Everybody_Comes_To_Ricks

"Bedknobs and Broomsticks" is kind of all over the place. Without knowing the history, it seems like a low-rent cousin to "Mary Poppins;" upon reading a bit of its history, it seems that this was in production when it was not clear if "Mary Poppins" would ever get made.

The animated sequence was fun and the integration of animation and live-action is perhaps better than "Mary Poppins," and I recommend the movie on the basis of this alone.

The live-action sequences, however, are plodding. I've never been a fan of light-hearted depictions of Nazis.

The special effects hold up very well, especially considering the time in which this was made. It is interesting that this was released just 26 years after World War II.

Six stars. Recommended.

As a white man, I am not in a position to say whether "Song of the South" is or is not racist, although Johnny's molther certainly is, I am sure that the black experience in the Reconstruction South was nowhere near the pleasant experience in this story, and the fact that star James Baskett could not attend the premiere in segregated Atlanta is telling.

What I can say is that while the animated sequences were fun, the live-action parts were boring.

This is worth watching for Disney Studios' completits, or for those who watch films like DW Giffith's "Birth of a Nation" for their historical context.

I watched a Japanese bootleg. All of the dialogue was in English, with the songs sub-titled. Maybe worth viewing for the historical context.