Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.
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And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize
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| I know that we`re not Mrs. Potts, but we`re not trying to be her ;) |
The 1960`s was a
defining period for Walt Disney. It was the last decade that he lived, but
it also was a decade where he was focused on various things besides
animation. The 1960`s saw the releases of only three animated movies: One Houndred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book. And also the two Winnie the Pooh-shorts Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree and Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.
The 1960`s also saw the invention of the Xerox process, which made
to the animation be produced more quickly, despite how animated scenes were reused. And while Walt himself was not
particularly fond of the Xerox look, he still appoved it at the end.
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| Yes, I`m a opera penguin :) And I`m going to win Idol :) |
If
we`re actually going to look at Walt`s list of pictures, there`s a
clear delineation between the Full-Lenght Animated Features, who`ve
managed to have a list of it`s own (and also, let`s face it, the studio is
mostly known for). And the Live Action Movies, who`s
mostly been perceived as second rate. However, there`s also those
pictures who have blended the two mediums. And despite how the public have
received them, they`ve still not been included in the list of Disney`s
Canon list of Animated Features. However, if we`re actually looking for a picture
who`s somewhat have managed to sneak into the list of animated
pictures, despite being mostly live action, then it`s Mary Poppins.
General Information About Mary Poppins
Released in August 1964, Mary Poppins was essentially, just as most of Walt`s properties, an adaptation of a well known piece of literature. Directed by Robert Stevenson and with songs written by regular Disney tunesmiths of the time, the Sherman Brothers (The Jungle Book, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, The Aristocats). Starring Julie Andrews in her feature film debut (after a successful stage
career), alongside with Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns. Poppins was a critical and commercial success, earning $44 million on its original run and over
$103 million worldwide. It was the highest-grossing film of 1964
in the United States, and also became Disney's
highest-grossing film. 
It received thirteen Academy Award nominations, a record for a film by Walt Disney Studios. Including Best Picture, and won five: Best Actress (for Andrews), Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee. In 2013, it was preserved in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. For being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." And despite of how Poppins doesn`t techniqually belong to the animated canon-list, it`s still managed to become one of Disney`s most beloved and cherished properties, regardless. And it would be fair to say that it`s one of the most famous Live Action/Animation combo movies from Disney.Behind the Scenes Information
While there are many speculations of how Walt heard about the Mary Poppins stories, it was Disney's daughters and wife fell in love with the books. And made Disney promise to make a film based on them. He first attempted to purchase the rights from P. L. Travers as early as 1938, but Travers repeatedly refused. As she didn`t believe a film would suit her books, nor did she like Disney`s works (besides Mickey Mouse). For more than 20 years,
Walt made periodic efforts to convince Travers to give the rights,
and visiting her home in Chelsea, London. Meanwhile, he gave the book to the Sherman`s to see what they could do with it. As they selected chapters and made songs. However,
Walt was not the only one who wanted to make Mary Poppins, as Sam
Goldwyn wanted it, too. CBS made a TV show starring Mary Wickes (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) in 1949. And
Stephen Sondheim wanted a stage version. 
Walt finally got the rights in 1961, despite how Travers demanded script-approval rights, something Walt had never done with an author before. Her lawyer pushed Walt to a down payment to $ 100,000 against 5% of the film receipts. But since contract stipulations gave Walt the final cut privilege on the film, he overruled Travis. However, she disapproved the dilution of Poppins' harsh sides and was torn about the
music. As she wanted it to reflect the time period. She objected many elements of the film. The success of the movie made Travers` books more famous. But overall, she disliked the film. Walt`s and Travis`relationship was dramatized in the 2013 Disney film Saving Mr. Banks. However, Travers approved the songs and story for the stage show. 
In March 1961, Disney announced that Hayley Mills and Mary Martin would might be casted Walt`s first choice as Mrs. Banks was Glynis Johns. While she thought she was playing Poppins herself, she was convinced when the Sherman`s wrote a song for Mrs. Banks. Julie Harris, Angela Lansbury, and Bette Davis were considered for Mary. Andrews was three
months pregnant when she got the part, but Walt assured her that they could postpone
filming until she had given birth. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Using painted London background scenes.
The
Sherman`s wrote 35 songs (where 14 made it into the film). However, the deleted songs survived in form of other movies.
As The Land of Sand became Trust in Me in The Jungle Book. The West Wind Song survived as Mon Amor Perdu for Big Red. And Strengthen the Dwelling appeared in The Happiest Millionaire. Poppins was going to sing a lullaby for the children, but became discarded. Andrews also did the whistling harmony for the robin in A Spoonful of Sugar and she was also one of the Pearly singers in Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. David Tomlinson,
besides playing Mr. Banks, were the voices of Mary's talking
umbrella, Admiral Boom's first mate, and other voice-over
parts. Walt cast Dick Van Dyke after his work on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Van Dyke lobbied to also play the senior Mr.
