L'Apprentie sorcière

It's very much in the vein of "Mary Poppins" (1964) this, with a very similar style of live-action and animated sequences used to tell a slightly more menacing story. When three siblings arrive in a rural English village, evacuated from London during the Blitz of WWII, they are placed with the rather eccentric and definitely unwilling "Miss Price" (Angela Lansbury). Things start to look up for all concerned though when the kids discover that she is a trainee witch, and when they meet "Emelius" (David Tomlinson) they embark on some adventures using their magical bed as their vehicle in the search for the missing part of a substitutiary locomotion spell that might just thwart the Nazis. As with "Poppins", the music and lyrics come from the Sherman twins and "Beautiful Briny" and "Portobello Road" are probably the two best from their not so catchy soundtrack this time. Lansbury and Tomlinson work well together with the former on good form as the ostensibly prim and proper, but actually quite feisty and mischievous would-be witch. The three youngsters also perform well, especially the youngest "Paul" (Roy Snart) who just won't let anyone else near the knob that controls the bed! A smattering of familiar faces help to keep the story bobbing along nicely and the animations, tough not so frequent as I would have liked, blend in well with some fun action scenes - especially at the end - and make for an enjoyable, feel-good, family movie.

I saw this film many years ago and I thought it was pure magic. It was a lovely film full of escapism which could be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

The performances throughout the film by it's actors and actresses are magnificent. The songs are great and the special effects are lovely for it's time. The story is a beautiful one.

I love films like this and I last watched this film around 1986. As I said earlier, it is pure escapism-one of those beautiful films which whisks you away from real life problems into a lovely fantasy world. It is pure brilliance.

I would recommend this film to anyone but particularly to young children born after it was released-even today in 2002 it can be enjoyed.

I will always have a soft spot for this Disney flick, another of their part live action/part animation entries that sought to recreate the success of "Mary Poppins" and never quite made it. When I was in grade school, every once in a while we would have a movie day, where the whole school would crowd into the cafeteria, and a movie would be projected the old-fashioned way, multiple reels and all. At the time, it seemed like a momentous occasion whenever this day arrived, and "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" is one of the movies I can remember seeing this way.

And from what I remember, it's quite charming. Angela Lansbury never put her name to anything that wasn't at least competent, and she's winning here as a witch with a magic bed (boy, that could be misconstrued, couldn't it?) who can take her and a couple of young kids on magic adventures to far-off places. Come on, what kid wouldn't want a bed like that?

Grade: A

This is one of the few films where I consider the film rendition to be an improvement on the original book. The story is clear, accessible, amusing and interesting and the musical numbers are without a doubt exceptional. I adored the cyclical rendition of 'The old home guard' and the charming 'Portobello Road', a great combination of early animation + real actors techniques which, though dated do not detract from the charm of the piece. The background of the Second World War worked well and was not omitted as the film got under way, which so often happens in 'evacuee' stories.

An often far too underrated film, it produces no end to enjoyment for people of all ages. The performances from the actors are exceptionally well done and the entire text is neatly tied together and well designed. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is one of many movies that has always been with me, in my heart and memory from the time that I was old enough to focus my eyes on a television screen. Although it was already an "old" movie by the time I was able to watch it, Bedknobs and Broomsticks completely enchanted me. People here who say that the movie would not hold the attention of a young child are mistaken. I must have watched this movie dozens of times between the ages of 1 and 10 and every time I watched it all the way though, intensely engrossed through every scene. There are a handful of movies that hold very fond places in my childhood memories, this is one of them. It is a wonderful movie, and even now I still find the story charming. Angela Lansbury stars as Miss Price, a widow who is studying witchcraft through a correspondence course during World War II. She grumpily agrees to let three children board at her home in the country to keep them safe from the air raids going on in London. After the three children discover that Miss Price is an apprentice witch, they are swept up into a magical adventure on a traveling bed along with Miss Price and Professor Brown, the headmaster of the College of Witchcraft. The thing I like best about this movie, is that the magic never stops as the children along with the two adults journey to London, the Island of Naboomboo, Naboomboo Lagoon and Portabello Road. The children are treated to a marvelous adventure, flying through the skies on a bed, swimming underwater in a tropical lagoon, watching a football game played by animals and finally helping out in the war when Miss Price enchants a museum full of ancient suits of armor with the magic words, "Traguna, Macoities, Tracorum Satis De." The songs in the movie may be your typical musical-stock, but I challenge anyone to not tap their toes during "Portabello Road", or to not get "Englentine" stuck in their head. They just add another element of fun and enjoyment to an already delightful movie. The movie is well worth watching, and suitable for any child. Even today's children will find delight in the cartoon/human relations and the spectacular ending sequence were empty suits of armor are brought to life to fight for the good guys. I consider this movie a timeless classic that shouldn't be passed up.