CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

Director Tim Burton lends his signature style to Roald Dahl’s classic story of Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore)—the poor boy with a heart of gold—and reclusive candy maker Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp). No one has seen the inside of Wonka’s factory for 15 years, but that’s about to change after five children find the winning golden tickets that grant them a tour the factory and a shot at one very special prize: inheriting his candy empire.

American Humane’s role
American Humane’s Film & Television Unit was asked to monitor this film. The Film and TV Unit’s work is funded by a grant from the Industry Advancement and Cooperative Fund, which is administered by trustees from the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). This grant allocates resources solely to cover SAG domestic projects working under the SAG/Producers codified agreement.

Because Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was an international production, the director/producer arranged for American Humane’s Certified Animal Safety Representatives to supervise the animal action. During pre-production of the film, American Humane’s Film & TV Unit received a copy of the script and the daily call sheets. CertifiedAnimal Safety Representatives carefully reviewed these materials to determine whether any scenes or situations appeared to put animals at risk. At the  request of the director/producer, American Humane’s Certified Safety Representatives were on the sets in the United Kingdom to ensure the animals remained safe throughout production.

This film met the Guidelines  established by American Humane, received the Monitored Acceptable rating, and was awarded the "No Animals Were Harmed”® End Credit Disclaimer. American Humane applauds productions whose commitment to the humane treatment of their animal actors extends beyond the United States, and encourages other producers filming internationally to do the same.

Featured animal scenes
At a Moroccan marketplace, customers offer chickens and a goat to pay for their Wonka Bars. A costumed trainer cradled a small pygmy goat and handed it to another wrangler in exchange for the Wonka merchandise. In the background, another trainer lured two Nubian goats from A to B using grains as an enticement. Two actors passing a chicken had been trained to handle the bird gently.

In one room of Charlie’s chocolate factory, several oompa loompas (digitally replicated images of actor Deep Roy) make “whipped cream” by lashing a Guernsey cow suspended in a holster. This action was filmed on a sound stage in front of a green screen and no real whipping occurred! The half-ton cow was halter broke and acted calmly around people. A crane capable of lifting 12.5 tons hoisted up the bovine, which wore a padded harness outfitted to safely support 5,000 pounds.

American Humane’s Certified Animal Safety Representative on the set made sure production did not attempt to raise the cow more than 10 feet off the ground –at head level – and that the animal did not remain in the air for more than eight minutes at a time. American Humane also requested that handlers milk the cow prior to working for its “udder” comfort. A veterinarian remained on location at all times during filming and prep.

Amazing nutcrackers
In the Nut Room, 100 squirrels sit on barstools shelling walnuts. This scene was accomplished with a combination of real and animatronic squirrels, as well as computer-generated images (CGI). The squirrels were trained to pick up the artificial nuts from the trough; chew open the nut shells; take the plastic nuts in their paws and place them on a conveyor belt. Trainers used bait sticks to elicit looks from the squirrels and rewarded them with real nuts for their action.

Later, Veruca Salt (Julia Winter) makes a grab for one of the squirrels. The animals jump off their stools and accost the girl, carrying her to the “bad nut” garbage shoot. This segment was filmed in many separate cuts. For a close-up shot, four squirrels grabbed at bait bags sewn into the sleeve of Veruca’s coat. The garment contained a prop arm, and the actress’s hand was added in digitally afterward. Released one at a time, the squirrels grabbed at the bait bags and jerked them around a bit. After a few moments, they would get bored and let go of the coat.

For the shot of squirrels running up Veruca’s legs, onto her body and over her shoulders, a stunt girl was used. On cue, trainers released 12 squirrels while handlers waiting at the end mark used a signal clicker to call the animals toward food waiting in each catch box. Squirrels had access to the entire closed set, which was surrounded by safety walls to keep them from straying into the wrong area.

Next, a squirrel jumps against Mr. Salt’s backside and pushes him into the garbage tube. A stuntman sounding a buzzer performed in this shot, while a second handler released the squirrel. The animal had been trained to run up, jump against the man, and run back to its cage for food.

Candy floss sheep
In one scene, the magic elevator stops at a room filled with pink sheep being sheered for cotton candy. Non-skid mats provided traction on the set, and the previously sheared Texel sheep wore special furry overcoats for the “oompa loompas” to shave in a CGI effect. An animal colorist applied a light wash of the non-toxic, vet-approved color with a sponge, making sure to protect the sheep’s eyes, nose, and ears.