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When young Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) finds the last of five golden tickets hidden in bars of Wonka fudgemallow delight candy bars, he and his Grandpa Joe (David Kelly) join four other children—Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz), a gluttonous German boy; Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), a spoiled English girl; Violet Beauregarde (AnnaSophia Robb), a gum-chewing American girl; and Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry), an American boy who, like his name, is obsessed with television—for a very special tour of the Wonka Chocolate Factory led by eccentric candy-maker Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp).

The film is based on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1963), a children's novel by British author Roald Dahl. A sequel to the novel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, also by Roald Dahl, was released in 1972. He based his novel on stories he had heard when he was a child about candy spies who would take jobs at competitors' factories in order to steal their secret recipes. The book was adapted for the movie by American screenwriter John August. However, Dahl's widow Liccy and daughter Lucy possessed total artistic control and final privilege on the choices of actors, directors and writers, eventually choosing Tim Burton to direct and Johnny Depp to play Willy Wonka.

Tim Burton has said that his film is not a remake of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971). Burton, in fact, encouraged his crew to stay as far away from the older film as possible.

The location of Wonka's factory in the movie is ambiguous, designed to look like a cross between the UK and the USA, i.e. having London architecture, street layouts, and accents but American clothing styles, mailboxes, and fire hydrants as well as American terminology.

Charlie is the last child remaining, so Willy Wonka takes him and Grandpa Joe home in the Up-and-Out and informs them that Charlie has won the secret prize and is to become heir to the Chocolate Factory. The only stipulation is that Charlie must come live with him at the Factory and leave his family behind because an unmentionable concept—parents—are too restrictive and stifle creativity. Charlie disagrees, saying that they do so to protective their children, and he refuses to leave his family, not for all the chocolate in the world. Willy returns to the Factory, but finds himself becoming depressed and the factory failing. He asks Charlie for advice, and Charlie suggests that he seek out his own father, Doctor Wilbur Wonka (Christopher Lee), the dentist who put young Willy in braces and refused to let him eat candy. With Charlie's help, Willy and Wilbur are reunited. Charlie and his family move their hut into the Chocolate Factory, Charlie accepts his role as heir, and Willy finally finds a family to belong to.

The version for HD DVD (likewise PAL Blu-ray disc) runs a bit longer in comparison to the theatrical cut. Rumors are heard that this version was also shown on TV in America.