'Mary Poppins' from Disney Studios in 1964 was a groundbreaking film in many ways. Not only did it successful blend both live action and animation in new and exciting ways, it also featured a top notch stellar cast of old pros and extremely talented newcomers (many of whom we would soon be seeing LOTS more of) and the beautiful original music by the Sherman Brothers, the greatest songwriters that ever worked for Disney. With the songs sung by one of most beautiful voices of all time, the great Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins is entertainment at it's best.

While created primarily as a 'Family Film' there is something about 'Mary Poppins' that resonates with ALL age groups and speaks to me differently now at age 59 than when I first saw it in 1964 at the Northgate Cinema in Seattle. It is fun for the entire family and has plenty of Re-Watch-ability built right in.

With that said, this review will be focusing on the video and audio portions of the Blu ray presentation, and not the film itself.

'Mary Poppins" looks REALLY GOOD on Blu Ray. It is not perfect and simply can not be due to the sheer amount of old school optical effects that are achieved at the expense of both clarity and perceived picture resolution. I honestly did not except too much from this transfer and was happily surprised throughout the presentation.

I really must say that the work that went into this transfer must have been enormous. Almost all the dirt and debris has been cleared way along with print damage like scratches, etc. Color timing looks very good, perhaps the color saturation level is just a bit on the light side of things, but overall it is very natural looking. Contrast and Brightness levels are very good and the film looks spectacular in motion. Nice and smooth.....Read more ›

Is there really much new to say about this classic Disney film that helped launch the movie career of Julie Andrews? Probably not, but for the handful of people who haven't seen this film, this DVD is a must-buy. Strangely enough, Disney is not releasing a Blu-ray version just yet, so this edition will have to tide over video buffs until that occurs. The 1964 classic is based on the books of P. L. Travers, with a few Disney liberties thrown in. Travers' nanny, Mary Poppins, is somewhat more harsh and unpleasant in the books than in the film version. However, it is obvious that she is hiding a heart of gold inside and that she truly does love the children she takes care. Two of the children did not make the transition from the book, but they are definitely not missed. Julie Andrews is able to bring out the many facets of Mary Poppins without compromising the character, and of course her voice is legendary. The Sherman Brothers whipped up some of their most memorable tunes including "Jolly Holiday," "Spoonful of Sugar," and "Let's Go Fly a Kite."

In a nutshell, the story is about a magical nanny who swoops in to take care of the Banks children, Jane & Michael, and also help their father realize what he is missing by ignoring them the way that he does. Along the way she treats the children to adventures with a street performer/chimney sweep, Bert (Dick Van Dyke) as well as her Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn) who loves to laugh. One of the most memorable and touching sequences is the "Feed the Birds" numbers, with veteran actress Jane Darwell making her final screen appearance. One of Walt Disney's favorite songs, it is sure to bring a tear to many eyes.Read more ›

Mary Poppins may be =the= stand-out live-action movie that Disney has ever produced. Or will ever produce.

All the songs are very memorable. Who out there does not find themselves humming or even singing along with the likes of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" or "Spoonful of Sugar"?

Julie Andrews will always be remembered for her role as Mary Poppins, and Dick Van Dyke absolutely shines as Bert the Chimney Sweep. Van Dyke also plays the senior officer of the bank - and has his very best scene where he realizes that the punchline - "A wooden leg named Smith" - is funny. Andrews won an Academy Award for Mary Poppins, and the movie also won Best Visual Effects, and Best Music Score, as well as Best Song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee").

The scene where "I love to laugh" is particularly poignant. Ed Wynn died not long after the release of Mary Poppins, and shows some of his best comedy style in this scene. Very laughable.

The story is top-notch and has a wonderful moral without being too "preachy". It was a very good adaptation from the original novel, and it's a shame Disney never did any of P L Traver's own sequels to Mary Poppins.

The animated bits are a little flat by today's standards, but they add a wonderful whimsey to a stellar production. Highly recommended to any family with children. A must-buy for Disney fans.

This is the far better, two-disc, 40th anniversary edition that not only restores everything to digital quality, but adds a second disc of deleted scenes (and a song!), commentary, and many other cool new features. Look for the new 40th anniversary DVD edition - it's worth waiting for!

It's just supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!