Bedknobs & Broomsticks - Enchanted Musical Edition - DVD Review

The essence of "Bedknobs & Broomsticks" shows an element of a film made in the 70s that maybe was not given its full credit because of the overwhelming power of "Mary Poppins". Yet it has some great musical sequences that really shine still. Most of the kids never acted again but the essence of the film still lives on because of that suspension of disbelief. The aspect of a flying bed never leaves its perception of what is possible because its reality is never a thought despite it being the major narrative bridging element of the film. The two sequences that truly stand out beyond all matter do so for completely different reasons. "Portobello Road" stands out simply because of its basis as a cross section of all worlds which seems very global for its time. The ending "Traguna" song works simply because of its scope. You can still see the wires on the effects which is fine in the long run simply because it is forgiven which would have never been the case today. The extras on the disc are fairly baseline but given credence to the aspect of this being a restoration, it works well. A release on Blu Ray might have been more appropriate because while the color looks good, a hi-def transfer would have been more interesting to see. The performances especially by David Tomilson shows his gift for putting the audience at ease. There is a short clip of him actually recordiing "Portobello Road" with no mustache which is a different way than he is usually seen.The special features are good but not utterly technical. However, they work adequately for a broad audience. The aspect of having one of the witches from "Waverly Place", a young Disney show, helps bridge the coolness of this film with new school elements yet the aspects of the visual effects have to be explained in layman terms. The aspect of the sodium process and how it was used with green screen to mix the live action and the animation was obviously cutting edge for its time. "The Sherman Brothers" piece, about the men who wrote the music for the film, has them speaking about their meetings with Walt Disney on "Bedknobs". The project was actually discussed before "Mary Poppins" then got put on the back burner once that film was greenlit. "Bedknobs" is a movie that they said encapsulated Walt's ideas and definitely played to the idea of a war effort. They also play for the first time  (the video looks like it was shot in the early 90s), the song Angela Lansbury sang but was never shot called "A Step In The Right Direction". The reality is that the film plays better without it.The inclusion of 4 original trailers is a great bonus because original trailers are something that is not always included on today's releases but it is something that is truly appreciated. There is also a small sketch about Blu Ray done by two other young actors from another Disney TV show. It is again a great way to highlight new technology to kids and bring them into the fray on this great movie. However, the reality is that most people will buy this movie for the nostalgia and show it to their kids anyway. In either case, it works and is great to see. Out of 5, I give this release a 3.