Mary Poppins (film)
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''Mary Poppins'' is a 1964 American live-action/animated hybrid
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
fantasy comedy Fantasy comedy or comic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is primarily humorous in intent and tone. Typically set in imaginary worlds, fantasy comedy often involves puns on, and parodies of, other works of fantasy. Literature The subgenre ro ...
film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers's book series '' Mary Poppins''. The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic.
Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. Dick Van Dyke on screen and stage, His work spans screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Dick Van Dyke, his awards includ ...
, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, using painted London background scenes. ''Mary Poppins'' was released on August 27, 1964, to critical acclaim and commercial success, earning $44 million in theatrical rentals in its original run. It became the highest-grossing film of 1964 in the United States, and at the time of its release became Disney's highest-grossing film. During its theatrical lifetime, it grossed over $103 million worldwide. It received a total of thirteen
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nominations—a record for any film released 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". It is considered Walt Disney's crowning live-action achievement and is the only one of his films to earn a Best Picture nomination during his lifetime. In 2013, it was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
by the
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as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." A biographical drama based on the making of the film, '' Saving Mr. Banks'', was released on October 20, 2013. A sequel, '' Mary Poppins Returns'', was released on December 19, 2018.


Plot

In 1910, Winifred Banks returns to her home in Edwardian
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
after a suffragette rally and learns that her children, Jane and Michael, have run away, "for the fourth time this week", which prompted their nanny, Katie Nanna, to quit her job. That night, Winifred's strict and ambitious husband George returns home from his job at the bank and places a newspaper advertisement for a stern, no-nonsense nanny. Jane and Michael present their own advertisement for a kind, sympathetic nanny, but George rips their letter and throws the scraps in the fireplace. A strong wind draws the scraps up through the chimney and into the sky. The next day, several sour-faced nannies await outside the Banks family's home, but a strong gust of wind magically blows them away. Jane and Michael then witness a young woman floating down from the sky, gracefully descending with an open umbrella. The woman enters the Banks family's home and introduces herself as Mary Poppins. To George's shock, Mary is holding the children's advertisement, and the scraps have been put back together. She agrees with the advertisement's requests, but promises George that she will be firm with his children. Mary manipulates George into hiring her. Upstairs, Mary helps the children magically clean their nursery. While walking in a park, the trio encounters Mary's friend Bert, a jack of all trades working as a street painter. Mary transports the group into one of Bert's drawings. While the children ride on a carousel, Mary and Bert sing while strolling. Bert and Mary then participate in a horse race, which Mary wins. Mary uses the nonsense word, " Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", to describe her victory. When a thunderstorm dissolves Bert's drawings, the group is returned to London. While putting the children to bed, Mary sings a lullaby. The next day, the trio and Bert visit Mary's odd uncle, Albert, whose uncontrollable laughter has caused him to float. George becomes annoyed by the household's cheery atmosphere and threatens to fire Mary. She persuades him to take the children to his workplace. That evening, Mary sings a lullaby about a woman who sells bird food on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral. The next day at the bank, the children meet George's boss, the elderly Mr. Dawes Sr., who advises Michael to invest his tuppence in the bank, ultimately snatching the coins out of Michael's hand. Michael demands them back; other customers overhear the conflict, and they all begin demanding their own money back, causing a
bank run A bank run or run on the bank occurs when many Client (business), clients withdraw their money from a bank, because they believe Bank failure, the bank may fail in the near future. In other words, it is when, in a fractional-reserve banking sys ...
. Jane and Michael flee the bank and get lost in the East End. Bert, now working as a chimney sweep, escorts them home. The three and Mary venture onto the rooftops, where Bert dances with other chimney sweeps. George later receives a phone call from the bank, requesting a meeting with him regarding Michael's actions. The children overhear the phone call and become concerned. Bert advises George to spend more time with Jane and Michael before they grow up. Hoping to make amends, Michael gives George the tuppence. Stricken with regret, George slowly walks through London to the bank, where he is given a humiliating cashiering. Lost for words, George exclaims "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", tells a joke Albert had told the children, and happily walks home. When Mr. Dawes Sr. understands the joke, he floats up into the air, laughing. The next day, Mary Poppins tells the children she must leave. George mends his children's kite and takes the family out to fly it. At the park, the family encounters Mr. Dawes Sr.'s son, Mr. Dawes Jr., who reveals that his father died laughing at the joke. Mr. Dawes Jr. says his father had never been happier and gratefully rehires (and promotes) George. Mary watches the family and decides her work is done. As Mary flies away, Bert looks up and says, "Goodbye, Mary Poppins. Don't stay away too long."


