Bedknobs and Broomsticks

UPC: 786936790672

Studio: Walt Disney

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:[Child Classic]

Summary: Bedknobs and Broomsticks was produced several years after Walt Disney's death and released in the fall of 1971. As it turned out, Bedknobs was frequently compared to Mary Poppins -- probably thanks to several striking similarities between the two productions, notably the presence in the cast of David Tomlinson, the use of Cockney children as central characters, and the inclusion of sequences that combine animation and live-action. Set in wartime England, Bedknobs stars Angela Lansbury as Eglantine Price, a would-be witch who hopes to use her newly acquired conjuring powers to forestall a Nazi invasion. Saddled with three surly kids who've been evacuated from London, Lansbury wins over her charges by performing various and sundry feats of magic. And, yes, she manages to foil a few Germans along the way. The film's most famous episode is an elaborate undersea fantasy, which combines animation with live-action on a gargantuan scale, dwarfing all previous Disney sequences along these lines. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Awards: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – null Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Art Direction – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Costume Design – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adapted or Original Song Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adaptation and Original Song Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Adaptation and Original Song Score – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Song – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Backstage Disney - The Wizards of Special Effects - Hosted by Jennifer Stone from Disney's Wizards of Waverly Place
"A Step In The Direction" Reconstruction

Music & More - Music Magic-The Sherman Brothers
David Tomlinson "Portobello Road" Recording Session

Theatrical Trailers

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Format: DVD

Release Date: 09/08/2009

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Vistavision

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 140 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) French

Subtitles: French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Bedknobs and Broomsticks
1. Opening Credits [:00]
2. "The Old Home Guard" [:00]
3. Meeting the Children [:00]
4. A New Home [:02]
5. Basic Broom Instructions [:00]
6. Charlie's Con [:00]
7. Traveling Spell [:00]
8. "The Age Of Not Believing" [:00]
9. "With a Flair" [6:40]
10. Finding Fun In the House [3:28]
11. "Portobello Road" [6:08]
12. Visit To Bookman [2:15]
13. To the Island Of Naboombu [2:56]
14. "The Beautiful Briny" [5:21]
15. No People Allowed [3:09]
16. Savage Soccer Match [4:54]
17. Giving the Spell A Try [14:35]
18. Remember the Words [4:17]
19. "Substitutiary Locomotion" [5:50]
20. Important News [2:45]
21. "Nobody's Problems For Me" [3:45]
22. Just A Little Exercise [3:07]
23. Spell Search [4:28]
24. Mr. "Bunny" Browne [11:56]
25. Troops To The Rescue [5:01]

Craig Butler

Rightfully criticized as being unsuccessful in its attempts to emulate Mary Poppins, Bedknobs and Broomsticks nevertheless is a quite likeable and rather appealing musical for children. More heavily plotted than Poppins -- perhaps a bit too much so -- Bedknobs also has a bit more meat on its bones -- again, perhaps a bit too much so. Both of these factors tend to make Bedknobs a little heavy-going at times. While the special effects themselves soar and glide, the film itself is not able to float along as effortlessly as it needs to. Part of the problem of the original was sheer length; at 141 minutes it was too long. (Conversely, the 117-minute edited version is too choppy.) The film is also not helped by the uninspired Sherman Brothers score, which revisits too many of their better-realized Poppins songs. The moody "Portobello Road" is a major exception, although it goes on too long, and "Substitutiary Locomotion" is enjoyable, despite its derivativeness. Fortunately, Bedknobs has tremendous assets in its cast, design, and special effects, which combine to make up for the shortcomings in script and song. The visual effects are exceptional, and the costumes and overall production design are quite magical. Angela Lansbury gives a magnetic performance, galvanizing the material and bringing the film to life as easily as she does inanimate objects. David Tomlinson is surprisingly well matched with her, and the children are fine. While it's a shame that Bedknobs is not the classic it could have been, there are more than enough assets to make it worth watching. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Roy Smart  Actor 
Arthur E. Gould-Porter  Actor 
Reginald Owen  Actor 
Lennie Weinrib  Actor 
Rick Traeger  Actor 
Tessie O'Shea  Actor 
Ben Wrigley  Actor 
Manfred Lating  Actor 
Robert Holt  Actor 
Richard Peel  Actor 
Ian Weighall  Actor 
Cyril Delevanti  Actor 
Hank Worden  Actor 
John Orchard  Actor 
Don DaGradi  Screenwriter 
Richard M. Sherman  Composer (Music Score) 
Robert B. Sherman  Composer (Music Score) 
Robert Stevenson  Director 
Bill Walsh  Producer 
Bill Walsh  Screenwriter 
Angela Lansbury  Actor 
David Tomlinson  Actor 
Roddy McDowall  Actor 
Sam Jaffe  Actor 
John Ericson  Actor 
Cindy O'Callaghan  Actor 
Bruce Forsyth  Actor 

Country: USA