Life may not be so sweet in candy land as the MPAA has just officially awarded Wonka a PG rating due to violence, mild language, and some thematic elements. But not to worry, Wonka won't be a complete gorefest, the parental guidance rating may be down to one thing – villains.
Based on Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wonka follows a young spritely Willy Wonka at the beginning of his career as an inventive chocolatier, but the candy man’s journey will turn sour as rivals Arthur Slugworth, Mr. Fickelgruber, and Mr. Prodnose, otherwise known as the Chocolate Cartel, have other plans.
These three men may seem familiar to Dahl fans as they are mentioned in his original story as the miscreants hellbent on stealing Wonka’s recipes. Wonka’s struggle with the trio may be what has earned the flick a PG rating, as we can see a clear confrontation between the four in the official trailer as well as teasers showing the cartel going as far as trapping young Willy beneath a glass floor while the room fills with liquid chocolate.
However, that's not to say that the upcoming movie is going to be wildly inappropriate, in fact, most Roald Dahl adaptations have earned the same rating, as everyone knows the late author loved to include some kind of dark moral dilemma in his stories.
Tim Burton’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory 2005 also received a PG rating, mainly due to its dark tone and innuendos throughout, particularly relating to the demise of the other four children and Wonka's strange and unusual nature. The original 1971 Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder was rated U, despite Charlie being threatened by the sinister Slugworth and of course, the terrifying tunnel scene that haunted all of our childhood dreams.
For now, we can only wait on the release of Wonka and truly see the collision of everyone’s favorite candy crush the cartel for ourselves.
