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Bedknobs and Broomsticks (30th Anniversary Edition)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (30th Anniversary Edition)

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Step In The Right Direction: Disney Restores A Classic
Review: Bedknobs and Broomsticks is the charming tale of Eglintine Price(Angela Lansbury), an apprentice witch who is determined to use her cosmic powers to bring World War II to a successful conclusion. In her efforts she is aided by three London refugee children and a con artist, Professor Emilius Brown (David Tomlinson). The original film was envisioned as a grand musical along the same lines as Mary Poppins. But the New York Christmas premiere at Radio City proved to be a problem, since the theater's Christmas Show preceeding the film meant that the length of the film itself had to be chopped to conform to time restrictions. This conflict of interest lead to three songs and some extemporanious footage being left on the cutting room floor. I am pleased to say that, three decades later, nearly everything that was taken out has been put back in, with a new digital transfer that positively sparkles and stereophonic sound that will make your heart sing. Only Angela Lansbury's "Step in the Right Direction" musical solo seems to have been lost for all time. But the newly restored "Portibello Road" dance sequence and Lansbury's "Nobody's Problem For Me" are revelations, rounding out story and content in ways that only now can we truly appreciate for their genius and scope. Disney's efforts have dug up a fair bit of background information, wonderfully included as supplimentary material, fascinating and delightful. A must have disc for anyone who wants to spend a rainy night in front of the television with a great family film that sparkles as never before.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I Love This Wonderful Movie! 5+ Stars!
Review: Bedknobs and Broomsticks is my favorite Disney movie ever created. However, it is also one of the most overlooked ones as well. I've watched this movie since I was a little child, and you never get bored of it. One childhood memory I have, is watching this movie with my family. Now, I watch this 30th Anniversary DVD with my baby brother. Now I'll tell you all what this classic is about.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is about a middle aged apprentice witch named Eglantine Price who lives in 1940 England. She is ordered to watch after 3 children who have been evacuated from London. The kids find out Miss Price's secret, and they also find out that Miss Price learns witchcraft from a mailorder course. To make a pact that states that if they keep her secret, she'll make it worth her while. So, she enchants a brass bedknob that will make them go wherever they want. However, the school closes, without the most important final spell, the Subsitutiary Locomotion spell.

So, using the bedknob, they go to London and seek out the headmaster of the school, Emelius Brown. Mr Brown can't find the spell either because the book he got out the spell of is torn, and the spell is only found on a necklace of a sorcerer named Astoroth.

Anyway, they go to Portobello Road, like a mini mall, and learn that towards the end of Astoroth's life, he captured animals and kept them in cages to make them more human like. The animals rebelled and killed Astoroth and stole the necklace. The animals escaped and took refuge on a mythical Isle named Niboombu.

The animation starts know as the tiny group explore the sea and then the island using hte traveling bedknob, and get the necklace that has the spell on it after a fun soccer game with a lion, which almost ends our story. After getting the necklace and returning home, the Nazi soldiers attack, and using the Spell, Miss Price and Company defeat them.

Now, I highly reccomend this DVD because of its digitally restored and digitally remastered format, and the resolution is so clear. This also has one of the best climaxes in Disney history, when they fight the Nazi's, and also has great animation.

As Mr Brown says, "Do it with a Flair", and get this 30th anniversary DVD, Digitally Restored and Remastered and Ready to Go!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An Entertaining Movie!
Review: I saw Bedknob and Broomsticks in a movie theater when I was about 6 years old but for some reason I didn't really remember much about this movie when I watched it again sometime in the 80's with my nephews but I liked it and it kind of reminds me of Mary Poppins though maybe not quite as good. The movie is set in London during World War II and stars Angela Lansbury (Murder She Wrote) as a caretaker of three orphans and also happens to be taking a correspondence course in witchcraft from a character played by David Tomlinson (Mary Poppins). He is actually a con artist but somehow his spells are actually working and the apprentice witch with his help takes of on a flying bed with the children in serach of a magical cartoon land. A Cute movie that like Mary Poppins is mostly a live-action movie but also includes animated scenes in which the live-action characters interact with animated characters. Maybe not quite as good as mary Poppins but it still is a pretty good movie and I recommend it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Movie
Review: Keeping up with Disney tradition Bednobs and Broomsticks again stars an all star cast of Angela Landsbury (who has done quite a bit with Disney inluding more recently the voice of Mrs. Potts in Disneys animated version of Beauty and the Beast in 1992), in this movie she plays an absent minded mail order witch who is in search of the wonderful emelius brown (played by David Thomlinson who did a splendid job seven years before as Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins) who is known for his witch craft schools. The movie takes place during WWII and Landsbury and the three children take a wild ride on a bed to find Mr. Brown and they even travel in the spirit of Mary Poppins and Song of the South into Animation land where they meet up with a lion who holds the key for Landsbury and Thomlinson's characters. This is a must buy and a must watch for anyone ages 1-101 and a great way for you to let your imagination run away with you. You and your children will never look at going to bed in the same way!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the best Disney films ever made
Review: In "Bedknobs and Broomsticks," an apprentice witch (Angela Lansbury) is just learning how to be successful at performing spells, flying on a broom, and other things that witches do. However, the book she has been learning from is missing its last page and she's real eager to learn the rest about witchcraft, especially after she finds out that it could be helpful in defending the British against attacks of war. She and her friends will get to where they need to go with the aid of a magical bedknob.

