Bedknobs and Broomsticks; The Sword in the Stone

Although initially slow to embrace DVD and criticized early on for their featureless releases, Disney has undergone something of a sea change, and the past year's entries have shown a newfound respect for the format, beginning with greater attention to extras. The 30th anniversary edition of the restored live action/animated 1971 Bedknobs and Broomsticks, starring the luminous Angela Lansbury as a novice witch who pairs up with a trio of orphans and a wacky professor (David Tomlinson) to aid WWII-era Britain, has been--perhaps unfairly--compared to Disney's masterpiece Mary Poppins (to which it bears resemblance), but B&B, while not in the same league, offers its own charms and hummable tunes (including "Portobello Road," "The Age of Not Believing" and the "deleted" song "A Step in the Right Direction"). Presented in a sparkling widescreen transfer, with a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the DVD also includes a featurette with the Sherman Brothers (composers) and Lansbury, a picture scrapbook, a pair of animated shorts, and a behind-the-scenes look at Tomlinson in the recording studio. Recommended.Although I was initially bowled over by Disney's 1963 The Sword in the Stone (seen at the age of eight), the truth is that it hasn't aged as well as its more notable animated siblings. Drawn from T. H. White's The Once and Future King, this retelling of the Arthurian legend focuses on young Arthur's relationship with his mentor Merlin the wizard, who not-quite-affectionately refers to his young charge as Wart. Arthur's creature transformations still hold the power to evoke chuckles, but the villainess Madame Mim is one of Disney's weakest and the animation is from the Rather Flat Period of the '60s and '70s. The crisp DVD transfer features Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, and the numerous extras include a featurette with the Sherman Brothers, a deleted song, a pair of animated shorts, and sing-along versions of two songs. While not top-drawer Disney, this is still a strong, optional purchase. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review—June 24, 2008—Walt Disney, 79 min., G, $29.99—Making its second appearance on DVD, 1963's The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Edition) features a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include the bonus shorts “The Brave Little Tailor,” and “A Knight for a Day,” a “Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers” soundtrack featurette (8 min.), a seven-minute “All About Magic” excerpt featuring Walt Disney, the “Merlin's Magical Academy” game, a song selection feature with optional onscreen lyrics, a scrapbook photo gallery, film facts, and trailers. Bottom line: if you own the original release, you can skip this minor upgrade.][DVD Review—Sept. 15, 2009—Walt Disney, 140 min., G, $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD, 1971's Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Enchanted Musical Edition) features a great transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound. DVD extras include the production featurettes “Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers” on composers Richard and Robert Sherman (12 min.), “The Wizards of Special Effects” hosted by Jennifer Stone from the Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place (8 min.), “A Step in the Right Direction” scene reconstruction (4 min.), a brief recording session clip of David Tomlinson singing “Portobello Road,” and trailers. Bottom line: a decent re-release of a beloved second-tier Disney classic.][Blu-ray/DVD Combo Review—Aug. 26, 2014—Walt Disney, 117 min., G, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on DVD and Blu-ray debut, 1971's Bedknobs and Broomsticks features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack on Blu-ray. Extras include deleted and extended songs (24 min.), a “Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers” behind-the-scenes featurette on the songwriting team (21 min.), deleted and extended scenes (10 min.), “The Wizards of Special Effects” featurette (8 min.), a brief recording session with costar David Tomlinson, a song selection option, trailers, and (on the Blu-ray edition) bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: although it sparkles on Blu-ray, disappointingly this is not the restored version with extra music and scenes cut from the original, but rather just the original itself (with the added scenes included as bonus material).]