Three children evacuated from London during World War II are forced to stay with an eccentric spinster. The children's initial fears disappear when they find out she is in fact a trainee witch.
It's more sophisticated than the usual run of Disney product, but it lacks the inventiveness that could endow it with genuine charm.
– Dave Kehr,
Chicago Reader,
3 Nov 2009
rotten:
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.
– Jay Cocks,
TIME Magazine,
3 Nov 2009
fresh:
It is when the film [based on the book by Mary Norton] dives deeply into the realms of fantasy that it is most enjoyable.
– Variety Staff,
Variety,
26 Mar 2009
rotten:
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.
– Vincent Canby,
New York Times,
9 May 2005
rotten:
The Disney organization is worst when it makes "family entertainment" and best when it sticks to pure, simple, charming fantasy.