Wonka (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album for the 2023 musical fantasy film Wonka, directed by Paul King and starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Willy Wonka. The album features original songs written by Neil Hannon and performed by the cast and the original score composed by Joby Talbot. The album was released by WaterTower Music on December 8, 2023, the same day as the film's theatrical release in the United Kingdom.
Background[]
Neil Hannon, frontman of The Divine Comedy band, provided seven original songs for the film in his Hollywood debut. The songs were composed in mid-2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London. Joby Talbot scored the incidental music for the film which was recorded at the Abbey Road and Air Studios in May 2023. The soundtrack also featured Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley's "Pure Imagination" and "Oompa Loompa" from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). Wonka marked Chalamet's debut as a playback singer, who described it as "out of his league".
King's casting on Chalamet was attributed to his musical theatre performances at high school, which he found on YouTube having thousands of views, knowing that he could sing and dance well. King, who appreciated his singing voice, called it reminiscent of Bing Crosby; attributing further at an interview in The Hollywood Reporter, he said, "There’s quite a range because it does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things, to moments of real, pure emotion, and he can do it all… I’m going to sound like a crazed fan." Although the full track list was not revealed, in November 2023, Warner Bros. submitted the original song "A World of Your Own" performed by Chalamet, composed by Hannon and written by King and Farnaby, as a contender for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 96th Academy Awards. On November 14, 2023, a sneak peek of Chalamet singing "Pure Imagination" from the 1971 film was released, further revealing that it would be featured in the film and the album. The soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music on December 8, 2023, a week before the United States release.
Track listing[]
- "Pure Imagination" (Opening Titles Version) (1:05)
- "A Hatful of Dreams" – Timothée Chalamet & The Cast of Wonka (4:27)
- "Welcome to Scrubbit's" (3:16)
- "You've Never Had Chocolate Like This" (Hoverchocs) – Timothée Chalamet (1:13)
- "Flying Chocolatiers" (1:27)
- "Scrub Scrub" – The Cast of Wonka (1:50)
- "Wonka's Case" (3:05)
- "Sweet Tooth" – Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton & Keegan-Michael Key (2:10)
- "Willy and Noodle at the Zoo" (2:26)
- "For a Moment" – Calah Lane & Timothée Chalamet (3:22)
- "The Letter 'A'" (1:37)
- "Clock Tower" (0:49)
- "You've Never Had Chocolate Like This" – Timothée Chalamet & The Cast of Wonka (3:49)
- "Oompa Loompa" – Hugh Grant & Timothée Chalamet (1:05)
- "A World of Your Own" – Timothée Chalamet & The Cast of Wonka (3:42)
- "Sorry, Noodle" – Timothée Chalamet (1:28)
- "Mamma's Secret" (2:42)
- "Pure Imagination" – Timothée Chalamet (3:08)
- "Oompa Loompa" (Reprise) – Hugh Grant (1:05)
- "500 Monks, 1 Giraffe" (4:24)
- "Death by Chocolate" (4:20)
- "The Oompa Loompa to the Rescue" (1:22)
- "Noodle Gives Affable the Ledger" (1:28)
- "Chocolate Fountain" (1:11)
