Revealing mistake: Just before Charlie opens his winning Wonka bar, we see printed on the back label: "Packed by The Quaker Oats Company Chicago, Illinois". It is made clear in the film that no other companies are involved in the creation of Wonka's products - they're dispatched from his factory wrapped and ready to sell. (00:34:00)
Continuity mistake: On the boat ride, when Wonka explains about "The Sailor's Way", his head changes position between shots.
Continuity mistake: After introducing Mr. Wilkerson, Wonka's hands magically appear on Charlie's shoulders.
Continuity mistake: When Veruca tells her dad that she wants a golden goose the stuff in the bowls behind them keeps changing.
Visible crew/equipment: In the scene where the group enters the weird elevator with the escher wallpapered walls when the shot looks from the back of the elevator you can see the shadow of the camera/light reflector on Mr. Salt.
Continuity mistake: At the Everlasting Gobstopper machine, Veruca Salt arrives before her father, and when Wonka announces the name of the candy, she and her father turn to each other and exchange glances. However, the next shot shows Veruca's dad just arriving at the machine and joining her.
Continuity mistake: In the contract signing scene, Violet and her father are close to Wonka's right elbow, but when the shot changes to Veruca and her father's view, they are further away, then close to Wonka again in a later shot.
Visible crew/equipment: When Wonka finishes handing out the Everlasting Gobstoppers, you can see the shadow of the cameraman on Wonka as he walks away.
Continuity mistake: When Grandpa Joe, Charlie, and Willy Wonka get into the Wonkavator for the first time from Wonka's office, the Wonkavator has a plain hexagonal shape. As it flies over the city, however, it sports an elaborate design complete with an ornate minaret on top.
Factual error: In every version of the story, including the book, in the scene where Augustus Gloop is sucked into the chocolate pipe, there's no pressure below him (it's an open river, with the pipe sticking into it) so the pressure must come from a vacuum at the top of the pipe. Augustus would have had his lungs and innards sucked out until he was thin enough to pass through the pipe. He would not have survived.
Other mistake: During the Oompa Loompas' first number (Augustus Gloop), the lyrics are animated on the screen - but one word doesn't match. The song line is "What are you at getting terribly fat"; the words on-screen read "WHERE are you at."
Revealing mistake: Right before Augustus goes up the pipe, there is a long shot of the pipe. Look very closely. You will see that there is a dummy of Augustus, not the real Augustus.
Revealing mistake: When the Candy Man is singing his song, he tears a long paper strip with candy dots on it. Look closely, some of the children aren't even taking them off to eat them; they're only pretending to eat them.
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Wonka shows the tour the Everlasting Gobstopper machine, you can see that the candy is already on the finished belt before he turns it on. In the close up of the candy, there are a lot of extra candy, but after they get passed out, the excess is gone.
Other mistake: When the boat that Willy Wonka and the passengers are riding on is heading for the tunnel through the river of chocolate, two crewmen are cranking the paddle wheel. The wheel is in an opening in the middle of the deck. As the paddle is rotating, moving the boat through the river, the blades are always clean and dry and never have any chocolate on them whatsoever. Also the paddle is rotating the wrong way. It should be rotating clockwise.
Audio problem: When the group is on Wonka's Pop-mobile and covered in the foam, Mike Teevee's mom says her line, "It's even in my shoes." From this point to the end of the shot, her lips don't match what she says and neither do Mike's, but the mom is more noticeable.
Audio problem: When the crowd is mobbing Charlie after he finds the Golden Ticket, the man with grey hair says "Come on Charlie, hold onto it" but his lips don't move.
Continuity mistake: When Wonka hugs Charlie saying he won, Wonka's hair at his left is unruly. When he invites "Slugworth" in, his hair is back in (better) shape. (01:35:05)
Continuity mistake: When Wonka introduces the geese that lay the golden eggs, the geese change positions between shots.
Continuity mistake: When they are all in the inventing room, and Mike TeeVee is eating the explosive candy, you can see the explosion come out of the machine he is standing next to. In the next scene, when Mrs. TeeVee is leaning over him, he blows out a puff of smoke like it had come from his mouth.
Suggested correction: In the book Charlie ask Mr. Wonka if all the other kids would be all right and he tells him yes they will.
This isn't a valid correction because the point of the mistake is that he wouldn't survive, as shown. At best you're saying Wonka lied to Charlie.
Bishop73