Editor Reviews:

Amazon.com essential video:
Having proven itself as a favorite film of children around the world, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is every bit as entertaining now as it was when originally released in 1971. There's a timeless appeal to Roald Dahl's classic children's novel, which was playfully preserved in this charming musical, from the colorful carnival-like splendor of its production design to the infectious melody of the "Oompah-Loompah" songs that punctuate the story. Who can forget those diminutive Oompah-Loompah workers who recite rhyming parental warnings ("Oompah-Loompah, doopity do...") whenever some mischievous child has disobeyed Willy Wonka's orders to remain orderly? Oh, but we're getting ahead of ourselves ... it's really the story of the impoverished Charlie Bucket, who, along with four other kids and their parental guests, wins a coveted golden ticket to enter the fantastic realm of Wonka's mysterious confectionery. After the other kids have proven themselves to be irresponsible brats, it's Charlie who impresses Wonka and wins a reward beyond his wildest dreams. But before that, the tour of Wonka's factory provides a dazzling parade of delights, and with Gene Wilder giving a brilliant performance as the eccentric candyman, Wonka gains an edge of menace and madness that nicely counterbalances the movie's sentimental sweetness. It's that willingness to risk a darker tone--to show that even a wonderland like Wonka's can be a weird and dangerous place if you're a bad kid--that makes this an enduring family classic. --Jeff Shannon

Rating : - Beautiful HD transfer
I was quite impressed with with the HD transfer on this product. Colors are vibrant, edges are sharp and crisp, and there is very little dirt on the print - amazing considering the film is over 30 years old. Bonus features include a commentary by all of the kids in the film who went back and watched the film 30 years later (should be the same commentary as the DVD version released a couple of years back), as well as a few other bonus featurs (all in 480, of course)

So, why did it not get a higher rating? Right out of the package, I had a place in the bonus features where the audio and video suddenly became extreamely pixelated, broke up, and when it started back up - 20 seconds later on the running time on the front of the player, and the audio and video were off sync. This means one of two things - the disc does not have an anti-scratch coating (not required on HD-DVDs, but I have never had a scratch on a new disc freash out of the package), or a flaw in the manufactoring process (possibly a layer transition?) Luckely it was just in the bonus features - I would have been furious if it was in the main movie.