Cast


Live-action cast

* Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, a magical and loving woman who descends from the clouds in response to the Banks children's advertisement for a nanny. She is firm in her use of authority but gentle and kind as well, a major departure from the original books, in which the character was more stern and pompous. *
Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. Dick Van Dyke on screen and stage, His work spans screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Dick Van Dyke, his awards includ ...
as Bert, a cockney jack-of-all-trades and Mary Poppins' closest friend, who is completely accustomed to her magic. Their playful interactions imply that they have known each other for a long time and that this kind of story has repeated itself many times. Bert has at least four jobs throughout the film: a one-man band, a sidewalk chalk artist, a chimney sweep, and a kite seller. ** Van Dyke also portrays Mr. Dawes Sr., the old director of the bank where Mr. Banks works. During the film's end titles, "Navckid Keyd", an anagram of Dick Van Dyke, is first credited as playing the role before the letters unscramble to reveal Van Dyke's name. * David Tomlinson as George Banks, Mary Poppins' employer and strict, driven, and disciplined father of Jane and Michael. He works at the Dawes Tomes Mousley Grubbs Fidelity Fiduciary Bank in London. * Glynis Johns as Winifred Banks, the easily distracted wife of George Banks and the mother of Jane and Michael. She is depicted as a member of Emmeline Pankhurst's "
Votes for Women Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...
" suffrage movement. Mrs. Banks was originally named Cynthia, but this was changed to the more English-sounding Winifred per Travers. * Hermione Baddeley as Ellen, the maid of the Banks residence * Reta Shaw as Mrs. Clara Brill, the cook of the Banks residence * Karen Dotrice as Jane Banks, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Banks and Michael's older sister. Jane is a high-spirited, bright, and precocious young girl. * Matthew Garber as Michael Banks, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Banks and Jane's younger brother. Michael is an excitable and naughty young boy who simply adores and looks up to his father. Both Jane and Michael are mischievous and misbehave in an attempt to seek attention from their parents. * Elsa Lanchester as Katie Nanna, the disgruntled nanny who quits the Banks family * Arthur Treacher as Constable Cody Jones, a police officer * Reginald Owen as Admiral Boom, the Banks' eccentric neighbor and a naval officer. He has his first mate, Mr. Binnacle, fire a cannon from his roof every 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. *
Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was known for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show ...
as Uncle Albert, a jolly gentleman who suffers from an unknown condition where he floats in the air due to his uncontrollable laughter. Although he likes having company over, he becomes sad and cries when his guests have to leave and he falls back to the ground, since it is the inversion of laughing. * Jane Darwell as the "Bird Woman", an old woman who sells breadcrumbs for the pigeons on the steps of
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
* Arthur Malet as Mr. Dawes Jr., the director's son and member of the board * James Logan as a doorman who chases after the children in the bank * Don Barclay as Mr. Binnacle, Admiral Boom's first mate * Alma Lawton as Mrs. Corry, an old shopkeeper of a gingerbread shop and mother of two very tall daughters * Marjorie Eaton as Miss Molly Persimmon * Marjorie Bennett as Miss Lark, owner of the dog named Andrew, who frequently runs away * Cyril Delevanti as Mr. Grubbs (uncredited) * Lester Matthews as Mr. Tomes (uncredited) * Betty Lou Gerson as old crone (uncredited) * Kay E. Kuter as man in bank (uncredited) * Doris Lloyd as depositor (uncredited) * Queenie Leonard as depositor (uncredited)