Dawes. And while Walt felt he was too young for the part, Van Dyke won him
over in a screen test. Pre-production and music creation took about two years. The Original Author, Her Books and Changes From the First Novel
As for the original books, Mary Poppins is a series of eight children's books written by Australian-British writer P. L. Travers (9 August 1899-23 April 1996). They were published over the period 1934 to 1988. Travers wrote Poppins
while she was recovering from illness. While she had written
stories and poems to magazines priorly, it was Poppins that became her
first book. But Travers didn`t like to take credit for that she had made Poppins, nor where she came from. Mary Shepard, the daugther of E.H. Shepard, who illustrated the original Winnie the Pooh books, was the illustrator on the series. Shepard based Poppins on a Dutch doll that Travers had when she was a child. Travers said that Mary just came to her, as opposed to inventing her.
And didn`t knew all the answers to Poppins` abilities. 
But Poppins was inspired from her own life and chilhood. Poppins`own attitude was taken from Travers great-aunt, Ellie.
Since
Traver`s own father passed away early, she gave Mr. Banks all of his
good qualities. As Traver`s father, just like Mr. Banks, worked in a bank and
was her. As for changes to the original novel, while the changes weren`t that huge, it discarded Jane and Michael`s twin siblings, some of Mary Poppins adventures and the name of her uncle. And the ending. But Walt deliberately got rid of the magic compass, as he found it outrageous. But since the first novel had little story, Walt suggested that Mr. Banks would be absent with his kids, to give it a drive. Walt also expanded the role of Bert, to make him a more active character. The Use of Animation and the Iconic Moments of Mary Poppins
While 
Mary Poppins
is first and foremost a live action movie and just have one animated
sequence where the animated characters interacts with the live action cast, it`s remarkable that it
could`ve been otherwise. Cause P. L. Travers herself hated the use of animation so much that she ruled out any
further adaptations of the later Mary Poppins novels. During the 1930`s, Disney was then known primarily as a producer of animated films,
and had yet to produce a major live-action work. It was Walt`s brother, Roy Disney himself, who suggested the live action/animation combination. Originally the Jolly Holiday was conceived with only actors, but Walt suggested that they would be penguins. 
But just as with Walt`s Hand Drawn properties, Mary Poppins is known for it`s iconic moments. Especially known for it`s song numbers, like A Spoonful of Sugar, Chim Chim Cher-ee, Let's Go Fly a Kite and Feed the Birds. But there`s no doubt that Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is the stand out song from the movie. The song is essentially a classic Disney song in every sense of the word, being both catchy, fun and magical. But sure, it`s completed expected, as it was penned by the Sherman`s. But what makes Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious remarkable is also for being in the tradition of nonsense Disney words. Who doesn`t mean a thing, like Biddidi-Boddidi-Boo (Cinderella), Hi Diddle Dee Dee (Pinocchio), Zip-a-Dee Doo-Dah (Song of the South) and many more. Which was something that Walt liked. However, while Feed the Birds is indeed the most poignant song, it was Walt`s favorite song of the movie.
The Innovations and Different Turns of Mary Poppins
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| I`m glad that I`m only here temporarily :) |
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| Yes, even a chimney sweeper can get a girl :) |
It would`ve been tempting to speculate that there were some small indications about an attraction between them (since the ending is somewhat ambiguous enough to speculate it). But surprisingly enough, Poppins manages to overtly not showing it. The lack of romance was a deliberate choice, especially since Travers herself denied there was one in the novels. Secondly, it doesn`t make Mary herself stay with the Banks. Which also could`ve been another temptation to have the story fall into, as it could`ve made an arc for Mary herself. But surprisingly enough, the movie doesn`t. The Similarities to Peter Pan
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| Don`t be fooled, it`s not far below the window :) |
Mary Poppins is not only based on a well-known English litterature. But it`s also essentially among the Disney stories that it set in England (as there were many of them during Walt`s time). But in that regard, it would be tempting to compare Poppins to Peter Pan. Because the similarities are strikingly similar: Both stories are not only from
English authors, but takes place in the same capital and time period (the Sherman`s suggested that the setting should be changed from the 1930`s to the Edwardian era).
