Dear Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory Kids,

If I come rushing toward you at Comic Con, don't be frightened. I just need a Christmas card pic.

OMG. I just found out that all of you kids (now grown waaaay up) from the original Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory will be in Austin for Comic Con in November. Call me weird, but I liked that original, kooky 70s version so much better than the Tim Burton version– but do NOT tell Johnny Depp. M’kay?

Aside from the fact that I have a serious sweet tooth, your movie has stuck with me like an Everlasting Gobstopper in my soul. OK, maybe that’s stretching it (like delicious toffee), but the point is that Charlie won in the end. His integrity, his honesty, his truth– it all meant something in a world of thieves, consumerism and selfish brats. Go Charlie.

It will be incredibly satisfying getting my picture taken with all of you. This, of course, means I absolutely must dress up like Willy Wonka. And I will also be scrapping my famous Christmas card ban this year and definitely plan to have the most epic card of all time. Would you guys mind wearing Santa hats? Just think about it.

These conventions are pretty intense, I know. My friend Eliot goes to them every year and he always assumes a dashing Dr. Who persona. It’s sort of his thing. I used to not tell people that I went to Comic Con. I was afraid of the social stigma. But then when I went to my first one, I saw half of the drama club, most of the band and four guys from the tennis team. I’m sure there were more, but there is absolutely no way I could identify anyone in a Boba Fett or a Neytiri get up.

So anyway, I just wanted to let you know that when you see a teenage girl dressed up like Gene Wilder holding a bunch of Santa hats and rushing toward you, don’t be frightened. Like the song says, “There is no place I know that compares with pure imagination…”

Always,
Capra