Originally Posted By AutoPost This topic is for Discussion of: <a href="http://www.LaughingPlace.com/News-ID512870.asp" target="_blank"><b>LP Column: 9/8/09 Toon Talk: Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Enchanted Musical Edition</b></a> Kirby reviews the new DVD release of the live action film <i>Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Enchanted Musical Edition</i>.
Originally Posted By mawnck ARRRRRRGGGHH!! And you ask me why I'm so negative about Disney nowadays? Here's Exhibit A. Maybe I better wait and see on this Snow White thing. Clearly the Eisner-ist nincompoops are still in charge of the asylum at Home Video.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I haven't seen the restored version of B&B. Just to be clear, other than the lame Disney Channel promos, the restored full length movie is on this DVD?
Originally Posted By DBitz2 The movie may be considered "restored", but, the picture quality still leaves a lot to be desired. And, I'm not just talking about the second hand inserted lost scenes. There is a good bit of grain and dirt/artifacts in the picture in other parts of the movie. I really wish I had seen the reviews of this new edition before I wasted my money on it. It far inferior to the 30th Anniversary edition. Get that one if you can find it. It's more satisfying.
Originally Posted By mawnck **Almost** full-length. The restored scenes were cobbled together from existing vault stuff and newly created voice tracks. They never turned up any footage for the song "Step in the Right Direction" (which, aggravatingly, was included on the soundtrack LP) so they stuck it on as an extra with some still photos. No doubt it's in the same box as the Di-Dee verse of the Dwarves' Yodel Song. Also, they had to use a battered, faded workprint for some of the shots in the extended (and endless) Portobello Road sequence, and you can tell. I'm not quite as opposed to dirt and grain in a movie (especially one shot on crummy early 70s film stock). I think it's preferable to removing it and taking some of the picture with it. There are examples of both scenarios on the 30th anniversary edition, and I hear that this one uses the exact same transfer. On the plus side, it's one of the rare cases where you'll see a proper 1.66:1 aspect ratio on a widescreen DVD (with very skinny black bars on the side edges). I'm in favor of that. Hopefully (snort) they did a better job of encoding this one than they did the 30th. I recall that the MPEG artifacting on that one was pretty nasty. The "restored" movie, BTW, is too damn long. It was a shame to lose a couple of the songs, but some of the other stuff just draaaaaaaags.
Originally Posted By basil fan I own the last version of the restored film, but I wish they had relesed it with both the theatrical and restored versions together. I enjoy seeing all the stuff that was cut ouot, but I also like to just watch it the regular way. After a while, the phony voices can get tiresome. Although I do enjoy seeing the scenes featuring my favorite actor of all time: Go, Roddy!! Star Wars Glitches <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/glitch/swglitch.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/...tch.html</a>
