-changing, and her story reminds us that the Christian’s is as well.
Caring for the Least of These
It’s easy to love Willy Wonka for his clever turns of phrase, his sense of whimsy, and of course, his skill with chocolate. But Wonka reveals a side of Willy that makes us warm to him even more: his care and love for the least of these. In a stroke of bad luck, Willy also falls prey to the cruel schemes of Ms. Scrubitt and is forced to work in her factory. Whilst trapped in the factory, Wonka meets other men and women whose lives have been ruined by Scrubitt.
It would be easy for Wonka to ignore or look down on these down-on-their-luck, sweat-soaked outcasts. Instead, Willy embraces them and identifies with them. He works to ensure their own freedom, just as much as his own. In perhaps the most gospel-rich moment of the movie, Wonka exchanges a great sum of money to pay off their debts to Scrubitt, thus ensuring their freedom. Wonka is condemned and set away while Scrubitt’s former captives are released.
While it seems odd (and maybe a little unorthodox) to compare Willy Wonka to Jesus Christ, parents can help their children see how Wonka’s actions point us to the heart of Christ. Like Jesus, Willy enters a world of losers and misfits in order to bring them to new life and freedom. In the Scriptures, we see that Christ’s heart is for the least of these, those whom the world has cast aside. Like Jesus, Willy puts others’ needs ahead of his own, even when that means he will have to suffer.
In the story of the gospel, we see this most clearly in the greatest exchange of all. On the cross, Jesus paid for the debt of our sin with his own life. Because Jesus took our place, we are freed from the bondage of sin and from the curse of death. While Willy’s sacrifice for his friends was immense, it is but a mere shadow compared to the atoning sacrifice of Christ on our behalf.
Good V. Evil
Like any good story, Wonka’s plot line includes a tale of good vs. evil, which is yet another starting point for gospel conversations.
As mentioned, there is the evil Ms. Scrubitt. But perhaps Wonka’s biggest opponents are his competitor chocolatiers, Slugworth, Prodnose, and Ficklegruber. These 3 men run a corrupt monopoly of the chocolate market, storing a secret stash of chocolate they use to unjustly bribe the city policeman. Their goal is to take Wonka down by any means necessary, even if that means his death.
You won’t be shocked to learn that through the help of Wonka’s rag-tag team of friends, Slugworth, Prodnose, and Ficklegruber are finally overthrown and justice prevails again in the city. Wonka is free to make his own chocolate without fear of the wicked schemes of these men.
Wonka, then, is a classic tale of good overcoming evil. No matter the plot, we all love to see the “good guy” win and the “bad guys” taken down. For parents, this theme of good vs. evil is a natural pointer to the greatest defeat of evil in the history of the world: Jesus’ defeat of death and sin through his resurrection. Through his triumph over the grave, Jesus overcame all the spiritual forces of evil, assuring us that they will never have the last word (Col. 2:15).
And for us, there is much more than just chocolate at stake. Jesus’ defeat of evil is what seals the promise of eternal life for those in Christ. His victory becomes our victory.
If you’re in the market for a family- friendly movie with a fun plot line, Wonka is worth a watch. We hope that as you do, both you and your children will be reminded of the truer story of the gospel. Jesus is our Heavenly Father, our advocate for the least of these, and our rescuer from evil. And let’s not forget, he’s the one who created chocolate in the first place.
Interested in learning more about gospel-centered parenting? Check out our current Rooted Parent Podcast season: Parenting, Technology, and the Truth.