Voice cast

* Julie Andrews as Robin, Pearly Violinist, and the Bird Woman * Marc Breaux as Cow * Daws Butler as Penguin Waiter, Turtles * Peter Ellenshaw as Penguin Waiter ("And Jane") * Paul Frees as Barnyard Horse * Bill Lee as Ram * Jimmy MacDonald as animals * Sean McClory as Bloodhound, Reporter #4 * Dallas McKennon as Fox, Bloodhound, Penguin Waiter, Horse, Carousel Guard * Alan Napier as Old Huntsman, Reporter #3, Bloodhound * Marni Nixon as Geese * J. Pat O'Malley as Bloodhound, Master of Hounds, Hunting Horse #2, Pearly Drummer, Pearly Tambourinist, Penguin Waiter, Photographer, Reporter #2 * George Pelling as Bloodhound, Reporter #1 * Thurl Ravenscroft as Hog * Richard M. Sherman as Penguin Waiter, Male Pearly * Robert B. Sherman as Pearly Banjo Player * David Tomlinson as Penguin Waiter, Jockey, Race Track Stewards, Mary Poppins' Parrot Umbrella * Ginny Tyler as the Lambs * Martha Wentworth as Cockney Cow


Production


Development

The film's main basis was the first novel in the ''Mary Poppins'' series. According to the 40th Anniversary DVD release of the film in 2004, Disney's daughters fell in love with the ''Mary Poppins'' books and made Disney promise to make a film based on them. He first attempted to purchase the film rights from P. L. Travers as early as 1938, but Travers repeatedly refused; she did not believe a film version would do justice to her books. Disney was also then known primarily as a producer of animated films, and had yet to produce a major live-action work. For more than 20 years, he made periodic efforts to convince Travers to release the rights, including visiting her home in Chelsea, London. He finally succeeded in 1961, although Travers demanded and obtained script-approval rights. The Sherman Brothers composed the music score and were involved in the film's development, suggesting the setting be changed from the 1930s to the Edwardian era. Pre-production and music creation took about two years.


Pre-production

Travers was an adviser to the production, and was billed as the film's consultant. However, she disapproved of the dilution of the harsher aspects of Mary Poppins' character, felt ambivalent about the music, and hated the use of animation so much that she ruled out any further adaptations of the later ''Mary Poppins'' novels. She objected to a number of elements that made it into the film. Rather than original songs, she wanted the soundtrack to feature known standards of the Edwardian period in which the story is set. However, due to contract stipulations citing that he had final cut privilege on the finished print, Disney overruled her. In a 2013 interview, Dick van Dyke said that Travers felt that neither he nor Julie Andrews were right for the lead roles. Much of the Travers–Disney correspondence is part of the Travers collection of papers in the State Library of New South Wales, Australia. The relationship between Travers and Disney is detailed in ''Mary Poppins She Wrote'', a biography of Travers by Valerie Lawson. The biography is the basis for two documentaries on Travers: ''The Real Mary Poppins'' and Lisa Matthews' ''The Shadow of Mary Poppins''. Their relationship during the development of the film was also dramatized in the 2013 Disney film '' Saving Mr. Banks''.


