In a Guardian series where writers champion their favourite comfort films, this piece makes the case for Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), arguing it deserves recognition beyond its reputation as a lesser Mary Poppins imitator. The writer, who grew up watching a taped VHS copy, reflects on how the Disney film's darker, wartime-set tone and Angela Lansbury's witch character Eglantine Price appealed to them more than Poppins' polished nanny, and revisits the film as an adult to find it still holds up.

The film was originally developed by Disney as a backup when securing the rights to Mary Poppins looked uncertain, and it was reportedly never a favourite of Walt Disney himself, who is said to have dozed off during a story conference for it. It premiered in 1971 to mixed reviews, with critics and even its own stars, including Lansbury and songwriters the Sherman brothers, feeling the studio cuts had weakened it, while some found its wartime Nazi plotline jarring for a children's film. The writer highlights standout moments including the songs Portobello Road and The Age of Not Believing, a comic animal football match, and the climactic battle where Price commands an army of enchanted suits of armour.