| Bedknobs and Broomsticks | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Stevenson |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | The Magic Bedknob & Bonfires and Broomsticks by Mary Norton |
| Produced by | Bill Walsh |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Frank V. Phillips |
| Edited by | Cotton Warburton |
| Music by | Irwin Kostal |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Distribution |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 118 minutes (1971 original version) 139 minutes (1996 reconstruction version) |
| Country | United States[1][2] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.3 million[3] |
| Box office | $17.9 million[4] |
Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and songs written by the Sherman Brothers. It was produced by Bill Walsh for Walt Disney Productions. It is based upon the books The Magic Bedknob (1943) and Bonfires and Broomsticks (1947) by English children's author Mary Norton. It combines live action and animation, and stars Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Ian Weighill, Cindy O'Callaghan, and Roy Snart.
During the early 1960s, the film entered development when the negotiations for the film rights to Mary Poppins (1964) were placed on hold. When the rights were acquired, the film was shelved repeatedly because of its similarities to Mary Poppins until it was revived in 1969. Originally at a length of 139 minutes, it was edited down to almost two hours before its premiere at Radio City Music Hall.
The film was released on December 13, 1971 to mixed reviews from film critics, some of whom praised the live-action/animated sequence. It received five Academy Awards nominations, winning one for Best Special Visual Effects. It was the last film released before the death of Walt Disney's surviving brother, Roy O. Disney, who died one week later. It was also the last theatrical film Reginald Owen appeared in before his death the following year in 1972; his last two acting credits were for television. It was also the last film work of screenwriter Don DaGradi before his retirement in 1970 and death on August 4, 1991.
In 1996, the film was restored with most of the deleted material re-inserted back into it. A stage musical adaptation of it had its world premiere at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle upon Tyne on 14 August 2021 before embarking on a UK and Ireland tour until May 2022.[5]
- ^ "Bedknobs and Broomsticks". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
- ^ "Bedknobs and Broomsticks". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Cecil (March 22, 1970). "Disney studios: it's a hardly a Mickey Mouse operation". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ "Bedknobs & Broomsticks Musical UK Tour – Bedknobs & Broomsticks Tickets 2021". British Theatre. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-06-04.