"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" had everything going for it at the time of its release, and it still does 30 years later. The story is interesting, it has good acting, some parts are hilarious, and much more. Another thing I really liked about it was its oscar-winning effects. Most of the movie is in real-time action, but some parts are also animated. In the animated parts, Angela Lansbury and her friends all interact with the cartoons, a lot like you see in "Space Jam," only better.

If you like great classic movies from Disney, I definitely recommend getting "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" while you can!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: SLOW
Review: I bought this for my 3-year old since she just loves Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang and it just doesn't have any comparison. Amazon made the suggestion and I fell for it. Bad move! Very slow moving movie!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A good follow up to Mary Poppins
Review: When Disney released Mary Poppins, other studios tried to copy it. They did so horribly. Only Disney can come up with a fitting follow up to Mary Poppins. That movie is Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Walt Disney was planning this movie while Mary Poppins was in production. The movie is about an apprentice witch and three children, who she is assinged to take care of duting the NAZI bombing of London. There are many good musical and dance numbers. The Portabello Road number is outstanding. There is an outstanding underwater animated sequence. Of course the soccer game is a complete riot. The scene at the end where Angela Landsbury animates the Armour in the musuem and leads them in an attack against the invading Germans is also very funny. In all this a very charming movie with some very good songs.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Bedknobs" has never looked or sounded better
Review: BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS is one of Disney's most beloved live-action musical masterpieces. It has received a full restoration for its 30th Anniversary edition, which marks the film's long-awaited DVD debut.

Eglantine Price (Angela Lansbury) unwittingly takes in three young orphans when the bombs of Hitler begin to fall on the city of London. Being an apprentice witch, privacy is important to Ms Price, but soon their help becomes useful when she has to journey to London in search of one Professor Browne (David Tomlinson - MARY POPPINS). Joining forces, they decide to track down a mysterious magical spell which they hope will bring an end to the war.

The Sherman brothers' sparkling tunes include the Oscar-nominated "Age of Not Believing", "Portobello Road", "Beautiful Briny" and "Flourish and a Flair".

In a situation which is not unlike the fates of THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE and THE SLIPPER AND THE ROSE (both also written by the Sherman brothers), BEDKNOBS was trimmed from its 134-minute running time to the lesser length of 117 minutes; which meant the deletion of several songs and some important scenes, crucial to the plot. They have been thankfully restored into this new release, which has a dynamic 5.1 sound mix and a crystal-clear picture.

The DVD also includes animated shorts, deleted song - "A Step in the Right Direction", picture/poster/still gallery and an interview with the Sherman brothers.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Magic
Review: This is a very good movie for every one. The story is very nice and the characters are fun for every body. I really can't think of any complaints. A rated acting and scenery.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Angela Lansbury and the flying brass bed.
Review: I enjoy Walt Disney films and shows on television and had grown to like the tv show The Wonderful World of Disney. I had not been to Disneyland yet, but had seen pictures and images on television. Bedknobs and Broomsticks was probably the first Walt Disney motion picture I saw at a drive-in. I had never seen a magical film like this. To be honest, I wasn't too taken by Lansbury (I like her now!). I was probably thinking of a different actress on another bewitching show. But I enjoyed the special effects and the flying brass bed. The knights with invisible people inside stuck in my mind. They had an exhibit at the drive-in snack bar where the knights suit of armor was displayed. I was too young to figure it all out about the special effects, but what was nice is that the Walt Disney Company could make magical films and give me nice dreams. I have learned to respect all that is Disney. Now I am 41 and have an almost grown daughter. I just saw the restored version of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. I found the film to still be a delight. Like Angela Lansbury! Still like Walt Disney films. Still like the fantasy of it all. And have been to Disneyland many times. Wouldn't we all like to have a bedknob that could do that. That poor scruffy black cat. I did have a nice black cat for 13 years.
The 30th Anniversary edition is the restored version with nearly 23 minutes of footage found and added into the film. This time the film is more fun, enjoyable and easier to understand. At the end of the film is a featurette with Angela Lansbury and the Sherman Brothers.
Trvia Note: Did you know the Walt Disney Company and Angela Lansbury have the same birthdate? Shorter prints run 98 min. and 117 min. This newly restored version runs 2 hours, 19 minutes.


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