Bedknobs and Broomsticks premieres at a charity event in the U.K. in 1971. The Disney fantasy musical would open across the U.S. two months later. The film is based on two books by British author Mary Norton and combines animation with live action. The film was released a week before Walt Disney’s surviving brother, Roy Disney, died. The original release was an edited two-hour cut, but restored to its full 140-minute version in 1996. It won the Oscar for Best Special Visual Effects and a stage musical was produced in 2021.
This Day in Halloween: The Disney Oscar-winning fantasy musical "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" premieres at a charity event in the U.K. in 1971. / Illustration by CJ Byford
