Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

Directed by

Robert Stevenson

Genre

drama film, fantasy film, comedy film, war film, adventure film, musical film

Country

United Kingdom, United States

Runtime

1h 59m

Rated

G

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 1,033 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

An apprentice witch uses a magical bedknob to take three orphaned children on flying adventures. They travel across England and into a cartoon world to help fight in World War Two.

whimsicalnostalgiclightheartedadventuroussentimentalupbeatmagicalfamily-friendly

What happens

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 American live-action animated musical comedy fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson from a screenplay by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi and with songs written by the Sherman Brothers. It was produced by Walsh for Walt Disney Productions and Walt Disney Cartoons. It is based upon the books The Magic Bedknob (1943) and Bonfires and Broomsticks (1947) by English author Mary Norton. It combines live action and animation, and stars Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Ian Weighill, Cindy O'Callaghan, and Roy Snart. During the early 1960s, the film entered development when the negotiations for the film rights to Mary Poppins (1964) were placed on hold. When the rights were acquired, the film was shelved repeatedly because of its similarities to Mary Poppins until it was revived in 1969. Originally at a length of 139 minutes, it was edited down to almost two hours before its premiere at Radio City Music Hall. The film was released on December 13, 1971, to mixed reviews from film critics, some of whom praised the live-action/animated sequence. It received five Academy Awards nominations, winning one for Best Special Visual Effects. It was the last film released before the death of Walt Disney's surviving brother, Roy O. Disney, who died one week later. It was also the last theatrical film Reginald Owen appeared in before his death the following year on November 5, 1972; his last two acting credits were for television. It was also the last film work of screenwriter Don DaGradi before his retirement in 1970 and death on August 4, 1991. In 1996, the film was restored with most of the deleted material re-inserted back into it. A stage musical adaptation of it had its world premiere at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne on 14 August 2021 before embarking on a UK and Ireland tour until May 2022. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
• A Kiss is Just a Kiss (1971)
• Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
• Kidnapped (1971)
• Melody (1971)
• The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1971)
• The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
• A Clockwork Orange (1971)