Joyously untethered from anything resembling reality, this musical origin story follows a young, impoverished Willy Wonka as he sets out his stall as a master chocolatier. It’s the brainchild of Paddington director Paul King and his screenwriting partner Simon Farnaby (who collaborated with King on Paddington 2) and boasts a similar blend of the cuddly and comedic.

Timothée Chalamet plays Wonka as a giddy optimist, giving us tantalising flashes of maniacal eccentricity that echo Gene Wilder’s more twisted take on the role. Sporting a hat as bottomless as Mary Poppins’ bag, Wonka arrives at the outset at a famous chocolate district in a place resembling Paris that’s mainly populated by Brits.

He quickly wins over the crowds with his astonishing creations, much to the displeasure of a trio of established chocolatiers (played by Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, and a particularly entertaining Paterson Joseph). Coming across like a trio of Old Hollywood gangsters, together they form the Chocolate Cartel, with 500 chocoholic monks and a corrupt priest (Rowan Atkinson) at their disposal.

Chalamet fizzes all over the shop as the dreamy dreamer, with Hugh Grant stealing scenes and chocs as a crafty Oompa-Loompa. Olivia Colman and Tom Davis shine, too, playing a pair of cor-blimey con-artists, who imprison poor Willy in a washhouse; there he befriends his fellow captives, including Calah Lane’s orphan Noodle.

Wonka might be too madly fanciful for some, but its surreal humour and appetite for wonder keep it soaring. If Neil Hannon’s songs possess the clever wordplay you’d expect from The Divine Comedy frontman, they’re not consistently catchy. Still, the mischievous script sparkles like a Christmas tree and it has just enough sweetness for this time of year, without ever feeling too sickly.

Wonka is in cinemas from Friday 8 December.