Released from the Disney Vault in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, this beloved classic shines on DVD with an all-new restoration. Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”) and Best Visual Effects, Mary Poppins is a movie experience your family will enjoy over and over again.
“Practically Perfect In Every Way” Mary Poppins flies out of the windy London skies and into the home of two mischievous children. With the help of a carefree chimney sweep named Bert (Dick Van Dyke), the spirited nanny turns every chore into a game and every day into a “Jolly Holiday.” Share the music, share the magic, share the joy of Mary Poppins with a whole new generation on Disney DVD.
$ 16.98
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169 of 173 people found the following review helpful
 ‘Mary Poppins’ Blu Ray not perfect, but VERY close!, By
This review is from: Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) (Blu-ray)
‘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….. The problem areas of this transfer all revolve around the special effects of the time which were mostly achieved optically, by printing multiple layers of negative onto a composite piece of film. By the time all the elements are inserted and printed, you might be looking at 4 or 5 generations and you have lost clarity with each one. I was frankly shocked by how well Disney has handled this title. I was not expecting things to turn out as well as they did. However……… You can pretty much guess each time the film will dissolve (fade) into another scene as you are then at at least 2 layers and things will be noticeably “blurrier”. Also, during much of the animation scenes with the human actors, you will notice the rotoscoping around the live actors and at times it is sloppy looking. This is NOT from the current Blu Ray transfer, but from the original effects process. Honestly, the film has been polished and cleaned up to the point where it only really slips badly visually a few times. For me, the worst looking segment was during the room cleaning sequence. Not ALL of it, just parts. If you have a critical eye, you will notice the weak spots immediately but soon realize they are perfectly acceptable within the framework of the full movie. MOST of it is great so there is enough wiggle room for those rather weaker looking moments. No overuse of edge enhancement/sharpening or DNR can be seen. Technically this is a top notch transfer. Decent bit rate and no visible encoding artifacts that I could spot. Hats off to the team that accomplished this! Still, I am truly only mentioning all this for those who buy the disc and then are bitterly disappointed that ‘Mary Poppins” doesn’t look “Perfect” on Blu Ray. The simple reason is IT CAN’T look perfect since it never WAS perfect. But Marty G is saying right now that this is the VERY BEST he has ever seen ‘Mary Poppins” look on home video. ON a scale of 1 to 5, I would say the Video quality ‘Mary Poppins” is an average of 3.3/4 and at time hits 4.5 while at other times sinks down to perhaps 3.0. The visuals aren’t all that consistent at times, but only someone who is really looking for it will notice it much. OK, so the picture is pretty darn good, how about the sound? The audio on ‘Mary Poppins” is where this disc REALLY shines. The musical numbers especially just come to life in DTS HD-Master Audio 7.1 Surround. I was disappointed that the original Stereo mix is only presented in Dolby Digital but the re-purposed surround mix is quite good and I went with it. Decent surround activity and even some sub involvement, this is a lively mix that belies the age of the source elements. Nice job! The original production sound lacks a bit in the dialogue department. Oh , you can hear everything, but it at times has a weak and canned sound to it. The techniques and limitations of the day are to blame I am sure. The music itself is wonderfully reproduced as are all the vocals. Foley and Ambient effects are nicely mixed to take advantage of the surround format and I found myself quite satisfied…
270 of 296 people found the following review helpful
Now available in a 2-disc DVD edition!, By
This review is from: Mary Poppins (40th Anniversary Edition) (DVD)
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! 0
99 of 107 people found the following review helpful
Great for 1st Time Buyers; extras emphasize Broadway Musical, By
Dave “Davelandweb” (San Diego, CA) – See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mary Poppins (Two-Disc 45th Anniversary Special Edition) (DVD)
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. For those that have Mary Poppins (40th Anniversary Edition), here’s what’s missing on this edition: * Deconstruction of a Scene: Jolly Holiday & Step in Time sequences are examined thoroughly. * “I Love to Laugh” Game (not a big deal for me!) Here are the extras that ARE included: Backstage Disney * Disney on Broadway (All New to DVD) – “Mary Poppins from Page to Stage”: The story of Mary Poppins from book to Broadway as the creative team and cast prepare to take the long running show on tour. A very well-done documentary on the stage production of “Mary Poppins,” detailing almost every aspect of the production that began in London. Especially interesting is how P.L. Travers did not want any “Americans” involved in the stage production, as she was truly not happy with what Disney did with her books. This feature takes you all over the globe: interviews with the 2 leads are held in NYC at Sardi’s restaurant; an interview with one of the Sherman Brothers is filmed in Beverly Hills; interviews with the stage productions composers George Stiles & Anthony Drewe are held in England (they did a fantastic job of blending their compositions seamlessly with the Sherman Brothers’ songs from the film). You’ll also hear from Bob Crowley, the scenic and costume designer, detailing how he came up with the sets (inspired by the book’s illustrations) and changes he made for the touring production. All in all, a very fascinating extra! – “Step in Time”: The Broadway cast of Mary Poppins performs the number “Step in Time” from the show. This is a nice glimpse into the stage production. Although it doesn’t quite have the pizzazz of the filmed number (what a tough act to follow), the choreography, sets, and costumes work together to create a fantastic production. Especially effective is the use of costumes and make-up to create the illusion of the chimney sweeps are in black and white, making Mary Poppins in her red dress stand out even more. – Step in Time – Downloadable MP3 featuring the Broadway cast of Mary Poppins singing “Step in Time,” featuring Ashley Brown as Mary Poppins and Gavin Lee as Bert. – Video Intro By Scenic & Costume Designer, Bob Crowley – Bob Crowley’s Design Galleries: Concept art, costume designs, set designs and set models for the Broadway musical * Audio Commentary: with stars Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice and songwriter Richard Sherman. There are a few archival comments included from Walt Disney and others. Fantastic track that really adds to the enjoyment of the film. Especially interesting is the “Feed the Birds” number, where Sherman talks about Mary Poppins instilling social responsibility into the children by planting the idea of feeding the birds with tuppence, thus setting off the important string of events at the end of the film. It is refreshing to hear that so many years later, both Andrews & Van Dyke (as well as Dotrice) still have a fondness for this film and the experience of making it. * Poppins Pop-Up Fun Facts: View fun-filled… |
