Mary Poppins

What’s the Story?

In 1910 Britain, a British family seeks a new nanny for young Jane and Michael. In flies magical Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews, in an Oscar-winning performance), not at all what proper Mr. Banks was looking for, but precisely what the children ordered! Mary takes control and takes the children on glorious adventures. The kids also frolic with Bert (Dick Van Dyke), a one-man-band, sidewalk artists, and chimney sweep. Wonderful singing, dancing, and animation bring the story to life as somehow this unusual nanny helps Mr. Banks show love to his children, and the whole family appreciate each other all the more.

Is It Any Good?

Rarely does a movie manage to be so much fun while delivering a simple, heartwarming story. While songs in today's Disney's musicals, though sometimes good, only serve to explain the characters' emotions or intentions, the best songs in Mary Poppins use the feelings of the characters as starting points from which to take off and explore, often in wildly whimsical directions. The story follows suit, using small plot events to take viewers to many unexpected places.

The two-disc 40th Anniversary DVD has much to offer, including "A Magical Musical Reunion," in which Andrews, Van Dyke, and composer Richard Sherman recall and perform some of their favorite songs. The deleted song "Chimpanzoo" is hilarious, and the 50-minute "making of" feature is full of fascinating memories, information, and footage. A bonus animated short is pretty dull, though, and the optional audio commentary adds little to the movie.