Inclubabu Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

DipitySkillful an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

donnapepper9 Bedknobs and Broomsticks was a film of its time. Yes, war is a strong feature - but there are covert references to war and violence in a lot of children's films - Mulan? For me, this is an ideal children's film - there is such a sense of escapism involved, whilst at the same time there is no attempt made to conceal that bad things do happen in life.The moral of this story, in my opinion, is that in the face of adversity there is always hope, and in hope there is strength to face the enemy. Whatever form that enemy might take - kids have far superior imaginations than adults and I don't believe that they would take a negative message from a film like this.

johnstonjames do i believe in magic? well, no. i'm sorry to disappoint anyone, but no, there is no such thing as magic. everything can be explained. it's usually all smoke and mirrors.parents should be strongly cautioned about 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks'. not because i believe in witches or magic, that stuff is just a bunch of hocus pocus. there are no such thing as real witches and anyone over the age of six who believes that should have their noggin examined. if someone tries to tell you there is such a thing as real magic or witches, get away from them fast because they are obviously psychotic and probably very dangerous.as a Christian and a person who is concerned with the salvation of man's immortal soul, it's not the magic that bothers me, it's the movie's strong spirit of militarism that bothers me. this movie glorifies war. and what is war good for? absolutely nothing. this movie indoctrinates young children into the military industrial complex at an early age(i mean it's designed for young children). children should not learn to glorify war, they should be wary of it, if not afraid of it. World War II may or may not have been the right decision, but do we need to keep bringing up past wars? especially where children are concerned. nobody wants World War III here. that would be madness.do i like this movie? of course i do. i grew up with this film and it's always been a Disney favorite of mine. it's beautifully handled by director Robert Stevenson, it's very clever, and has a charming musical score by Disney song writers, the Sherman Brothers. the film has many smart insights into history and sometimes i think this film may be more about children than anything else. but every time i get too sentimental and cozy about this film i wake up and think, oh God! THIS IS ABOUT WAR! nobody in their right brain wants a frick'in WAR!as far as the witchcraft element? i said what i think of that. there ain't no such thing and if you believe it's real YOU ARE STUPID. as a Christian does it scare me? oh sometimes i get superstitious and then i wake up. i used to follow astrology in the newspaper and read my horoscope everyday to see if i could find out anything. do you know what happened? absolutely nothing. half the time the stupid horoscope seemed like it was speaking to someone else. hardly any of the advice changed or helped my life in anyway. it just made me believe in silly things.but there are evil, stupid people out there with very little education who actually believe in magic. and it doesn't help that the witchcraft in 'Bedknobs' is far more real than the silly 'Harry Potter' films. i mean 'Astoroth' was a famous occultist and some of the incantation words (though not many) are actual words. does that scare me? of course not dummies. but it does scare some really stupid people who are evil enough to believe it's real. those people's children probably won't mix well with children who come from a more enlightened, intelligent and practical family that won't believe in such idiocy.so be careful with this movie. it could cause you some trouble if you bring it up in the wrong place. as far as my own feelings go, i find this film cute and charming and terribly funny. others might not be as amused. be careful. you are crossing the line with this film. when you endorse or recommend this film you are advocating war. you are also stating that you prefer to take a practical, scientific approach to this world and debunk superstition.for those of you who might read this and still believe witchcraft is real, YOU ARE STUPID. bottom line. keep repeating to yourself "it's only a movie. it's only a movie. than seek therapy.for the families strong and smart enough to deal with this ticking time bomb of a film, take caution and enjoy. it's funny and fun.if you can handle it go for it. HELLBORNE HENBANE AQUINITE GLOW-WORM FIRE FIREFLY LIGHT!

Wizard-8 While I will mention some serious flaws that "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" have, I will admit right off that this movie is better than a lot of other Disney movies made during the first fifteen years after Walt Disney's death. That's probably because Walt was still alive and supervising the project when it was started in the early '60s. But there was a lot of work done on the project after his death, which probably explains why this attempt to recapture the "Mary Poppins" magic doesn't quite reach it.I saw the restored, 140 minute version. While I usually approve of restorations, I have to wonder if the 30 or so restored minutes really helped. For one thing, there is not much story in this long version, and frequently the little story there is comes to a screeching halt. Younger kids may also not understand the war theme that runs through the movie. There is also a curious matter-of-fact feeling to much of the movie, which means the feeling of magic is diminished. And what's up with the opening credits, that spoil what happens in the last part of the movie? Still, the acting is good, even with the child actors. There are some songs by the Sherman brothers that are pleasant to listen to, even if they don't match the greatness of the songs in "Mary Poppins". And there are some good special effects, some of which are amazing even in this age of computer animation. But if you watch this movie, I suggest that you divide it up in chunks and take a break between chunks, so you won't get figety in your seat.

petersj-2 Perhaps Disney was hoping for another Mary Poppins but this is a very different story and while Angela is delightful she was a very different performer to the great Julie Andrews. Having said that Lansbury is perfectly cast and delivers a magical performance. There is something deliciously dotty about her character and she is given wonderful support by David Tomlinson. Tomilinson can carry a tune but he is certainly not much chop as a singer. It does not matter he was such a gifted actor you hardly notice. There are some great cameos from much loved stars of another time like Roddy McDowel who gives a winning performance and the much loved Tessie OShea who does very little but its nice to see the old gal again. Its also lovely to see Sam Jaffe and the king of English television Bruce Forsythe in small roles. The score has a couple of beautiful songs especially The briny sea and The age of Not Believing. The big number Portabello Road is stretched to the limit but it has plenty of theatricality. The effects look a bit cliché today but the scene with the German invaders being attacked by the wildest army in film is pretty impressive. The kids are not as annoying as other movies but one does struggle to understand what the youngest boy is saying. I loved the marching song of the home army. The home guard were very important to Britain and this is a warm tribute. The animation is delightful, much better than Pixar which I find grotesque. A warm happy film and its a wonder its not done on stage.