Both are about magical, flying leads from a fantasy world, who visits children in a strict
home. And introduces them to the wonders of a whimsical life. But just as with Pan, it`s the stern and bigoted father who has the biggest character arc and frankly the story hinges on his arc. And yes, Mary herself does have her own impact, as she somewhat learns Jane and Michael about goodness.  |
| The red is my way of resembling Christmas. Sort of :) |
But despite how Mary isn`t a Princess (an archetype that has been used to the Disney heroine), she does embody some of the traits of a Disney
Princess: Happy, perky, optimistic and the ability to talking to the animals. While she`s being strict, regal and also mysterious and ambiguous, she`s still has her good values at the end. As she does what she does for good, noble reasons. It would`ve been tempting to scrutinize Poppins` characterization for these faults, especially since she`s a a female character (since let`s face it, they get more scrutiny). But let`s remember that even Peter Pan had his own ambiguity and frankly, did the right thing at the end. Still, her attitude was toned down from the book. Mary Poppins Returns
While many decades have passed since Mary Poppins, there never was an official sequel to the movie before Mary Poppins Returns. Released in 2018 and directed by Rob Marshall. And starring Emily Blunt as Poppins, with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, and David Warner in his final film. To have a sequel released 54 years after it`s predecessor, is of course remarkable. Especially due to that we live in a different World that has changed completely. Walt wanted to make a sequel a year later, but was rejected by Travers. In the late 1980s, Jeffrey Katzenberg
approached Travers with a pitch set years after the first
film, with the Banks children as adults and Julie Andrews
returning as an older Poppins. Travers again rejected the
concept, except for Andrews' return, suggesting a idea set one year
after the first film. But it was never made, because Travers wouldn`t go ahead
without some demands that the company wouldn`t agree with.
In the 1980s, Travers and Disney historian Brian Sibley (who was a good friend), wrote a screenplay for a sequel named Mary Poppins Comes Back, based on parts from Travers' second Poppins book. Sibley wrote a letter to Roy E. Disney about the film, to which Disney agreed with. Four months later, Andrews
temporarily retired from making films. And yes, Michael Jackson was suggested as Bert's brother. The sequel was cancelled for casting problems and executives changes. But it was Sean Bailey pitched a new Poppins film to Marshall, based on the success of Into the Woods. The animation was done by Ken Duncan's animation studio, Duncan
Studio. Animator James Baxter redesigned the penguins. 
The story takes place 25 years after the first feature. Featuring Jane and Michael as adults and Michael`s children knowing Poppins. While it would`ve been tempting to call it a remake, let`s remember that the story is a sequel to the book series. But Returns is still pretty much structured in the same way as it`s predecessor. And sure, it includes Hand Drawn Animation, which is a rarity nowadays. Landsbury`s part was written as a cameo for Andrews, who turned it down as she felt it would unfairly take attention from Blunt. As for myself, did I like it? Yes. Sure, it felt like a rehash of it`s predecessor, as it had a similar tone and feel. But it was still a delight, nonetheless. Despite how the animation in the movie is completely lackluster (sorry, animators). While the critics have embraced the sequel, the reception of the audiences has been otherwise. As the public have rated it lower. The film overall grossed $349 million Worldwide.Epilogue
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| We wanted to show that Mary and Bert can be mouses :) |
At the end, Mary Poppins remains one of Disney`s most worshipped andcherished properties, regardless of being Live Action or not. And it`s right to say that it`s deservedly so. And it`s always going to be one of Disney`s most beloved properties, no matter how old it gets. As for my own personal experience with Mary Poppins, I do remember seeing it once in my childhood as a toddler. Randomly on TV. However, my memories of it were still fairly vague, as I mostly remembered the penguin dance.
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| Despite how they captured me on various sides, I still have the same expression. Because I craved it ;) |
And despite how I saw the ending randomly on TV as a teenager, I never saw it again until the occasion of this entry (yes, I admit it). Sure, Mary Poppins is a product of it`s time, with dated special effects and where the animation doesn`t blend smoothly with the live action (sorry, creators). But Mary Poppins is a delight, nonetheless. It`s cute, charming and captivating. And since this entry was meant to synergize with it`s 60th Anniversary (yes, it`s hard to believe, which means that this movie has been around longer than most of us were even born), there`s nothing left to wish Mary Poppins Happy 60th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.
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References:
Mary Poppins: Anything Can Happen If You Let It (Brian Sibley, Michael Lassell)
Mouse Under Glass (David Koenig)
The Jungle Book Platinum Edition
Wow, had no idea you only saw this movie in it's entirety just once since your childhood, right before this blog post! Hope you enjoyed it still.
SvarSlettI had no idea Mary Poppins was based on an old Dutch doll that Travers owned. Thanks for sharing a pic of that.