Original artwork, not a still
We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.
— Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory · 1971
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The first two lines of Arthur O'Shaughnessy's 1874 "Ode" become the film's mission statement, and Wonka says them while holding a spoiled child by the jaw. That clash is the point: the grandest idea in the film, that dreamers shape the world, comes from a man who has just stopped a tantrum. It is the film's most-quoted poetry, and fans still reach for it when they talk about makers and dreamers.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Willy Wonka & the Chocolate FactoryShow the scene
In Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), the group has just tasted the lickable wallpaper when Veruca Salt asks who has ever heard of a snozzberry. Wonka grabs her jaw and answers with the opening of a poem. The words are Arthur O'Shaughnessy's 'Ode', from his 1874 collection Music and Moonlight, and screenwriter David Seltzer made quoting poetry and literature a running habit of Wonka's. The poem was later set to music by Edward Elgar and others.
Sources (3)
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Wikiquote)Lickable wallpaper sceneReference checked
- Arthur O'Shaughnessy (Wikipedia)Ode and Music and MoonlightReference checked
- Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Wikipedia)WritingReference checked
Context reviewed
