Room on the Broom (2012)

Now you’d reckon a witch would be used to the effects of the wind by now, but nope - this one is constantly finding things blowing off and so she has to stop, each time, and find what she has lost. First it is her hat, and that is where she meets a dog who cadges a lift on the broom with her and her cat. Then she manages to lose her bow and before you know it she has accumulated a frog and a green bird too. Worse still is yet to come when they encounter an hungry dragon who is intent on some toasted witch for supper. Can she survive? This reminded me a little of the “chicken Licken, hen Len” story as this initially quite wary group grows to become friends thanks to their kindly pal with the pointy black hat. The animation engagingly relies on some fun facial expressions, some lovely chocolate-style glooping and there is a jaunty score to whizz it along for an enjoyably crafted twenty minutes that focuses on a good story with mischievous characterisations and it’s certainly a great example of less-is-more for this genre.