Magic Light Pictures Room on the Broom
Last updated: April 2, 2024
This short yet sweet story earned a nomination for Best Animated Short Film at the 2014 Academy Awards. It's based on the book of the same name, and the adorable animation brings the tale's illustrations to life. It's a cute story about friendship that's also appropriate for all ages.
We looked at the top Children's Movies and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best Children's Movis you should buy.
Product Details
In our analysis of 57 expert reviews, the Magic Light Pictures Room on the Broom
placed 1st when we looked at the top 8 products in the category. For the full ranking,
see below.
From The Manufacturer
Room on the Broom is a half hour animated film based on the wonderful children’s picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Room on the Broom is a magical tale about friendship and family from Magic Light Pictures, the producers of the hugely successful The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child.
Expert Reviews
What reviewers liked
Short and sweet adventure about a generous witch.
The adorable animation in this movie is spot on in comparison to the book it was inspired by. Right down to the words used in the book, this movie includes animated pictures that look like the illustrations in the book. It provides an overall message of friendship as the witch agrees to take on each of the animals she meets and those friends in turn save her from the mean dragon. The music and non-verbal language in this movie provide an additional layer for viewers to better understand what is going on.
This film is very funny and has great detailed animation.
For 27 minutes, the film’s mix of Claymation and CGI is done quite well. It’s bright, colorful, and the animation is expressive. There is a really nice calming atmosphere to the overall journey. It helps that Simon Pegg does a wonderful job telling the story, using a quiet tone that fits the overall mood of everything. It’s not a super intense book, or a story that is hyper. It’s a soothing narration that could easily help a child close his or her eyes on the way to slumberland. The experience also has some simple morals any young person could recognize, like sharing, friendship, and overcoming adversity. The other voice actors do a good job with their roles, even though they don’t have many actual lines.
What reviewers didn't like
The movie's content -- like the book -- is fine for younger audiences, but it does feature a scary dragon that wants to eat the witch. Of course, she's saved, but the moment of peril might be too much for the under-4 set.
The overall package is simple, but I do have some complaints. First off, why did the film need big-named actors like Gillian Anderson or Timothy Spall? I understand Simon Pegg, but for characters who don’t talk much, they got some big named people. Granted, I doubt expanding this kind of story would have been worth the time and budget, but the characters are a bit simple, and don’t have a whole lot of personality to them. They are likable enough, but there isn’t much to them. I respect the organization that sets up the Academy Awards for nominating this movie, but compared to other films that were in this category like Possessions and Mr. Hublot, it might be a tad too simple to have actually won.
From our partners
