1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Mary Poppins

#446- Mary Poppins (1964)
Starring: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson
Directed by: Robert Stevenson


Plot Summary: The Banks family is in desperate need of a new nanny to take care of their children, Jane and Michael. The children write what they want for their ideal nanny, but their father rips it up and burns it in the fireplace. The pieces of the letter get swept up the chimney and fly into the sky. The next day, a huge gust of wind blows Mary Poppins to the Banks home where she is given the new nanny position. Knowing how to be fun and firm, Mary Poppins takes the children through numerous adventures, along with a friendly jack-of-all-trades named Burt, that will not only benefit the children, but also their workaholic father.


When I was getting ready to go on my date night to see Saving Mr. Banks, it occurred to me that I have never seen Mary Poppins before. Growing up, I had seen nearly every Disney movie except that one. Why? I have no idea. It was just never in my VHS collection. While Saving Mr. Banks was enjoyable, there were a lot of subtleties towards the people that had grown up with Mary Poppins that I felt I was missing. So last weekend, I made it my mission to see Mary Poppins to further understand the context of Saving Mr. Banks.

The iconic role of Mary Poppins is brought to life by Julie Andrews. Andrews's cheery disposition and wonderful singing voice help make Mary Poppins a fun character. She also knows when to put on a serious demeanor and knows how to use proper tone in her voice to get her message across. Both those qualities are necessary to make Mary Poppins work and Andrews has no problem with either. The overall look of Mary Poppins is iconic, from her numerous attires, to her umbrella, to her songs, to even a lot of her catchphrases. I can only imagine that thanks to Julie Andrews, many children grew up wanting to have a nanny like Mary Poppins.

Bert is a jack-of-all-trades played by Dick Van Dyke. Nearly everyone has poked fun at Van Dyke's Cockney accent, but I'll go on to say it wasn't that distracting for me. While it is fast, a little tough to understand, and extremely stereotypical, I thought the accent helped fit his jack-of-all-trades personality. He's friendly, adventurous, and has a deep admiration for Mary Poppins. His excitement is infectious with the audience, especially during some of the film's musical numbers. Whether he's dancing with penguin, dancing with chimney sweeps, or laughing until he floats to the ceiling, Bert should be remembered as a character who loves to have fun.

The film has great creativity and fun characters, but it really won me over with its music, composed by the legendary Sherman Brothers. One of the only memories of Mary Poppins that I had growing up was a Disney Sing-along tape that I had that had a handful of songs on it. When I finally watched it, many of my favorites like "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Jolly Holiday," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Chim Chim Cher-ee," "Step in Time," and "Let's Go Fly a Kite" (I know, there's a lot) were all there just like I remembered them, but there were also a lot of other songs that weren't on my radar as a child. I forgot about how silly "I Love to Laugh" was, and "Feed the Birds" was a shockingly beautiful sequence, in fact it's been labelled as Walt Disney's favorite song. It was amazing to see and hear how important the songs could be for a film like Mary Poppins, giving it that extra amount of imagination.

While author P.L. Travers had a problem with the use of animation in the film, I actually really enjoyed it. When they go into the world created by sidewalk chalk, everything except the main characters is animated, from the people to the penguins. The two elements of live action and animation blend together so nicely that it no longer looks like a filmmaking technique, but instead, something that naturally fits in with the story. It doesn't hurt that it is during one of the most famous segments of the movie, containing song numbers such as "Jolly Holiday" and "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

The film holds a large legacy with children and families for generations. I'd go on to say it's arguably Disney's most popular and most marketable live-action film. With lovable characters, catchy songs, and a whole lot of imagination, it's no wonder why it's so beloved. The film's legacy proved to be strong with the success of Saving Mr. Banks, which told a more behind-the-scenes look at the writing of the film. Seeing many of the timeless references in Mary Poppins make their way into this new film was very enjoyable, feeling fresh to younger viewers and familiar to those who grew up with this timeless classic.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I went into Mary Poppins knowing very little about it, and came out loving it. It was one of those rare moments where I felt I was able to experience an aspect of childhood once again, and makes for a great way to end Disney Month. It's an easy recommendation for everyone to see and own in their DVD collection.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Mary Poppins and movie images are copyrighted by Walt Disney Pictures