This was a favorite growing up and of course had to be purchased when it was released on DVD. It's not a great movie, but it's so much fun. Keep an eye out at the gaming expo for a very young tobey Maguire.

Also, if you haven't heard of them, you need to check out little monsters and the monster squad. Two other awfully good 80s movies.

i actually got to see stephen king here in sarasota doing a promotion for the book.

he actually started writing the book ages ago, originally it was called "cannibals". he started writing it once in the 70s then scrapped it, then again in the 80s and scrapped it again.

he finally started again and finished it. while writing it (or maybe right after he finished) he told his sister the basic premise and she said "oh, like the simpsons movie?"

unknown to him, while he was writing the book the simpsons movie was written and released and "stole his idea" (he said this jokingly).

so yeah, they are similar, but each is original in their own rights.

simpsons didn't steal it as king was still writing it and king didn't still eat as he was unaware of the release.

Nikki, how did you not like the oompa loompas? they were exactly as described in the book, although i am sure Dahl never imagined them singing disco or pseudo metal...

also, to everyone else...

IT IS NOT A REMAKE!! It is a new adaptation of an old book, they were not remaking the wilder film, thus is NOT a remake.

this one was much better. it kept to the book much more than the cheesy gene wilder one, aside from the wonkas dad sub plot of course.

also, to SenorMysterioso, this was not a remake of the gene wilder film, it was an adaptation of the original book. check out the book and you will see how awful gene wilder played wonka. not the depp was perfect, but he was MUCH closer to how he was in the book.