DVD Reviews: Bednobs and Broomsticks – 30th Anniversary Edition

Pepperinge Eye, England, August, 1940. WW II and the children of London are being evacuated to the countryside to escape bombings and death. At the Children’s Evacuation Centre, Carrie, Charles and Paul Rawlins wait for the Postmistress and Chairman of War Activities Committee to find them a home. Simultaneously, Miss Eglantine Price stops to pick up a strange parcel from Professsor Emelius Brown in London. The Postmistress hands her the package – and the children.

So begins one of the best of the Disney stories of 1971 – in this new enchanted re-release by Disney Movies. I remember my children seeing it in 1971 when I was a very young Mom, and it still enchants me with the singing and magic!

Charles sees Miss Price soaring in the evening dusk on her new broomstick (The Package of course!) and coerces her into a pact: the childrens’ silence for something valuable in return. Miss Price gives Paul the knobstick from her father’s bed and performs The Magical traveling Spell on it. Only Paul can activate the spell. At the exact same time, Mr. Jelk, the village curate knocks on the door and delivers a letter to Miss Price. The Correspondence College of Witchcraft, where Miss Price has been apprenticing by mail, is now defunct. Miss Price cannot receive the Final Lesson with the key to stopping the war. It contains The Substitutiary Locomotion Spell, which brings inanimate object to life. She has half of the book with the spell in it – The Spells of Astrolath. And Mr. Brown must have the second half of the book! Immediately, they jump on the bed, turn the bed knob and Charles shouts out “To London to find Professor Emelius Brown!” Off they go to London, finding Professor Brown to be a quack and a fake. He does not have the other half of the book but knows where to find it – Portobello Road, where anything can be found!

They sing and dance on Portobello Road and find the Bookman, who has the other half of the Book. They learn that the 5 words of the Spell that they need for Miss Price to stop the war and assist in the War Effort are on the star always worn by the Sorcerer Astroloth. Astroloth experimented on animals who sailed away on a ship never to be seen again – except that they were spotted on the Isle of Namboombu.

Luckily, Paul has taken a book – The Isle of Manboombu – from the house Professor Brown was staying and they ask the Bed to take them to Namboombu. They meet a talking codfish on their arrival deep in the sea – and he tells them that namboombu is – straight up!

Their adventures and how they finally persevere with the Spell is Magical – simply magical.

You cannot afford not to have this Enchanted version of Bedknobs and Broomsticks! From Cosmic Creepers, the magic cat to the creatures ofNamboombu, the old enchantments of Disney spill forth and delight. Iloved it, and have watched in three times now. Great nostalgia, great
magic and great acting by a young Angela Lansbury, Roddy McDowall, David Tomlinson, and the entire cast.

“Bednobs and Broomsticks” Enchanted Musical Edition can be purchased at Amazon.com and other DVD retailers.

Ratings are based on a 5-spell system

5 Spells Up!

Review by Broad “A” – Ava

Thank you to Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for providing a copy for our review.