Obviously they had to pad out the book to make an animation of reasonable length. Most of the additions are good.. eg. presenting the dragon early and seeing him periodically adds some suspense and might have actually made the book betterOther things though don't add anything and draw things out too much making it a chore to watch repeatedly with a child, eg. when they are washing, when they get separated from the witch and various other small throw-away sequences add a good five minutes to the durationAnyway, still good. The vocal performances and music are nice

The Bad: Honestly, there's not much to complain about here. It's a short movie - more like a TV episode than a feature film. Possibly the pace is too slow for some, and the danger might be too much for sensitive children (a dragon threatens to each our nice witch!), but that's about it. The Good: Considering they adapted a very short book into nearly half an hour of movie, they did a fantastic job filling in the 'in between the words' with a visually interesting story that didn't feel like filler. Each character was fleshed out to have his/her own personality, making them all interesting and sympathetic. While I put the slow pace of this film in the 'bad' category, I will also address it here in the 'good' as well - the pacing is perfect for the pre-school/toddler ages! It doesn't flit between things too quickly to catch what is happening for developing brains. The visuals are excellent (it almost feels like stop-motion) and will hold up well as time goes on. The message of kindness, inclusiveness, and generosity is subtle and sweet. The Mom View: I would highly recommend this for all young children except for sensitive toddlers (due to the scary dragon)! It would probably be most popular for pre-schoolers. My little boy liked it, and I don't find it obnoxious (which is more than you can expect for a lot of shows for young children).

"Room on the Broom" is an Academy-Award nominated, 25-minute short film by Jan Lachauer, Max Lang and Julia Donaldson. Two of these already worked on "The Gruffalo" together and that is why you will find a couple similarities apart from the rhymes. For example the scene near the end with the "monster" chasing away the dragon is very similar in tone and style to the ending from "The Gruffalo". The animation is very clean and precise and the group of animals reminded me already of the Bremen Town Musicians before they stood atop on each other near the end. The main character is a witch with all the usual traits, the broom, the long nose, the hat, the mole and the not so attractive appearance. However, in contrast to Disney's usual approach it is a good witch, actually one of the most likable animated characters in recent years.I liked that this short film also included animals who would not join the witch on the broom, so you could wonder a bit what the next one is gonna be. The funny highlight here is the cat and its constant skepticism when the witch invites the next guest to the broom. The dramatic highlight near the end is nicely done. The eyes of the dragon near the witch really give off a scary vibe and the chase scene is pretty dramatic too. In order to make it not too scary, they included some funny, quite bizarre rhyming for the dragon including the witch being his meal with or without chips. That was funny in an odd way. The ending not much later is decent. I liked the design of the new broom and how everybody has their space, but I did not like that it was handled a bit more emotional than it actually was with the music and everything.All in all, this is, despite the Oscar nomination, really more suitable for children although I cannot deny I had a good time watching it, maybe because my inner child is still alive and kicking.

Bob the Moo (whose reviews on IMDb I adore) described this movie as "Slight but enjoyable family animation" and I couldn't have said it any better myself. The short film is a wonderful thing for kids and parents to watch with them--and I'm sure they'll enjoy it immensely. But, I was perplexed that it was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short. It's good but nothing more. Plus, while I normally like to root for the shorts made by young filmmakers, the Disney film "Get a Horse!" is just light-years ahead of the pack--and I don't see how "Room on the Broom" could offer it any serious competition."Room on the Broom" plays like a kid's book because apparently it IS from a kid's book. This British production reminds me a lot of another nominee from the UK--"The Gruffalo". It also was a wonderful film for young kids (they'll adore it) but artistically I couldn't understand the nomination.The story is of a nice witch who is flying about with her cat. Through the course of the film, she picks up several new friends--a dog, a bird and a frog. But how can she carry them all on her broom--especially when it breaks?! Cute, fun and a treat for kids. But not a film that says anything more to me.