Casting

In March 1961, Disney announced that it might cast Hayley Mills and Mary Martin in the film. Julie Harris, Angela Lansbury,
Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress of film, television, and theater. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in Hollywood history, she was noted for her willingness to play unsympatheti ...
, Judy Garland, Barbara Eden,
Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was an English and American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 19 ...
, Jayne Mansfield, Natalie Wood and
Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995) was an American actress whose career spanned five decades in film, stage, and television. She portrayed the good witch List of Bewitched characters#Samantha Stephens, Samantha Step ...
were considered for the role of Mary Poppins. Walt Disney originally wanted
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
for the role of Bert, but Col. Tom Parker said no when he learned that Presley wouldn't receive top billing. Also considered for Bert were Bert Convy, Sean Connery, Bob Denver, Adam West,
Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...
, Cary Grant, Jamie Farr and Andy Griffith. Before
Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He began his career in vaudeville in 1903 and was known for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show ...
was cast, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, George Burns,
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...
, Jack Albertson, Jim Backus, Alan Hale Jr., Kirk Douglas and Lorne Greene were considered for the role of Uncle Albert. Julie Andrews, who was making her feature film acting debut after a successful stage career, was given the prime role of Mary Poppins soon after she was passed over by
Jack L. Warner Jack Leonard Warner (born Jacob Warner; August 2, 1892 – September 9, 1978) was a Canadian-born American film executive, who was the president and driving force behind the Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Warner's ca ...
and replaced with Audrey Hepburn for the role of Eliza Doolittle in his screen adaptation of '' My Fair Lady'', even though Andrews originated the role on Broadway. When Disney approached Andrews about playing Poppins, she was three months pregnant. Disney assured her that they were willing to postpone filming until she had given birth so that she could take the part. Disney considered actor Stanley Holloway for the role of Admiral Boom, but it went to Reginald Owen, due to Holloway's commitment to ''My Fair Lady''. Andrews also provided the voice in two other sections of the film: During " A Spoonful of Sugar", she provided the whistling harmony for the robin, and she was also one of the Pearly singers during "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". David Tomlinson, besides playing Mr. Banks, provided the voices of Mary's talking umbrella, Admiral Boom's first mate, and numerous other voice-over parts. During the "Jolly Holiday" sequence, the three singing Cockney geese were all voiced by Marni Nixon, who regularly sang for actresses with substandard singing voices. (Nixon later provided the singing voice for Hepburn in ''My Fair Lady,'' and played one of Andrews' fellow nuns in '' The Sound of Music''.) Andrews later beat Hepburn for the Best Actress Award at the Golden Globes for their respective roles. Andrews also won the Oscar for Best Actress for her role (Hepburn was not nominated for it). Richard Sherman, one of the songwriters, also voiced a penguin, and one of the Pearlies. Robert Sherman provided the speaking voice of Jane Darwell because Darwell's voice was too soft to be heard in the soundtrack. He is heard saying the only line: "Feed the birds, tuppence a bag." Disney cast
Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. Dick Van Dyke on screen and stage, His work spans screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Dick Van Dyke, his awards includ ...
in the main supporting role of Bert after seeing his work on '' The Dick Van Dyke Show''. After winning the role, Van Dyke lobbied to also play the senior Mr. Dawes. Disney felt he was too young for the part, but Van Dyke won him over after a screen test. Van Dyke had trouble with Bert's Cockney accent. English character actor J. Pat O'Malley provided some coaching; but although Van Dyke is fondly remembered for the film, his attempt at a Cockney accent is considered one of the poorer accents in film history. (It was #2 in a 2003 poll by ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' magazine of the worst film accents.) Van Dyke claimed that O'Malley "didn't do an accent any better than I did". In 2017, Van Dyke received an award for television excellence from the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...
(BAFTA), at which time he said, "I appreciate this opportunity to apologise to the members of BAFTA for inflicting on them the most atrocious cockney accent in the history of cinema." A chief executive of BAFTA responded, "We look forward to his acceptance speech in whatever accent he chooses on the night. We have no doubt it will be ' supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'."


