Is 'Wonka' for kids? What to know about the film's rating

For the first time ever, the world is finding out just how Willy Wonka came to be the beloved chocolatier.

"Wonka," premiering on Dec. 15, takes viewers on the journey of how Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) rose to fame as the most prestigious chocolate maker, and of course, how he ended up with that chocolate factory, too.

Chalamet told TODAY.com the film serves as a prequel and "companion piece" to the original 1971 film, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," starring Gene Wilder as Wonka.

"This is sort of how Willy Wonka would have been before he’s sort of this mysterious, crazed figure in the chocolate factory," Chalamet said. "This is a young, hopeful, ambitious, head-full-of-dreams Willy Wonka who won’t take no for an answer."

"It’s an original take," he added. "There isn’t the factory, there aren’t the golden tickets, but those themes are kind of snuck in there."

The musical film is inspired in part by the beloved 1964 children’s book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl. Though Dahl's work is well known for his whimsical and imaginative tales, the stories sometimes have dark and mysterious undertones, leaving parents questioning if "Wonka" is truly kid friendly?

'Wonka' is rated PG

"Wonka" earned a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association for some violence, mild language and thematic elements.

The adventure begins with Wonka arriving on the shores of a fictional city to bring his magical chocolates to the people of the town — despite some ferocious competition from other chocolate makers there.

The movie's trailer suggests some existing trauma from Wonka's childhood, and there are some brief scenes of violence throughout the film as Wonka takes on the chocolate cartel, with help from his pal Noodle (Calah Lane) and his Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant).

But as the film's rating indicates, the elements are mild enough for kids. In comparison, the 2005 remake of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," starring Johnny Depp as Wonka, also earned a PG rating for quirky situations, action and mild language, according to the Motion Picture Association, while the original 1971 film was rated G.

"Wonka" director Paul King, who also directed family-friendly movies like "Paddington," told TODAY.com he combined the story from Dahl's book with Wilder's version of the character for his film.

"I grew up with the book and that is very near and dear to my heart," King said. "But because I am the age I am, the Gene Wilder movie was the movie that was on TV, so I think in my childhood imagination, I sort of merged the two and that just felt like who Willy Wonka was."

He teased Chalamet's performance in the movie as "completely hypnotic."

"To me, (Chalamet) was able to do all of the wild, whacky, eccentric side of Willy Wonka, but at the same time, carry the emotional heart of the movie, which I think is what neither Gene Wilder nor Johnny Depp had to do before because, of course, Charlie is the emotional heart of those movies," he said.

If you're ready to take the kids (grown-up kids included) in your life into the wild world of Wonka, the film hits theaters on Dec. 15.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com