Review: 'Mary Poppins' 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-Ray

Mitchell Stein- Disney fan confession: I have never seen the full Mary Poppins film until this past Tuesday (shocking, huh?). 

In preparation for Saving Mr. Banks, I decided to make sure I got to see Mary Poppins before the screening. Let me say I’m glad I did. 

Since I knew all the iconic songs to the film, it was great seeing it come to life in the colorful restoration of the film on Blu-Ray, and comparing it to the included DVD, the picture quality on the Blu-Ray looks fresh and crisp. A great way to experience the film.

The film, starring Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews, brings lots of fun gags and great music to the film making it a warm, charming and wonderful picture.

As charming as the movie might be, it’s lacking one essential element: story. The movie seems to be missing any kind of continuous story and just leaves the story to be of Mary Poppins doing incredible things. That’s not saying the film isn’t enjoyable, but it did feel slow without any plot to 

follow. 

Many of the scenes tend to drag on as well, especially in the opening scenes featuring Mr. and Mrs. Banks before Mary Poppins finally arrives. Although many of the film’s original fans might think it’s flawless, but looking at it today, it tends to drag out and brings the film’s length to a hefty two full hours.

What is described as Walt Disney’s crowning achievement definitely earns its title. Some of the visuals and special effects used in this film are incredible for its day and still baffle me today and making me think, “How did they do that?” It also showcases an incredible live action/animation interaction scene; a feature that would become more advanced nearly thirty years later in ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’

The bonus features add a lot to the fun, especially “Becoming Mr. Sherman”, a new feature showcasing Jason Schwartzman and Richard Sherman about getting into the role of Richard Sherman in Saving Mr. Banks. Also included was Mary-Oke Sing A Longs, a Deleted Scene, and The Making of Mary Poppins. Special song collections and Mary Poppins pop up facts, as well as an Audio Commentary were included on the DVD.

Overall, this release is a great celebration of the Academy Award winning film and a great new way for old fans to re-watch the forever classic movie, and if you also (shockingly) haven’t seen the movie yet either, make sure to pick up a copy in time for Saving Mr. Banks, which hits theaters December 20^th.

Oh yeah, one more thing: Supercalifragilisticexialdocious!