Filming

Filming took place between May and September 1963 in Burbank, California; post-production and animation took another eleven months. The scene in which Mary Poppins and Bert interact with a group of animated penguins is noted for its use of the sodium vapor process. Rather than using the more common bluescreen process to insert the actors into the animated footage, the actors were filmed against a white screen lit with sodium vapor lights, which have a yellow hue. A special camera was fitted with a prism that filtered this light to a separate reel of film, creating a highly accurate matte that could be used to isolate the actors from the background. This created a crisp, clean image and even allowed the partially transparent veil of Mary Poppins's costume to let through light from the background. The film received the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1965 for this effect. Peter Menefee, one of the 12 dancing chimney sweeps supporting Bert, provided some insight into the film's choreography: The film's choreographers were
Dee Dee Wood Audrey Wood Breaux ( Donella; June 7, 1927 – April 26, 2023), better known as Dee Dee Wood, was an American choreographer. She was best known for her work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s, especially for The Sound of Music (film), The Soun ...
and her husband Marc Breaux. Walt Disney attended the rehearsals for the rooftop scenes every day.


Music

The film features music and lyrics by brothers Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who took inspiration from Edwardian British
music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
music. Irwin Kostal arranged and conducted the score. Buena Vista Records released the original soundtrack in 1964 on LP and reel-to-reel tape. Even though RCA Victor Records released a record club edition, it is considered the pivotal release for Disney's in-house record division, selling in the millions. The songs were among the most covered by famous artists such as Johnny Mathis,
Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (; December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he ...
, and
Ray Conniff Joseph Raymond Conniff (November 6, 1916 – October 12, 2002) was an American bandleader and arranger best known for his Ray Conniff Singers during the 1960s. Biography Conniff was born November 6, 1916, in Attleboro, Massachusetts, United S ...
, and even cartoon characters such as
The Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks and billed for their first two decades as the Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for Novelty records in ...
and
The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
.


Release

''Mary Poppins'' premiered on August 27, 1964, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. The film's poster was painted by artist Paul Wenzel. Travers was not extended an invitation to the event, but managed to obtain one from a Disney executive. It was at the after-party that Richard Sherman recalled her walking up to Disney and loudly announcing that the animated sequence had to go. Disney responded, "Pamela, the ship has sailed" and walked away.


Home media

''Mary Poppins'' was released in late 1980 on VHS, Betamax, CED and LaserDisc. The first version features a VHS cover of Mary Poppins flying with her umbrella. The 2nd release in November 1982 has a cropped image of Mary, Bert, and the Children from the "Stepintime" roof dance fireworks scene, while the 3rd release on November 6, 1985, has a full-length picture on its cover. The 4th and final release, on October 4, 1988, as part of the Walt Disney Home Video collection, features the Penguin dance. On October 28, 1994, August 26, 1997, and March 31, 1998, it was rereleased three times as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. In 1998, the film became Disney's first feature film released on DVD. On July 4, 2000, it was released on VHS and DVD as part of the Gold Classic Collection. On December 14, 2004, it had a 2-disc DVD release in a Digitally Restored 40th Anniversary Edition as well as its final issue in the VHS format. The film's audio track featured an "Enhanced Home Theater Mix" consisting of updated sound effects, improved fidelity and mixing, and some enhanced music (this version was also shown on its 2006–2012
ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...
airings), but the DVD included the original soundtrack as an audio option. On January 27, 2009, the film was rereleased on DVD as a 45th anniversary edition, with more language tracks and special features (though the film's "Enhanced Home Theater Mix" was not included). Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released it on Blu-ray as the ''50th Anniversary Edition'' on December 10, 2013. In February 2024, the British Board of Film Classification reclassified ''Mary Poppins'' from U to a PG due to Admiral Boom's use of the word "hottentot" to refer to the dancing chimney sweeps.


Reception


Box office

''Mary Poppins'' earned $31 million in theatrical rentals in the United States and Canada during its initial run. It was one of the top 12 grossing films in the United States for 32 weeks. It earned rentals of $44 million worldwide in its initial release. The film was re-released theatrically in 1973, in honor of Walt Disney Productions' 50th anniversary, and earned an estimated additional $9 million in rentals in the United States and Canada. It was released once more in 1980 and grossed $14 million. It returned a total lifetime rental of $45 million in the United States and Canada to Disney from a gross of over $102 million. It was the 20th most popular sound film of the 20th century in the United Kingdom with admissions of 14 million. The film was very profitable for Disney. Made on an estimated budget of $4.4–6 million, it was reported by Cobbett Steinberg to be the most profitable film of 1965, earning a net profit of $28.5 million. Walt Disney used his huge profits from the film to purchase land in central Florida and finance the construction of
Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
.


