The Magic Behind Bedknobs and Broomsticks: How Disney’s Forgotten Fantasy Took Flight (Ep. 70)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Tv & Film

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2025

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey dust off one of Disney’s most underappreciated classics, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. From its wartime origins and lost Mary Poppins connections to Angela Lansbury’s iconic role and Disney’s merchandising mysteries, the duo uncovers how this effects-filled musical became both a box-office sleeper and a cult favorite. Along the way, Lauren connects the dots on what’s next for Disney Consumer Products, from collectibles and nostalgia to digital universes and fashion collabs. The surprising ties between Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks How World War II witches and Walt Disney’s contingency plans shaped the movie Angela Lansbury’s spellbinding performance and the studio’s post-Walt reinvention Disney’s new consumer products strategy, collectibles, fashion, and Fortnite The holiday partnership between Disney and Macy’s that’s bringing Minnie to center stage From forgotten McDonald’s on Disney property to wartime witches flying over London, this episode of I Want That Too proves Disney history is always stranger and more magical than fiction. Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. ⁠⁠Learn More Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to I Want That Too, the podcast where Disney merch meets Disney history.
0:06.1	I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill.
0:08.7	And as always, I'm joined by the lovely Lauren Hersey.
0:12.5	How are you tonight, Lauren?
0:14.4	I'm doing good.
0:15.5	It is gloomy and it feels like Halloween here.
0:19.5	How are you, sir?
0:20.8	I am doing well. Yes, it is, it is
0:23.8	authentically full up here in New England. In fact, I have been looking out, uh, the picture
0:29.1	window at the house here for most of this weekend thinking, you know, I really need to rake. And,
0:35.5	oh, look, something else I can do inside the house so um you know that again you
0:41.6	know i will get around to it eventually but um speaking of which though you know you were
0:48.9	mentioning Halloween and given that we are now two weeks out from Halloween, I thought, for this week's feature,
0:58.0	given that people seem to have enjoyed the stories we've been doing so far about Disney witches,
1:03.0	that we talk about Disney's most famous apprentice witch would be Eglington Price,
1:09.9	who was played by Angela Lansbury and Beddoms and Broomsticks,
1:13.4	which not coincidentally,
1:15.2	and I found this fascinating.
1:17.9	This is,
1:18.6	I guess,
1:19.5	when Eric was a boy,
1:21.0	your husband and Eric,
	...

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