Did Willy Wonka Use Real Squirrels?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Did Willy Wonka use real squirrels? And for “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which opens Friday,

the iconoclastic director requested real squirrels — 100, to be exact — for a pivotal scene in the nut-sorting department in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

Did they actually train squirrels for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?


The 40 squirrels seen on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were trained by The Nut Room Animal trainer Michael Alexander

. The 2005 remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had a really cool scene in with loads of squirrels throwing nuts into holes.

Did Tim Burton train squirrels for Willy Wonka?


Forty squirrels were trained to crack nuts for the new film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’

, which hits Irish screens today. Director Tim Burton, who also directed ‘Big Fish’ and ‘Planet of the Apes’, refused to take any short cuts and said scenes had to be as life-like as possible.

Why does Willy Wonka use squirrels?

What was real in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

11. For the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film adaptation by Tim Burton, Nestle provided

1,850 bars of real chocolate

to be featured and used in the production of the movie. 12.

Did they use real squirrels?


Director Tim Burton wanted real squirrels–100, to be exact–for a pivotal scene in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

The 100 squirrels sit on stools at Willy Wonka’s factory, picking up nuts and deciding whether they will work in the chocolate bars.

Was the chocolate river real?

6.

The Chocolate River was very real

, though. The river was made of 150,000 gallons of water, real chocolate and cream. Because it was real, it ended up smelling really bad by the end of filming.

Did Charlie and the Chocolate Factory use real chocolate for the river?


The chocolate river was made from 150,000 gallons of water, real chocolate and cream

. The filmmakers had to change the formula for the chocolate river because originally the concoction they were using turned blood red. Because of the cream, the mixture began to spoil, and by the end of filming, it smelled terrible.

How many squirrels are in the nut room?

Veruca and her parents Descent

When Veruca broke inside the room,

99

of the mecha squirrels jumped on her limbs and pinned her down. She was judged a bad nut and thrown down the garbage disposal.

How did Tim Burton train squirrels?

Even with sophisticated computer-generated technology available, director Tim Burton refused to take any short cuts with the famous Nut Room scene in Roald Dahl’s novel. It had to be as life-like as possible, Burton decided, which meant

squirrels cracking and sorting nuts on a conveyor belt

.

Was it squirrels or geese in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

Trivia. In the original Roald Dahl book and the 2005 movie, Veruca was tossed down the chute by squirrels who determine that she is a “bad nut”.

The geese presumably replaced the squirrels in the film due to special effects limitations at the time

.

Why do the squirrels peck at Veruca’s head?

The squirrels mistake Veruca for trying to steal nuts so they attack her biting, scratching, and clawing to pin her to the ground. Then after that they do the only thing they know how to, SORT!, one squirrel knocks on her forehead

to see if she’s a bad nut

.

What happened to Veruca Salt in the book?

In the book and 2005 film, Veruca demands a squirrel from the Nut Room and, when denied by Wonka, invades the Nut Room to take one for herself. The squirrels pin her to the floor, deem her a bad nut and throw her down the rubbish chute, which Wonka explains leads to the incinerator.

Is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory CGI?

Several of the visual effects supervisors on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tell Alain Bielik how

they managed to incorporate complex CGI

. Digital vfx allowed director Tim Burton to create a unique universe for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

What happens to Veruca when she disobeys Mr Wonka and goes into the nut room?

Wonka explains that

the chute containing Veruca eventually goes to the incinerator

.

What did Wonka say in French?

What Does Willy Wonka Say When They Get On The Boat? Before they board the ship, Willy Wonka says the following in French:

Mesdames et messieurs, maintenant nous allons faire grand petit voyage par bateau.

What do squirrels do with their dead?

As much as it would make sense for squirrels to bury their dead, they do not. Unlike chimpanzees and elephants, the only two animals to bury their dead,

squirrels just leave theirs

. This isn’t to say that dead squirrels haven’t been buried, they just haven’t been buried by other squirrels.

How did Veruca Salt get eliminated?

Veruca is eliminated at the end of her musical number in the film (“I Want it Now”)

after climbing a machine designed to tell whether or not the goose eggs are “good” or “bad” eggs

. The machine judges her as a “bad egg” and she disappears down the garbage chute.

Do squirrels ever find the nuts they bury?

How much was Deep Roy paid for Oompa Loompa?

To his surprise, Deep Roy played every Oompa Loompa, repeating the same movements several hundred times. While these were then put together digitally, each Oompa Loompa represents a separate performance by Roy. In recognition of this, Roy’s salary was raised to

$1 million

.

Are Oompa Loompas real actors?

A: There are 165 Oompa-Loompas in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Interestingly though,

they are all played by just one actor

; one man duplicated many times by the magic of cinema and CGI. His name is Deep Roy, and at four foot and four inches he’s a real life person of restricted growth.

Are the Oompa Loompas paid?

Aside from being a trusted group of workers, there’s another advantage with Oompa Loompas: you don’t have to pay them money. Rather,

they are paid in a currency most valuable to them

: their favorite food, cocoa beans.

What happens to Veronica salt?


Veruca screams and plummets, which in turn leads down to an incinerator

, because she’s described as a “bad nut,” according to Mr. Wonka’s claiming mentions. He assures her father that she “may be stuck in the chute” and all her father has to do is “just reach in and pull her out”.

Why did they change the name of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

The film was originally financed by The Quaker Oats Company. they wanted to tie the film to a new candy bar they were going to release, so the film was renamed from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” to “Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory”

in order to promote this candy-tie in

.

Was Augustus Gloop CGI?

For example,

Augustus Gloop’s face is CGI-enhanced

to appear even more hideously swollen, and the character of Mike TeeVee has been updated – he’s now a video game-addicted young psychopath with a dangerously high I.Q.

Are the Oompa Loompas CGI?

“Once we had the previz, we figured out how to best accomplish each shot,” Davis continues. “Whenever the Oompa Loompas were one fourth the size of the screen or smaller, we made them

CG

because that enabled us to do more dynamic camera moves.

Can squirrels be trained?

Can You Tame Squirrels?

Yes. If you’re really dedicated, taming squirrels is fairly simple

. Having patience and letting them get used to requires a lot of waiting around, but once they do they’ll be happy to approach.

How many squirrels are in the nut room?

Veruca and her parents Descent

When Veruca broke inside the room,

99

of the mecha squirrels jumped on her limbs and pinned her down. She was judged a bad nut and thrown down the garbage disposal.

What happens to Veruca when she disobeys Mr Wonka and goes into the nut room?

Diane Mitchell
Author
Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell is an animal lover and trainer with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and horses. She has worked with leading animal welfare organizations. Diane is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and educating pet owners on the best practices for training and caring for their furry friends.