Critical response

The film received universal acclaim from critics. Whitney Williams of '' Variety'' praised its musical sequences and Andrews' and Van Dyke's performances in particular. ''Time'' lauded the film, stating, "The sets are luxuriant, the songs lilting, the scenario witty but impeccably sentimental, and the supporting cast only a pinfeather short of perfection." Bosley Crowther, reviewing for ''The New York Times'', described the film as a "most wonderful, cheering movie … for the visual and aural felicities they have added to this sparkling color film—the enchantments of a beautiful production, some deliciously animated sequences, some exciting and nimble dancing and a spinning musical score—make it the nicest entertainment that has opened at the
Music Hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...
this year." For ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', James Powers applauded the performances, visual effects, musical score, production design, and choreography, and commented: "''Mary Poppins'' is a picture that is, more than most, a triumph of many individual contributions. And its special triumph is that it seems to be the work of a single, cohesive intelligence." Ann Guerin of ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' criticized the creative departures from the novels, particularly the "Jolly Holiday" sequence. She noted that " me of the sequences have real charm, and perhaps the kids will eat them up. But speaking as a grownup, I found a little bit went a long way." She concluded, "With a little more restraint and a little less improvement on the original, the film's many charms would have been that much better." On the review aggregator website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . The website's critics consensus reads, "A lavish modern fairy tale celebrated for its amazing special effects, catchy songs, and Julie Andrews's legendary performance in the title role."
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 88 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Critic Drew Casper summarized the impact of ''Mary Poppins'' in 2011:


Accolades


Legacy

''Mary Poppins'' is widely considered
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
's "crowning achievement". It was the only Disney film to receive a Best Picture nomination in his lifetime. Some of the profits from the film were used to build the Walt Disney World Monorail System; reflecting this is the MAPO (MAry POppins) safety system included on all Disney monorails. Walt Disney World's Railroad steam locomotives are also fitted with a boiler safety device marked ''MAPO''. Never at ease with the handling of her property by Disney or the way she felt she had been treated, Travers never agreed to another Poppins/Disney adaptation. So fervent was her dislike of the Disney adaptation, and of how she felt she had been treated during the production, that when producer Cameron Mackintosh approached her about the
stage musical Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...
in the 1990s, she acquiesced on the conditions that he use only English-born writers and that no one from the film production be directly involved.


American Film Institute

* AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Songs: ** " Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" – #36 * AFI's 100 Years of Musicals – #6


Sequel

On December 19, 2018, Walt Disney Pictures released the film '' Mary Poppins Returns''. The film takes place 25 years after the original, ''Mary Poppins'', and features a standalone narrative based on the remaining seven books in the series. Rob Marshall directed, while John DeLuca and Marc Platt served as producers, with Emily Blunt starring as Poppins, co-starring Broadway actor Lin-Manuel Miranda. Dick Van Dyke returned to portray Mr. Dawes Jr. Karen Dotrice also appeared in a cameo role.


TV airings

The ABC television network currently owns the broadcast rights to the film. It most recently aired on November 28, 2024, which was preceded the previous day by a 20/20 special about the making of the film, "The Untold Story of Mary Poppins", featuring previously unreleased production footage. The documentary includes conversations with Dick Van Dyke, Josh Gad, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Walt Disney’s grandchildren. Julie Andrews also shared her memories of creating the original film.


