The film tells the story of three young friends of Charlie, Carrie and Paul discovering that there is a strange path in their lives that their host - Miss Price is a beginner witch. Youngsters can suddenly move to the magical island of Naboombu to find a powerful wave to rescue innocent people quickly and accurately.
[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.
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.
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.
Empire Magazine
November 03, 2009
Like Lansbury, the film has aged well and retains almost all of its magic.
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.
