This Disney piece has its great strengths in casting the great Angela Lansbury as apprentice witch Eglantine Price, in teaming live action with cartoon, and in some enjoyable special effects. The songs, by the Shermans, are in the main memorable - 'The Age of Not Believing', 'Portobello Road', 'Eglantine', and 'The Beautiful Briny'. Sterling support from David Tomlinson (who was also Mr Banks in 'Mary Poppins') and a trio of Cockney kids round off the movie.
Miss Price - who has a scene-stealing cat who can put across disdain and embarrassment better than any human! - finds that the 'spells' she has received from Mr Brown's college of witchcraft actually work, much to his amazement when she speeds down to London to tell him so (on a bed, naturally - that's where 'The Age of Not Believing' comes in with great charm). She takes in Charlie, Carrie and cute little Paul as evacuees and win them over with her magic dabbling. Her goal is to find the spell for locomotion and this takes them to the evocative flea market of Portobello Road and on to the magical island where the cartoon part of the movie kicks in.
The cartoons are inventive as always, although lacking the quality of the studio when Disney himself was in charge - there's a ballroom where the fish dance in various styles to a swing band and some jazzy singers (and are upstaged by the live action adults who win the dancing cup); then there is a great football match between creatures like hippos, elephants, ostriches, and the like with hapless Mr Brown as the referee. Special effects come into their own when inaminate objects start to have a life of their own (shades of 'Mary Poppins'), especially in the final sequences where an ancient army of knights and heralds take on the Nazis.
'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' drags at times but when it is in full flow, it is a lot of fun. Highly recommended for kids of all ages, and all those Disney devotees out there.
