Average Rating: 6.1/10
Reviews Counted: 29
Fresh: 18 | Rotten: 11
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 4.8/10
Critic Reviews: 5
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 4
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.3/5
User Ratings: 186,748
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
G, 1 hr. 57 min.
Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
Nov 11, 1971 Wide
Mar 20, 2001
Buena Vista Pictures
All Critics (29) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (19) | Rotten (12) | DVD (17)
It's more sophisticated than the usual run of Disney product, but it lacks the inventiveness that could endow it with genuine charm.
The fantasy is earthbound, the score by Richard and Robert Sherman (who also wrote music and lyrics for Mary Poppins) is forgettable, the special effects lackadaisical.
It is when the film [based on the book by Mary Norton] dives deeply into the realms of fantasy that it is most enjoyable.
I suspect the movie will be something of a long, uninterrupted sit for the very children for whom it's intended, and an even longer one for those parents and guardians (both adults and teen-age) who will probably accompany them.
The Disney organization is worst when it makes "family entertainment" and best when it sticks to pure, simple, charming fantasy.
A fun, fairly intelligent, unexpectedly witty example of cinema for children at a time when that genre was at one of its lowest-ever ebbs
Delightful Disney charmer may be too long for youngest.
Delightful Disney charmer may be too long for youngest.
It's a little uneven but at its best Bedknobs And Broomsticks rivals the joy and wonder of Mary Poppins.
Like Lansbury, the film has aged well and retains almost all of its magic.
Animation is neatly mixed with live action, and Lansbury, engaging as ever, heads a capable cast.
Has many moments rooted in movie magic, but there's also a whole lot of filler that brings the movie to a length that's more than bearable.
Angela Lansbury shows off her singing, dancing and comic skills -- which I think even overshadow the film's Oscar-winning special effects.
I do think that too much burden is placed on Lansbury and Tomlinson to handle most of the songs, when one doesn't have a singer's voice and the other is really a character actor.
It's Disney, and it has magic in it, but for me it's a stretch to call the film 'magical.'
Must all films for kids be so shoddy, though? The music is appalling.
If Jessica Fletcher was a witch all along, you think she could've kept Cabot Cove a little safer
Good training for the little witches and warlocks in your family!
A fun adventure, with what was probably quite an impressive mix in 1971 of animation and Actors combined. Very drawn out and very dated now, although the Portobello Market scene was really enjoyable.
August 2, 2006Super Reviewer
Bad
July 8, 2011Super Reviewer
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