Roald Dahl may not have approved of the 1971 adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but were he alive today he certainly would have loved this one. Tim Burton takes the brilliant novel and transforms it into a visually arresting film, complete with the usual Burton touches. And Johnny Depp adds his usual stroke of genius to his interpretation of Willy Wonka. Felicy Dahl, Roald's widow, came onboard as an executive producer to ensure this adaptation was done correctly. Burton, John August (screenwriter), the cast and crew certainly succeeded.

Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland) teams with Depp once again, this time as Charlie Bucket, the fifth winner of the coveted Golden Ticket. He manages to convey Charlie's generosity and kindness without sliding into the sickeningly sweet category. Despite knowing in advance that Charlie will find the ticket, it's impossible not to feel anticipation with each candy bar he opens, and breathe a huge, emotional sigh of relief and pure joy when he at last finds it.

This cast doesn't have a weak member, with brief but memorable performances by Helena Bonham Carter and Noah Taylor as Charlie's parents, and the legendary Christopher Lee as Willy Wonka's father (a departure from the book, but a subplot added in the spirit of Dahl and in keeping with the rest of the work). The always loveable David Kelly (Robins Nest) as Grandpa Joe rounds out the main cast, adding to the contrast between the warm Buckets and the other bratty children and their overly indulging parents.

Visually, Burton brings Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to life. He took great pride in his sets, turning away from the now common CG animation in favour of building the actual sets by hand. Every blade of grass, the chocolate waterfall, all of the candy plants: those actually existed at Pinewood studios. Even the squirrels are real, trained squirrels and not CG.

Finally, Danny Elfman's music completes the process of bringing this film to life. Interestingly, he also used his own voice for the Oompa-Loompas' singing, although Deep Roy plays the part of each Oompa Loompa himself.

Another interesting piece of trivia: although Depp starred in this and the film Chocolat, he doesn't like the taste of good quality chocolate!

But that lapse in judgement aside, Depp gives another first rate performance. He himself said he can always tell how good a job he's done from his children's reactions, and he was worried when they saw this film they'd come home shaking their heads saying "Dad, what were you thinking?" But to his pleasant surprise, they came home quoting their favourite lines.

Children and adults as well will enjoy this well-loved story, whether they were fans of the book, the first film, or are brand new to the world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is one film this summer that shouldn't be missed.

Making its sweet arrival on DVD & VHS on 21st November from Warner Home Video, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the �must-have' DVD, the two-disc set DVD is loaded with over an hour of special features and four fabulous interactive games, all guaranteed to keep you entertained for hours!

�  Making-of Featurettes:

�  Chocolate Dreams: Learn about Tim Burton's vision for the film and how he adapted the story

�  Different Faces, Different Flavours: Meet the actors and learn about the characters they play

�  Designer Chocolate: Learn about the film's production design

�  Under the Wrapper: Go behind-the-scenes to see how the film's special effects were created

�  Sweet Sounds: Watch the creation of the 4 Oompa-Loompa songs by composer Danny Elfman

�  Attack of the Squirrels: See how real squirrels were trained to perform in the film

�  Fantastic Mr Dahl: Learn about author Roald Dahl's life story and extraordinary body of work

�  Becoming an Oompa-Loompa: See how one actor, Deep Roy, was turned into a multi talented army of Oompas

�  DVD Menu Challenges:

�  Oompa-Loompa Dance

�  The Inventing Machine

�  The Bad Nut

�  Search For the Golden Ticket

�  DVD-ROM (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory PC game demo and web links)