Snowpiercer Is A Willy Wonka Sequel According To This Convincing Fan Theory
The best fan theories are those that find a common link between two seemingly contrasting films, as is the case for a surprisingly rich opinion from YouTuber Rhino Stew stating that Bong Joon-ho's 2013 post-apocalyptic thriller "Snowpiercer" is a follow-up to the musical childhood classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." On the surface, these movies couldn't be any more different. But taking a bite into this scrumdiddlyumptious concept will have you seeing both tales in a frightening similar light.
The theory starts with the resemblance between both films' premise, themes, and characters. Both "Willy Wonka" and "Snowpiercer" follow groups of people traveling through a grand man-made structure where each individual is taken out one by one. The last person makes it to the end to learn that the ring leader of the construction is looking for a successor, and the hero makes a sacrifice in the end to complete their arc. Along with this, the films contain themes about class systems and destiny.
As for how one movie flows into the next, the theory states that Charlie Bucket dropped his name and took on the moniker of Wilford Wonka. Fast forward to 2014 when the government decides to release CW-7 to combat global warming, Charlie/Wilford, who is an expert in chemistry after having worked with candy all his life, is aware of the danger this will bring. Given that he inherited Wonka's wizardry in creating self-sustaining production facilities and unique forms of transportation, Charlie/Wilford develops the Snowpiercer to save the human race.
Some Willy Wonka characters stayed for the ride ...
Being at the forefront of saving humanity is a far cry from making candy and occasionally traumatizing a few children, so it's safe to say that Charlie lost a few screws while manning the Snowpiercer. But even through his chaotic approach to regulating the train's population, he remained loyal to Wonka's methods, creating terrifying situations to keep his passengers alert and even hiding messages in food items to help locate a successor. And according to Rhino Stew's theory, he isn't the only "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" character on board.
Charlie places a spy named Gilliam in the tail section of the Snowpiercer to keep an eye on its inhabitants. The method not only closely resembles that of Wonka's use of Mr. Wilkinson, under the name of Arthur Slugworth, but Rhino Stew implies that the two are the same person. Gilliam's line, "I'm a shadow of my former shadow" could clue the audience in on this, as well as Wilford referring to him as an old friend at one point.
But that's not the only character who makes a comeback. The theory states that Veruca Salt, shaken up by nearly getting incinerated and gratefully to Charlie for saving her life, becomes Wilford's obsessive second-in-command Minister Mason. Her mute and trigger-happy henchman Franco the Elder feels like a natural extension of the gun-obsessed Mike Teevee (either that or he grew up to be Quentin Tarantino). While neither Violet Beauregarde nor Augustus Gloop are in the lineup, the latter's child is theorized to be the mysterious Claude who has similar impulse control and appetite issues.
... and others didn't
If there are any characters from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" that should've stuck around, the Oompa Loompas — whose past is more disturbing than either of these nightmarish movies — should be on the top of that list. The singing green-haired workers were loyal to Wonka's operation to the very end and it would seem natural for Charlie to extend that relationship as he creates his own miraculous invention. However, the theory says otherwise.
In this alternate timeline, the Oompa Lompas are all extinct by the time the events of "Snowpiercer" play out. As they come from a tropical climate, they likely failed to adapt to the extreme freezing temperatures. Either this, or their kind died out given that no known female Oompa Loompas were known to exist. But it's clear that they help out on the Snowpiercer at some point. Not only were they the main ones responsible for operating much of Wonka's transportation in the past, but the crawl space to work on the train's engine was made for especially small people. This explains the reasoning behind Wilford's use of children to handle these duties in the film.
One of the stars of Snowpiercer acknowledged the theory
Fans have responded positively to the unbelievably believable assumption that "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Snowpiercer" could exist in the same continuity. A Reddit thread about fan-favorite movie theories saw one user mention this concept, with many others sharing their favorite parts.
After seeing "Snowpiercer," Redditor u/geoduude92 returned to the thread sharing how seamless the theory was, noting, "Seeing also the W logo the whole time sealed it for me," referring the Wilford's use of the letter throughout the train similar to Wonka's branding. Meanwhile, u/Justalilbugboi commented on the aforementioned Oompa Loompa connection, stating, "My favorite part is the compartment being so small but wasn't built for children now they're just all that fits."
But it's not only fans who found the theory convincing. Chris Evans, who headlines "Snowpiercer" as revolution leader Curtis Everett, was even left stunned by the connection. In a now-deleted 2018 tweet (via Tumblr), the Captain America star shared, "Oh my god. WOW. I really love this. 'The snozbabies taste like snozbabies' (I had a bunch of other good ones but that one was the best)." With a blessing from one of the film's cast members, can we go ahead and just consider this canon?