i be lucky enough to catch this film finally on turner classic film tonight and a it be one of the film that win an oscar ( for special effect ) in their yearly month of oscar win film . bedknobs and broomstick be easily a sequel film for the early success of mary poppins . that film too be a big success and and an oscar winner ( best actress for julie andrew ) . like mary poppins bedknobs have david tomlinson in it and in a role wherein he learn about parent . it be a fine mixture of live action and animation . it be set in a past period of british history ( if not the edwardian georgian world of 1912 london and it be england coastline during the dunkirk summer of 1940 ) . it even have old reginald owen in it and here a a general in the home guard and whereas formerly he be admiral boom in mary poppins . ironically it be owen final role . the home guard sequence ( not too many in the film ) remind one of the british series dad army and deal with the problem of the local home guard in the early year of the war . the period be also well suggest by the appearance of the three rawlins child a war orphan from the bombing in the blitz in london . and ( in typical disney fashion ) in the musical number portobello road different member of the british army ( include soldier from india and the caribbean ( complete with metal drum yet . ) ) appear with scottish and local female auxiliary in costume . all of which and surprisingly and be a plus . but the big plus be that for angela lansbury and her performance a eglantine price be finally it represent her sole real musical film lead . in a noteworthy act career and lansbury never get the real career musical role she deserve a auntie mame in the musical mame that come out shortly after bedknobs do . she have be in sing part ( in gaslight with her brief up in a balloon boy and and in the picture of dorian gray with little yellow bird and and best of all in support and in conclusion of the harvey girl with the final reprise of on the atchison and topeka and and the santa fe ) . but only here do she play the female lead . so when you hear her singing with david tomlinson you may be able to understand what we lose when she do not play mame dennis burnside . the rest of the cast be pretty good and tomlinson here learn that he can rise to the occasion after a lifetime of relative failure . the three child ( cindy ocallaghan and roy snart and and ian weighill ) actually show more interesting side in their character than their edwardian predecessor in poppins ( weighill in particular and a something of a budding opportunist thinking of blackmail lansbury after find out she be a witch ) . the only surprising waste ( possibly due to cut of scene ) be roddy mcdowall a the local vicar who be only in two sequence of the film . with his possible role a a disapprove foe of witchcraft he should have have a big part . also of note be john ericson and a the german officer who lead a raid at the conclusion of the film and only to find that he be face something more powerful than he ever imagine in the british countryside and and sam jaffe a a competitor for the magic formula that lansbury and tomlinson be seek . a for the animation and the two sequence under the sea in a lagoon and and at the wild soccer match ever draw be well worth the view and with tomlinson pull into the latter a the referee and and get pretty badly bang up in various charge and scrimmage . a i say it be a pretty fine sample of the disney studio best work .