Set just after Willy Wonka's death at 87, "Citizen Candy Man" is a mockumentary - a chocumentary - that imagines the characters from the 1971 cult children's classic "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" as they might appear today.

The film was conceived, written and directed by New York-based cartoonist and writer Joe Dator, with able assistance from Ned Livingston, Louis Menchise and the cast.

Joe Dator: "When I was a child I was completely spellbound by "Willy Wonka"; I wanted to be Gene Wilder, and I think a great deal of my sense of humor and morality were shaped by that film. I know a lot of people of my age had a similarly strong emotional connection to it, and that's who I made this for."

While "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" is a fantasy in which the good kids are rewarded and the bad kids punished, "Citizen Candy Man" is a comedy, and depicts a more satirically realistic scenario.

First we see sad sack Charlie Bucket (Dator), who was promised the whole chocolate factory when he was 12, but was too timid to ever take it.

Then we meet spoiled rich girl Veruca Salt (Donna Abraham), who has found other, more grownup ways to get what she wants, particularly from men.

The two of them are locked in a legal battle over the Wonka estate, and both have reason to believe it should go to them. Charlie because he won the infamous Golden Ticket contest 30 years ago, and Veruca because of her personal and intimate relationship with the Candy Man himself.

We also catch up with Mike TeeVee (Louis Menchise), gum-chewing Violet Beauregarde (Amanda Duarte) and gluttonous Augustus Gloop (Tom DiNardo). Like Veruca, they all seem to have thrived in spite of their horrible personalities.

Joe Dator; "It occurred to me that in our society, If you are a selfish cry-baby, you’ll find an endless supply of people willing to cater to you, and make excuses for you. If these characters existed in real life they would be rewarded for being awful. The only one who would be consistently punished would be the good kid, Charlie."

"Citizen Candy Man" is 25 minutes. It was filmed on digital video in New York City over the summer of 2005.