The critics aren’t lying: they really love “Wonka,” because it’s simply delightful. As Hoai-Tran Bui wrote at Inverse, “‘Wonka’ exists in a world where cynicism and detached irony don’t exist. From its candy-colored visuals to its dazzling musical numbers, the movie dares you not to get swept up in its rapturous glee.” Indiewire’s David Ehrlich echoed those sentiments, saying, “This may not be Paul King’s most satisfying film, but even at a scale — or at least a budget — several times larger than that of ‘Paddington 2,’ the purity of its imagination remains unquestionable.”
Esther Zuckerman of Vox also unabashedly enjoyed “Wonka,” writing, “Just like Willy’s new friends, you’re swept up by his optimism, as well as the delicate touches King brings to every scenario.” Clarisse Loughrey at The Independent (UK) also gave a shout-out to the film’s musical moments: “It whips up wit, warmth, and the beloved memories of classics past: there’s a big dollop of ‘Mary Poppins’ here, a little ‘Matilda’, some ‘Oliver!’, and, then, unexpectedly, a pinch of ‘Les Misérables.'”
