“From the makers of Mary Poppins” is on the bottom cover of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It’s not like you couldn’t tell that since it almost seems like a re-imagining of that film and shares some personnel.
However, that doesn’t mean that B&B doesn’t cast its spell and turn into a very enjoyable film.
It’s the 1940s and England is fighting the war with Nazi Germany. London is being blitzed from above. To protect the city’s children, they’re being sent to the countryside to live with surrogates until the bombs stop falling from the sky.
Three London orphans, Charlie (Ian Weighill), Carrie (Cindy O’Callaghan), and Paul (Roy Snart), are housed with the spinster Eglantine Price (Angela Lansbury). The three discover that Ms. Price is taking a correspondence course to learn witchcraft. She’s anxiously awaiting the final correspondence that will inform her of the spell of substitutiary locomotion which will animate inanimate objects.
The final letter comes and instead of that spell she’s shocked to discover that the school has closed. She casts a traveling spell on a bedknob from her brass bed that allows the bed to take her and the children to London to track down Professor Emelius Browne (David Tomlinson), the headmaster of the College of Witchcraft.
Browne is a shyster and is shocked to discover that Ms. Price can actually work magic. Browne got the spells from an old book, but the last page with the substitutiary locomotion spell is missing. The group sets off to find the page and it will lead them to the animated Isle of Naboombu, ruled by animals, and to defend mother England from the invading Nazi horde.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is mostly compared to Mary Poppins. Both films share a large amount of personnel – songwriters The Sherman Brothers, director Robert Stevenson, actors David Tomlinson and Reginald Owen, art director Peter Ellenshaw, and music director Irwin Kostal.
In the comparison, obviously Mary Poppins seems the better picture but it doesn’t mean that Bedknobs and Broomsticks doesn’t have the ability to cast its spell upon you. Both films look very similar (they take place in the London of Disney backstages) and feature a mixture of live action and animation. It’s probably unfair to compare B&B to Mary as each film has its own charms, but the comparison is always in the back of your head since they’re similarities are noticeable.
B&B also shares some similarities to Pete’s Dragon in that the film was whittled down after its release. Roddy McDowell’s part was severely whittled down. In 1997 cut scenes were restored and the original actors redubbed their lines. Save for David Tomlinson who was ill at the time and the vocal differences in his character is jarring when they happen.
A musical number is still considered lost, but a reconstruction is available in the special features. Angela Lansbury is a treasure and shines as Eglantine. Tomlinson is also a loveable huckster and the kids are adorable. The animation is fun and with the suits of arming rising up to defend England is fantastic.
The songs by the Sherman Brothers are also delightful. It would be the last film they would score for the Disney Company until the Tigger Movie in 2000.
There’s also the 11 minute “Music Magic” about the Sherman Brothers, a 3 minute featurette reconstructs the lost musical number “A Step in the Right Direction, a 1 minute recording session with David Tomlinson, 4 trailers totaling 8 minutes, and a 4 minute commercial for Blu-ray with Dylan and Cole Spouse.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a charming film. It may not be as much of a classic as Mary Poppins but it’s another entertaining film from the Disney Company. The new special feature seems light, but it was fun to see the film again.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Enchanted Musical Edition) is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for this version of the DVD in the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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