Press Release WHV Press Release: Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) (4k UHD) (1 Viewer)

[Noel Aguirre]

Au-GU-stus!!

 

[B-ROLL]

Au-GU-stus!!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Zavvi just revealed their Exclusive Ultimate Collector's Edition (hint: no scented pencils included)

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Zavvi Exclusive Ultimate Collector's Edition - 4K Ultra HD

Buy Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Zavvi Exclusive Ultimate Collector's Edition - 4K Ultra HD here at Zavvi US, the home of pop culture. Take advantage of our great prices on Blu-ray, merchandise, clothing & more!

us.zavvi.com

 

[MatthewA]

At least the box looks like it's actually shaped to fit with other DVDs, Blu-rays, and UHD discs.

 

[darkrock17]

It's not a box of junk, so that's an improvement on past releases.

 

[Carlo_M]

Okay that Ultimate Edition looks amazing. I had never heard of Zavvi before so I am not in on the various inside jokes.

Each time I see this and Blazing Saddles I'm reminded of how much I miss seeing Gene Wilder in movies.

 

[harveytwh]

Disappointed that the original mono track isn't included. They are still using the awful 1996 stereo remix. One of Mrs. Bucket's lines is missing after "I've Got A Golden Ticket." I was hoping against hope they would rectify this.

Also extremely disappointed about this - on general principle, mostly, but on top of that, I didn't even know that line was bad (I assume you mean "wait!" before she says "stop!") [edit: Maaaybe this will be fixed, too?] One of these days I'm going to figure out how to add my mono digital LD rip to a modern HD visual.

On the other hand, if the 4K trailer is a reflection of the transfer, it seems WB might have finally fixed the horrifically misframed one they foisted off on us last time. Is this a well known issue? Check out some examples:

On the other other hand, is there any way of knowing if the Blu-ray in THIS set is newly made from the new transfer, or if it's just the old 2009 one shoved in? It's hard to tell from the list of extras and the specs on the box. How does one find this out, and convince WB to update it if it hasn't done so already? It would really suck to have zero regular Blu-rays with good transfers.

 

[Radioman970]

Not at this price. Blu is fine. Reveals enough cheese as it is. :p sure love this movie though. That other version is kinda of fun but didn't even have Pure Imagination. it's the music and Gene (and just growing up waiting for this to come on each year) that make it so beloved for me.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

I noticed that Best Buy finally has their 4k copy of Willy Wonka listed at just under $26. This is $4 cheaper than Amazon at the moment, but we all know that ultimately, that vendor will have the cheapest price by release day.

I am disappointed there is no Best Buy Steelbook release. I don't often opt for Steelbooks, but I would have invested $5 more for a Steelbook of this title, and generally, Best Buy has offered quite a few WB Steelbooks in the past.

 

[RobertSiegel]

Disappointed that the original mono track isn't included. They are still using the awful 1996 stereo remix. One of Mrs. Bucket's lines is missing after "I've Got A Golden Ticket." I was hoping against hope they would rectify this.

I am also upset with this. This has to be one of the worst attempts to put together a stereo mix. Part of the overture sounds mono while part sounds semi-stereo. I have always been a fan of this film, and about 10 years ago I used the DVD and the original soundtrack LP, and a DVD recorder and took the first 6 songs including the overture, and dubbed in the beautiful stereo on the soundtrack CD. It fit 100%, the timing was perfect for all 6 songs. I never did the rest but I imagine they would have fit as well unless some change was made on the soundtrack. The overture on the soundtrack CD sounds beautiful, so if they wanted to make a stereo disc out of it, why not take the songs from the album masters. I am assuming they lost the original stems or they could have created a beautiful stereo mix, but using the soundtrack would at least have given us all of the songs in true stereo, not the awful mix they attempted and failed at.

I am really surprised at Warner for allowing this awful sound mix to continue to live on the 4k edition, unless it has changed, I mean you never know what they will do. But I have a feeling we will get the same mix. Reading the comments here, seems I am not the only one who dislikes what they did with the sound. Sad that they don't feel with a brand new 4k release that the sound is just as important as the picture, especially on such a classic family musical. Which makes me wonder, what happened to all of the music stems for these films from Warner in the 70's, doesn't seem like they have them, they couldn't convert MAME to stereo either (George Feltenstein of Warner said they tried but couldn't do it which indicates to me they no longer have the original tapes of some of these films). I know Jack Warner destroyed his own library of stereo soundtrack masters, but I didn't think that would have been happening in the 1970's.

 

[MatthewA]

The original soundtrack LP was a Paramount Records issue. The label also released the soundtracks to Paint Your Wagon, The Godfather, and the Sherman brothers' Charlotte's Web as well as recordings by the kids from The Brady Bunch. It ended up at ABC Records which in turn got sold to MCA Records by the end of the decade, leaving Universal Music Group with the rights. Hence the re-issue through Hip-O Records in the 1990s. Warner Bros. may not have had access to those album masters since another company had the soundtrack rights. The 25th-anniversary laserdisc had a music-only track in mono since it was only on the left analog channel, so at minimum, that still exists.

