Echoing the central storyline of the film, Wonka candies introduced their own Golden Ticket contest in Wonka products, including Wonka Bars, Donutz, Laffy Taffy, Nerds, and SweeTarts.

The family decides that Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) should be the one to accompany Charlie on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Depp received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance but lost to Joaquin Phoenix for Walk the Line. Charlie Bucket is a kind and loving boy who lives in poverty with his family near the Wonka Factory. According to Depp, "the hair I imagined as a kind of Prince Valiant do, high bangs and a bob, extreme and very unflattering but something that Wonka probably thinks is cool because he's been locked away for such a long time and doesn't know any better, like the outdated slang he uses.

McDowell's design for the Chocolate Room set featured a practical 192,000 US gallons (730,000 L) faux chocolate river.

The filmmakers emphasized that the film was an adaptation of the 1964 book and not a remake of the 1971 film. Burton was having trouble casting Charlie, until Depp, who had worked with Freddie Highmore on Finding Neverland (2004), suggested Highmore for the part. After sneaking a piece of candy, Wonka instantly became hooked and ran away from home to follow his dreams.The Moving Picture Company was tasked with creating entire CG environments for sequences such as the boat ride and the glass elevator tour. Credit subject to status, UK residents only, Entertainment Magpie Limited t/a Music Magpie acts as a broker and offers finance from a restricted range of finance providers, PayPal Credit is a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH. At home, Charlie initially wants to trade the ticket for money for his family's betterment, but after a pep talk from Grandpa George, he decides to keep it, and brings Grandpa Joe to accompany him on the tour.