The times are tense in England and the children in London are being sent to the country for their safety. This is the same premise that originally sent the four children in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to the country. The bombings in London were getting too dangerous and Britain wanted to tuck the children away for safe keeping.
Three kids come to live with Miss Price (Lansbury) in her country home. She is not pleased about that as she has other things on her mind. She is just finishing her mail order course in witchcraft. She possesses the belief and the gift of magic and wants only to use it to stop the war.
A Magic Spell Makes the Bed Fly
The children discover she is a witch and the four of them form an alliance. But before she can get the final magic spell, she receives a letter telling her that the course has been discontinued due to the war.
Immediately she sets out for London with the children. They don’t take the train. They take the bed, which Miss Price has magically transformed into a flying machine. In London she hopes to get the last lesson and the final spell so she can stop the war.
The Movie Combines Live Action with Animation
The four of them meet the professor who has been sending the lessons to her. They all discover that a component to the magic spell is missing so the five of them take off on the bed to hunt it down. This is where some of the Disney creativity comes into play. The same way Mary Poppins combined cartoons with live action, this film also has some scenes with the characters interacting with cartoon figures.
While this is a Disney film, it is a bit dark. Later in the film the Nazis invade and take over Miss Price’s house. It is then when she must rely on her magic to save them and ultimately the country.
The Bonus Features on the DVD
The bonus features include a reconstructed musical number that was cut out. Originally, when this film was shown in theaters, it was edited down to make the running time under two hours. For the 30th anniversary edition the movie was put back together making it 139 minutes. However this one musical number never made it into any of the editions, as it was never filmed in its entirety.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is filled with musical numbers.
- Rating: G (General Audience)
- Studio: Walt Disney Video
- Run Time: 139 minutes
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