In popular culture

* Two episodes of '' Gilligan's Island'' reference the film. In the episode "The Hunter,", Ginger says "Are you Mary Ann or Mary Poppins?" In "And Then There Were None," Gilligan dreams he is on trial with Mary Poppins as his lawyer. * In Neil Simon's film version of '' The Odd Couple'' (1968), Oscar Madison ( Walter Matthau) says to his friends, "You get this one stinkin' night a week. I'm cooped up here with Mary Poppins twenty-four hours a day" (referring to Felix Unger ( Jack Lemmon). * The film inspired the eighth season episode of ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' titled " Simpsoncalifragilisticexpiala(Annoyed Grunt)cious", featuring a parody of Mary called "Shary Bobbins" who helps out the Simpson family after Marge loses her hair due to stress, and spoofs of the songs "The Perfect Nanny", "A Spoonful of Sugar", "Feed the Birds" and "The Life I Lead". * In Season 3 Episode 4 of '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'', Buddy Sorrell ( Morey Amsterdam) is brainstorming about ideas for ''The Alan Brady Show'' and says, "how about if Alan comes out as a cockney chimney sweep but he is getting so fat he can't get down the chimney." Since the episode's air date (October 16, 1963) was after ''Mary Poppins'' finished filming (in September 1963) but before the film premiered (in 1964), this was both a wink to those behind the scenes who knew ''Mary Poppins'' was on the way and a nod to the character Dick Van Dyke plays in the movie. * In The Baby-Sitters Club books, Stacey takes a group of children on a shambolic outing to the Embassy Theatre to see ''Mary Poppins.'' * The penguin waiters and a silhouette of Mary Poppins appeared in ''
Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. It is loosely based on the 1981 novel ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' by Gary K. Wol ...
'', although the same penguins also appear by themselves on '' House of Mouse'' and '' Once Upon a Studio''. * In '' The Boss Baby'', the titular character refers to Euguena the babysitter as "Scary Poppins" upon being captured along with his brother, Tim. * In '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'', Peter Quill tells Yondu Udonta that he looks like Mary Poppins, and then, Yondu Udonta yells, "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!"


See also

* List of American films of 1964


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * Mayhall, Laura E Nym.
Domesticating Emmeline: Representing the Suffragette, 1930-1993
" ''NWSA Journal'' 11, no. 2 (1999): 1-24. * * Pearce, Sharyn. " The Business of Myth-Making: ''Mary Poppins'', P.L. Travers and the Disney Effect." ''Queensland Review'' 22, no. 01 (2015): 62–74. * * Stevenson, Ana. " 'Cast Off the Shackles of Yesterday': Women's Suffrage in Walt Disney's ''Mary Poppins''." ''Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies'' 98, no. 2 (2018): 69–103. * Szumsky, Brian E.
'All That Is Solid Melts into the Air': The Winds of Change and Other Analogues of Colonialism in Disney's ''Mary Poppins''
" ''The Lion and the Unicorn'' 24, no. 1 (2000): 97–109. *


External links

* * * * * * {{Authority control Mary Poppins (franchise) 1964 films 1964 children's films 1964 fantasy films 1964 musical comedy films 1960s American films 1960s children's animated films 1960s children's comedy films 1960s children's fantasy films 1960s English-language films 1960s fantasy comedy films 1960s musical fantasy films American children's comedy films American children's fantasy films American children's musical films American fantasy comedy films American films with live action and animation American musical comedy films American musical fantasy films English-language musical fantasy films English-language musical comedy films English-language fantasy comedy films Films about children Films about dysfunctional families Films about magic Films about nannies Films adapted into plays Films based on British novels Films based on children's books Films directed by Robert Stevenson Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award–winning performance Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance Films produced by Bill Walsh (producer) Films produced by Walt Disney Films scored by Irwin Kostal Films set in 1910 Films set in London Films that won the Best Original Score Academy Award Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award Films that won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award Films whose editor won the Best Film Editing Academy Award Films with screenplays by Bill Walsh (producer) Films with screenplays by Don DaGradi United States National Film Registry films Walt Disney Pictures films Works about chimney sweeps