“Willie Wonka” has been parodied by adult cartoons like “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.” Oompah-Loompahs are seen on cigarette breaks or being kept in cages away from their union representatives. The best parody is probably on “Futurama,” in which, upon seeing the Oompah-Loompahs at work, the disgusted Professor Farnsworth cries out:
“What are those awful creatures?!”
“Those are the Urkah-Lurkahs.”
“Tell them I hate them!”
This might well be the finest exchange of dialogue I have ever heard on television. A remake, helmed by madman Tim Burton and starring a dragged-out Johnny Depp, looks like it might squarely look the satire in the eye. The preview suggests that it will be a giddily disturbing parody of children’s movies, akin to “Night of the Hunter,” in which all the language of “family” films is used to create a distinctly non-family result. To quote my wife, “I hope the new version has different songs, because the ones in the old version are pretty fucking lame.”
Finished February 3rd, 2005
Copyright © 2005 Friday & Saturday Night
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