'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory' (PG) (out of four )

How dare they remake one of the most beloved musicals in screen history and how dare they put Johnny Depp into Gene Wilder's shoes?

I, like many people, could watch "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" over and over again -- singing along with the Oompa-Loompas and watching a good little boy see all of his dreams come true.

But "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is not really a remake. Tim Burton went to Roald Dahl's widow and got permission to do a new version of the story that is closer to the author's original vision.

If anyone could do it, Tim Burton was the right man for the job. He had already produced "James and the Giant Peach," another Dahl creation.

The 1971 version of the book, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," veered slightly from Dahl's novel, but Burton has embraced a lot of the darker side of the story, upping the creep content and giving Wonka a backstory that helps us make a little more sense out of how he became the peculiar recluse that he turned out to be.

Burton is given a big assist by his regular music composer, Danny Elfman. Elfman delivers a knockout score that adds weight and drama to this familiar tale. Elfman also creates the voices of the Oompa-Loompas, who perform musical numbers about the greedy, self-centered little children who fall short of Wonka's ideals.

VideoExtra! 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory'

Trailer - 'Charlie And The Chocolate Factory' Review - Tim Lammers Reports Clip - 'Oompa Loompas' Clip - 'Hair Toffee' Clip - 'Thinkin' Chocolate' Clip - 'Everything Is Edible' Clip - 'My Kind Of Gum' Clip - 'Special Squirrels' Clip - 'She Is A Bad Nut' Clip - 'Everyone Has A Chance' Clip - 'I Don't Care' Clip - 'The Last Ticket'

If you are new to Wonka's world, the main character is an eccentric, reclusive chocolate maker and inventor who pushed humans out of his factory and spent 15 years out of the public spotlight. He realizes he will need someone to carry on after he is gone, so he sends out five golden tickets in bars of his chocolate. The lucky children who find the tickets win the experience of a lifetime -- a tour of the factory no human has seen for more than a decade and a special surprise.

Little Charlie Bucket (compellingly performed by Freddie Highmore), comes from a very poor family, but he happily lives with his parents and both sets of grandparents in the shadow of the factory. Miraculously, he finds the last golden ticket and goes on the adventure of a lifetime with his spry and loving Grandpa Joe.

Depp's Wonka is as unique as his many other roles. From the TV ads and movie trailers, it may look like Depp has finally lost touch with reality, but in the context of the film, he is right on the money. He may be the most fearless actor in the business.

Where Gene Wilder played the chocolate-maker as a fun-loving scamp who enjoys seeing bad little children get what they deserve, Depp portrays a man whose dysfunctional relationship with his father and the betrayal by others leads him to withdraw from the world. By the time he re-enters the public eye, he is scared to death of human contact and draws his social skills and look from his warped, kaleidoscopic view of the world. Like a child, he doesn't know when he is being mean or bad -- he just blurts out what he is feeling at the time.

One of the real treats of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is actor Deep Roy as the Oompa-Loompas. Yes, he plays all of the Oompa-Loompas, and in many scenes it is not a computer trick -- Roy actually delivers individual performances for dozens of little orange men. He gets to spread his wings as he dances to four very different musical numbers.

If the audience with whom I watched the movie is any indication, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is a very sweet confection -- a hardened shell surrounding a gooey and heartwarming center of joy and affection, sprinkled liberally with nuts. It is the treat of the summer.