Before Quidditch, There Was Bedknobs And Broomsticks

I somehow managed to make it to adulthood without actually seeing all of Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It occupies the same inexplicable childhood blind spot as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and A Christmas Story (although I’ve since remedied the latter, at least). Fortunately, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is releasing a new “Enchanted Musical Edition” of Bedknobs and Broomsticks on September 8th. Finally, my inner child and I can experience the magic of Angela Lansbury and a flying bed, and not in a creepy internet-fetish way. Well, not exclusively in a creepy internet-fetish way…

B&B casts She Who Wrote of Murder as an apprentice witch who teams up with three kids and a conman to defend World War II Britain. The new DVD has been spit-polished by Mickey’s bucket brigade, bringing you a remastered and restored version that’s bound to look better than the 20-year-old VHS copy gathering dust on a shelf in your parents’ living room. It’ll run you $29.99, and include the following special features:

• The Wizards of Special Effects –Jennifer Stone, Harper on Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place, becomes a Special Effects Wizard Apprentice and learns about the Academy Award-winning 1971 special effects in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, then compares them to the special effects magic of her current show.
  
• Music Magic: The Sherman Brothers – Take a look behind the scenes from a musical point of view of Bedknobs and Broomsticks with The Sherman Brothers, Angela Lansbury, and Scott MacQueen. This featurette explores the origins of the songs, including what was deleted and what made it into the final version of the film.
  
• Deleted Song – “A Step in the Right Direction”
  
• “Portobello Road” Recording Session – A rare clip of David Tomlinson’s recording of the song “Portobello Road.”