On Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Director Tim Burton and the other folks behind “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” have gone out of their way to distance themselves — and their film — from 1971’s “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” that other movie adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved novel.

We see the wondrous workings of the factory in the opening titles, a CGI assembly-line sequence that swoops like a roller-coaster. When the five kids and their adult guardians finally get inside, their first sight is a marvel of imagination: A sugary landscape of chocolate rivers, gumdrop trees and (no doubt) candy mountains. Behind his locked doors, Willy has created this fantastical playground for — himself, apparently. As the tour continues, we learn the secret of his work force: He uses Oompa Loompas, earnest and dedicated workers all looking exactly the same and all played, through a digital miracle, by the vaguely ominous Deep Roy. We’re reminded of Santa’s identical helpers in “The Polar Express.”

For some, this new version might be a little too “out there.” The material definitely plays to Burton’s bizarre, sometimes macabre, sensibilities. And Johnny Depp’s take on Wonka is definitely much creepier than Gene Wilder’s prickly but considerably warmer portrayal.

Yet, in many respects, this inventive, delightful and visually rich fantasy is more faithful to Dahl’s source material (especially in tone). And it’s certainly one of the best summer movies for families (in fact, among other things, the film stresses the importance of family).