Room on the Broom

From the same team that did the last two Gruffalo films comes this season's animation for Christmas Day. The films fit into the slot traditionally filled by the Wallace and Gromit films and, although none of them (this one included) have ever got close to that standard, they do at least do the job for the audience and time they are on. In this film a cat and a witch are helped to locate some missing items but end up taking on passengers each time – all well and good perhaps but they do not know that a dragon is stalking the witch for his tea.

The music and the animation pretty much get you in the mood from the very start as they are slight, amusing in tone and non-threatening. The narration from Simon Pegg is good as it delivers the nicely paced gentle rhymes which form the structure of the film; they are repetitive in nature but this is the point of them and it works well. As the content is pretty simple, the animation adds plenty of amusing and funny moments whether in actual gags or in terms of little flourishes or moments of characterization. This is the main body of the film and it is this that helps it fill the time and stops it feeling too slow. The animation also makes the characters work because, as famous as the cast-list is, nobody really makes an impact beyond Pegg – it is the physical actions and reactions of the characters that make them work.

It isn't amazingly smart or hilarious but it is gently funny and warming while drawing you in with the animation and the nice tone and rhythm of the delivery. A good family short film for Christmas Day and will have legs beyond that very specific time slot.

I find it amusing when adults review a piece meant for children. They yearn for a certain type of clever, complication and pace. This short is perfect in every way. I am the mom of two 3 year old boys who see themselves climbing mountains, racing motorcycles, putting out fires and driving excavators daily.

Like most, the holidays had wrecked and exhausted us so we sat down as a family to watch TV. These boys don't get a lot of TV and especially not TV movies- Disney is still too scary and they just don't get most of it, so no Disney. Their TV is usually about 22-30 min in the morning while we drink coffee and check our email etc. So we ended up one day with this short on our TV.

It was magical for the boys. It didn't move too fast so there was time for questions and answers as things were happening on the screen. They had time to read facial expressions! And best of all, the dragon wasn't too scary. They could actually watch it without worry and understand the story instead of "scary dragon gonna eat people".

They understood not wanting to give up your seat, the kindness of the witch, how it's hard to have new friends sometimes, and that working together brings us all closer. They now see the foreshadowing of the mushrooms, the individual characters of the animals and instead of having only a few laugh out loud moments, after multiple viewings, they laugh out loud many times throughout with little comments thrown in.

You can't beat every morning waking up to "Momma, I want to watch the witch".

As a parent, you won't find a better 25 minutes of TV for your little ones. The story, the animation, the VO, the characters and especially the music is just the most lovely of combinations. I would urge everyone to watch it with a 3-4 year old!

Bob the Moo (whose reviews on IMDb I adore) described this movie as "Slight but enjoyable family animation" and I couldn't have said it any better myself. The short film is a wonderful thing for kids and parents to watch with them--and I'm sure they'll enjoy it immensely. But, I was perplexed that it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short. It's good but nothing more. Plus, while I normally like to root for the shorts made by young filmmakers, the Disney film "Get a Horse!" is just light-years ahead of the pack--and I don't see how "Room on the Broom" could offer it any serious competition.

"Room on the Broom" plays like a kid's book because apparently it IS from a kid's book. This British production reminds me a lot of another nominee from the UK--"The Gruffalo". It also was a wonderful film for young kids (they'll adore it) but artistically I couldn't understand the nomination.

The story is of a nice witch who is flying about with her cat. Through the course of the film, she picks up several new friends--a dog, a bird and a frog. But how can she carry them all on her broom--especially when it breaks?! Cute, fun and a treat for kids. But not a film that says anything more to me.

The witty words of Julia Donaldson and the wonder of Magic Light Pictures once again give us a delightful film. Brought to life by a treasure of voice talents from Britain's best (Gillian Anderson, Simon Pegg, Ron Braydon, Timothy Spall, Martin Clunes, Sally Hawkins, David Walliams) and the brilliant musical characterizations of Rene Aubrey, the story garners critical and award attention (Oscar, Cristal, Annie, Magnolia, TIFF). I give this film an 8 (delightful) out of 10. {Family Animation}

Beautifully told, animated and implemented. Simply a wonderful film for children but also adults with a big heart for the little details.