The difference is that all those other films/shows are still at Paramount. They were not produced by David L. Wolper so they were not affected when he sold his company to Warner Communications.

However, sound mixing and re-mixing technology have improved since 1996. They could always go back and remix it right.

The Mame soundtrack was an in-house Warner Bros. Records LP (hence the CD reissue was through Rhino) for a film that has not changed hands, but Lucy's vocals are different there than in the film which was the one technical hurdle they could not overcome and why they just left it mono. Leonard Stone, who played Violet's father in Wonka, was also in that movie as the stagehand during "The Man in the Moon."

 

[AlexNH]

The original soundtrack LP was a Paramount Records issue. The label also released the soundtracks to Paint Your Wagon, The Godfather, and the Sherman brothers' Charlotte's Web as well as recordings by the kids from The Brady Bunch. It ended up at ABC Records which in turn got sold to MCA Records by the end of the decade, leaving Universal Music Group with the rights. Hence the re-issue through Hip-O Records in the 1990s. Warner Bros. may not have had access to those album masters since another company had the soundtrack rights. The 25th-anniversary laserdisc had a music-only track in mono since it was only on the left analog channel, so at minimum, that still exists.

The difference is that all those other films/shows are still at Paramount. They were not produced by David L. Wolper so they were not affected when he sold his company to Warner Communications.

However, sound mixing and re-mixing technology have improved since 1996. They could always go back and remix it right.

The Mame soundtrack was an in-house Warner Bros. Records LP (hence the CD reissue was through Rhino) for a film that has not changed hands, but Lucy's vocals are different there than in the film which was the one technical hurdle they could not overcome and why they just left it mono. Leonard Stone, who played Violet's father in Wonka, was also in that movie as the stagehand during "The Man in the Moon."

They could but because of ATT's greed they probaby won't.

 

[MatthewA]

They may not be part of AT&T much longer; from what I have heard, they are merging their entertainment holdings with Discovery Networks.

I can’t say that I blame them. I practically had to start an international incident just to get them to upgrade my Internet to the fastest setting, and I still can’t watch 4K videos on YouTube without buffering! Not even the one linked upthread.

 

[Malcolm R]

In related news, Timothee Chalamet to play Wonka in prequel:

https://ew.com/movies/timothee-chalamet-to-play-young-willy-wonka-in-upcoming-prequel-film/

 

[PMF]

This 4K/UHD of Willy Wonka is already looking like the golden ticket we’ve all been waiting for.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory Celebrates 50 Years Today​

On June 30, 2021, the beloved family film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory celebrates its 50th anniversary. Peter Ostrum (“Charlie Bucket”), Paris Themmen (“Mike Teevee”), Julie Dawn Cole (“Veruca Salt”) and Michael Bollner (“Augustus Gloop”) recently sat down together to reflect on 50 years of the perennial family classic.



Originally released on June 30, 1971, directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as the legendary Candy Man Willy Wonka, this splendiferous movie brings to the screen the endlessly appetizing delights of Roald Dahl’s cherished book. Coated with flavorful tunes and production designs that are a visual treat for the eyes, this effervescent musical never fails to enchant young and old. On a whirlwind tour of Willy’s incredible, edible realm of chocolate waterfalls, elfish Oompa-Loompas and industrial-sized confections, a boy named Charlie (Peter Ostrum) will discover the sweetest secret of all: a generous, loving heart. And viewers will rediscover all the timeless magic as it was meant to be seen.

​

 

[moviebuff75]

I discovered something interesting about the deleted "Wait!" It's actually Charlie saying it! It is Mrs. Bucket's line. I am wondering if he recorded it during prerecording the song, to be used as a cue for Jack Albertson. That way they could just play it back during multiple takes. It should have been replaced with her reading of the line. So, maybe that part of the next shot was cut, and that line with it. How it ended up in the VHS mono is a mystery.

I saw the scene hundreds of time's on cable in 1982-1983. When I first rented the vhs in 1987, I thought it was a mistake. My sister and I kept rewinding that part because we had never heard that line before.

 

[battlebeast]

So, is there a new Blu ray with this set, or is it the original Blu ray? What about the second Blu ray from the box set? Has framing been fixed? Was there a review of this set?

 

[darkrock17]

So, is there a new Blu ray with this set, or is it the original Blu ray? What about the second Blu ray from the box set? Has framing been fixed? Was there a review of this set?

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Willy-Wonka-and-the-Chocolate-Factory-4K-Blu-ray/284076/

 

[compson]

Better choices:

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory UHD Review

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has never looked better than it has on this 4K UHD release. Let's dig in!

www.hometheaterforum.com

UHD Review - A Few Words About - A few words about...™ Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory -- in 4k UHD Blu-ray

Updated 6-27-21 The deeper I dive into this disc, the less I like it, especially for authenticity. Score downgraded. Mel Stuart's Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is a film with many fans. Somehow, I'm not one of them, as I was never able to warm up to it. Possibly too homogenized for my...

www.hometheaterforum.com