Everyone knows the one word big enough to describe Mary Poppins. It’s supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! From the moment she arrives, the Banks household, which once worked like a Swiss watch, is turned on its head. The lovable nanny brings a magical world to her children, where they can jump into a chalk drawing and have a tea party on the ceiling. Her greatest challenge though, is to change the view of stubborn Mr. Banks, who needs to loosen up and learn to just go fly a kite with his children.
Though most people believe Mary Poppins is a movie for children, I believe it has a lot of merit that grownups may not have realized as a child. Between the ages of four and nine (where I believe most viewers lie), you just want to sing along, watch Mary slide up the banister and get a snack when the adults are singing. There’s a lot to miss during snack time.
The story isn’t all about the fantastic world Mary shows the children, but about the importance of childhood and how a parent should not take that time for granted. It seems that Jane and Michael’s parents are too busy to take care of them. Mr. Banks is an important man at the bank and Mrs. Banks is out rallying in the streets for women’s votes. So they bring in a nanny to mold their young breed. The thing is Poppins has a few tricks up her sleeve, not only to get her the job, but to teach Mr. Banks a thing or two.
Mary Poppins was nominated for a heaping thirteen Oscars and won five of them. One of them, was lead actress Julie Andrews. Her portrayal of Poppins is practically perfect in everyway. But the most important Oscar is their Visual Effects award. From robot Robins, toys that put themselves away and live actors in a cartoon, Mary Poppins was a ground breaking film in the ways of visual effects. Never before, and never since, has a Disney film taken home so many Academy Awards.
I have some very emotionally charged views of Disney. One of them being that Mary Poppins is the greatest film ever produced under the name Walt Disney. Now, I was a child of the ‘90’s and grew up with all those animated things, but I’m not afraid to say that I detested Beauty and the Beast at the age of seven and don’t get me started on The Little Mermaid. I still have nightmares.
Mary Poppins is the ultimate family movie. Gather everyone around to watch it and you’ll have no regrets.
“Never judge things by their appearance… even carpetbags. I’m sure I never do.”
Great interpretation. I never thought of it like that. There are certainly a lot of lessons in that movie.
Couldn’t agree more! Great film, and I still appreciate the special effects!
Great review for a wonderful film. I really liked your line about the Bank’s household being like a Swiss watch; very apt.