Inside the Australian Production Behind Netflix’s Wonka’s The Golden Ticket

Netflix’s Wonka’s The Golden Ticket has opened the doors to Willy Wonka’s famous Chocolate Factory, with much of the fantastical world audiences see on screen brought to life on Australia’s Gold Coast.

The new reality competition series, inspired by Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the enduring legacy of Willy Wonka, was filmed at Village Roadshow Studios in Queensland and produced by Eureka Productions.

The nine-part series sees 12 Golden Ticket winners, each accompanied by a partner, enter Wonka’s Chocolate Factory to take on a series of challenges and temptations designed to test them physically, mentally and morally.

But behind the colour, confectionery and competition was a major Australian production undertaking.

Building Wonka’s world in Australia

Creating a world as familiar and fantastical as Wonka’s Chocolate Factory required more than finding the right filming location.

The production stretched across two Australian states. In Sydney, the heritage-listed White Bay Power Station was transformed into the exterior of Wonka’s factory, with a little help from CGI.

Meanwhile, more than 800 kilometres away on the Gold Coast, work was underway on an altogether different scale. Across three sound stages at Warner Bros. Studios, the production team built the sprawling interiors of the Chocolate Factory.

Covering more than 26,800 square metres, it became the largest set ever built in Australia. More than 12,000 square metres alone were devoted to the factory’s hero Chocolate Room, an area roughly equivalent to two basketball arenas.

Rather than relying entirely on visual effects, many of the environments were physically built for contestants to explore and interact with, helping turn Wonka’s imagined world into a real competition space.

That approach extended to some of the show’s most elaborate illusions. Australian magician and magic consultant Adam Mada worked on the production, including an illusion used to transport contestants between sets during the series’ Wonkavision 2.0 sequences. According to Netflix, the effect was achieved without camera tricks, post-production or editing.

Australian expertise behind a global production

The Australian connection also extends behind the camera.

Wonka’s The Golden Ticket was produced by Eureka Productions, the Los Angeles and Sydney-based production company behind programs including The Mole and The Amazing Race Australia. Eureka is part of global production group Fremantle.

The production was also supported by Screen Queensland through its Production Attraction Strategy, continuing the Gold Coast’s role as a destination for major international screen productions.

Bringing Wonka’s world to life was a huge undertaking, drawing on everything from production design and set construction to practical effects and studio expertise.

It’s also a reminder of just how much goes on behind the scenes, with Australian crews and facilities helping create a fantastical world that is now being seen by audiences around the world.

Wonka’s The Golden Ticket is streaming now on Netflix.

Source: TV Tonight

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