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Set in wartime England, Eglantine Price is a would-be witch who hopes to use her newly acquired conjuring powers to forestall a Nazi invasion. Saddled with three surly kids who've been evacuated from London, Lansbury wins over her charges by performing various and sundry feats of magic. And, yes, she manages to foil a few Germans along the way.
The fantasy is earthbound, the score by Richard and Robert Sherman (who also wrote music and lyrics for Mary Poppins) is forgettable, the special effects lackadaisical.
[Blu-ray Review] Some movies from childhood hold up when they are seen as an adult, and others do not, trapped only in the nostalgia of the time in which they were first watched. Recommended for fans, but temper expectations.
Disney's multi-Oscar nominated musical is not as good as Mary Poppins to which it's often compared, but Angela Lansbury is well-cast and most of the visual effects, which won the Oscar, are impressive.
I suspect the movie will be something of a long, uninterrupted sit for the very children for whom it's intended, and an even longer one for those parents and guardians (both adults and teen-age) who will probably accompany them.
May 09, 2005
Chicago Reader
It's more sophisticated than the usual run of Disney product, but it lacks the inventiveness that could endow it with genuine charm.