Bedknobs and Broomsticks

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Bedknobs and Broomsticks

G

Released Oct 7, 1971

1h 57m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

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36 Reviews

74%

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100,000+ Ratings

During the Battle of Britain, Miss Eglantine Price (Angela Lansbury), a cunning witch-in-training, decides to use her supernatural powers to defeat the Nazi menace. She sets out to accomplish this task with the aid of three inventive children who have been evacuated from the London Blitz. Joined by Emelius Brown (David Tomlinson), the head of Miss Price's witchcraft training correspondence school, the crew uses an enchanted bed to travel into a fantasy land and foil encroaching German troops.

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Critics Consensus

Bedknobs and Broomsticks often feels like a pale imitation of a certain magical guardian and her wards, but a spoonful of Angela Lansbury's witty star power helps the derivativeness go down.

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Rebecca Long

Observer

Angela Lansbury's zany feature is just as enchanting as it was in 1971 and more radical than some may remember.

Aug 9, 2021

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

David Tomlinson does his English Fred MacMurray act rather well, Miss Lansbury is as watchable as always and the children aren't too awful. It'll take a mint of money, but not mine.

Feb 11, 2020

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Karen Han

Polygon

In its indulgence of extremes, Bedknobs and Broomsticks becomes unwieldy, but also capable of reaching unforgettable heights.

Dec 22, 2018

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...an unusual slice of big-budget, high concept fantasy...

Rated: 3/5

Jan 29, 2022

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

Charming underrated Disney live action musical

Sep 15, 2020

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Dilys Powell

Sunday Times (UK)

[Bedknobs and Broomsticks] would be standard Disney if it were not for a beguiling performance by Angela Lansbury.

Feb 11, 2020

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Nick S

Disjointed and simply didn't work. Interesting to see it as a prototype for harry potter with the school of witchcraft letter in mail and the broom + portkeys though.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/14/24

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Dale R

This seems like an attempt to recapture the magic of Mary Poppins, but falls a little short. The plot is about an English witch that fends off a German raid in 1940. The Sherman Brothers wrote the music for this and all the songs are catchy and enjoyable. The children actors did a good job and the writers gave them something to work with. Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson also did well in the lead roles. I felt David Tomlinson was not playing Mr. Banks in this movie, but a different character, unlike in The Love Bug. The animation sequence was not up to the Mary Poppin level. It seemed cheaper, most likely because of the Xerox animation style being used at the time. Plus, during the soccer match, I felt there was something missing and then noticed that there wasn’t any score in the background which I believe took away some of the emotional weight of the scene. The finale is a well done set of special effects and puppeteering and turned out to be satisfying. If there is a movie screaming for a remake, this is it. Imagine what they could do with the animated sequence and the finale with today’s technology. . . Definitely worth a watch!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/07/24

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Aaron B

If you're looking for old-timey whimsy and charm, this film has it. Sure some of the songs are a bit filler-ey, but I still find them enjoyable from the strength of the music and the actors' performances. The visual effects also hold up in my opinion

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/24

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dingo K

This movie has memories. It's fun. It has a strange combo of subject matter but work. At the time, this show was different.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/09/23

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nanette m

I loved the original version, but when I bought the DVD it had the deleted scenes. They deleted those songs for a reason. They're boring. We used to watch it all the time but not anymore.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/02/23

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Stephen C

Save me from this f**ked up sh*t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

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Robert Stevenson

Director

Ward Kimball

Director

Angela Lansbury

Miss Price

David Tomlinson

Emelius

Roddy McDowall

Mr. Jelk

Sam Jaffe

Bookman

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Synopsis

During the Battle of Britain, Miss Eglantine Price (Angela Lansbury), a cunning witch-in-training, decides to use her supernatural powers to defeat the Nazi menace. She sets out to accomplish this task with the aid of three inventive children who have been evacuated from the London Blitz. Joined by Emelius Brown (David Tomlinson), the head of Miss Price's witchcraft training correspondence school, the crew uses an enchanted bed to travel into a fantasy land and foil encroaching German troops.

Director: Robert Stevenson, Ward Kimball
Producer: Bill Walsh
Screenwriter: Bill Walsh, Don DaGradi
Distributor: Walt Disney Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 7, 1971, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Runtime: 1h 57m

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