Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Bedknobs and Broomsticks is currently streaming in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Disney Plus, and it earns its premise rather than just borrowing genre trappings. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 1,032 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Angela Lansbury anchors it with a performance that grounds the bigger ideas in something human. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Disney Plus.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, Bedknobs and Broomsticks earns its spot. What makes Bedknobs and Broomsticks work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. Three children evacuated from London during World War II are forced to stay with an eccentric spinster. The children's initial fears disappear when they find out she is in fact a trainee witch. Angela Lansbury and David Tomlinson lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1971. What separates Bedknobs and Broomsticks from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Bedknobs and Broomsticks a chance. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. Best experienced as a single, sustained watch from start to finish. Angela Lansbury anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.