This little window of time where I keep watching random titles on streaming services that were nominated for Oscars but I still hadn’t seen has been rewarding. One of those titles is this film right here. Yes, I’ve never seen the utterly bonkers Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It feels like a project that was green lit because of the success of Mary Poppins, and Angela Lansbury jumped in because she was affronted that she wasn’t Mary Poppins, so she was going to do this… dammit.

Disney has let Roundabout do the audio description, which has been a mixed bag in the past for me, but they did bring in Andrew Thatcher to narrate, so that’s a solid choice. Honestly, I watched this, and if I had to longline or elevator pitch this, I was having a really hard time. I think a witch teams up with some orphans (and their bed) to find a magic spell that will stop World War II. I mean, The Sound Of Music is essentially about fleeing the Nazi’s, so why not?

This is an absurd film. It’s utterly bonkers in the best of ways. It’s the kind of film people watch on April 20th. It makes no sense, much like Mary Poppins (if we are being honest), and mixes animation and live action. It even has the requisite Dick Van Dyke “man who shows up” character once the dynamic between the female lead and children have been established.

But, there were so many times I said out loud “WHAT. IS. HAPPENING.” And it had nothing to do with audio description. This feels like it was written on an acid trip, plays like a fever dream, and asks kids to use the best parts of their imagination. It’s like watching Pee Wee talking to his furniture. Kids dig that shit. Adults do too, but for entirely different reasons.

I may not really think the songs stood out, but I’m going to be thinking about this batty film for years to come, and I totally may want to revisit this later.

Final Grade: B+