Mary Poppins

This is one of the things that was in that list of things I said I was going to do. And out of all the Disney movies, even the live action ones, this one is the one that is probably the most adored by everyone. I never saw it until this year and my sister was telling me for years to see it. This was made in 1964 and that was around the time Walt Disney was still alive and he even said that this was his favourite film he ever made during his career and it really shows. This is one of the most magical Disney films I've ever seen and that's saying a lot considering Disney itself is magic. As well as being just an unbelievable masterpiece, this film has touched accord with every person on the planet. What's the story? It starts with us seeing a woman named Mary Poppins, played amazingly by Julie Andrews, in the clouds and a man on the ground of London named Bert, played by Dick Van Dyke, talking to the audience. And then we go to the family of the Banks. In this family there's Mr. Banks, played by David Tomlinson, who works at a bank. There's Mrs. Banks, played by Glynis Johns, who's always out fighting for woman's rights. And there's also the children, Michael and Jane who are not very good at doing what they're told because their parents are always out and can't spend time with them. They request a nanny to sing them songs, give them treats and do anything they want. But Mr. Banks hates the idea and wants someone who's stern and strong. So he rips up their letter but little does he know it gets blown up to the clouds where Mary Poppins is waiting. She comes down to be Michael and Jane's nanny. So, yeah, she is the sinning, treat giving nanny they wanted, but she also is very strict and stern as well. There's all sort of weird magical things that go on with her but at the same time, she's very mysterious. She doesn't smile as much as you would think. She's the kind of nanny you would love to have as your nanny. And as the centre of that is Julie Andrews, who makes this movie. Now don't get me wrong, this is still a great film, but if it wasn't for her it wouldn't be half the movie is. This is one of the best performances ever. And of course there's Dick Van Dyke as Bert and while the accent is distracting a little, it's still an amazing performance. Even the physical performances are unbelievable. And by that I mean the dances and the way they're always on the move. And also the singing is some of the best. My favourite being the Step In Time one where it's so fast and the camera is showing how the actors are moving and doing dances that make you want to get up and dance too. And of course, the animation. Oh, my god. This is the best animation mixed with live action film ever. It all blends perfectly. The scene where they go inside the painting and being serves by the penguins, that's probably one of the most famous Disney moments ever. But, there are also funny scenes like when we see Uncle Albert laughing on the ceiling. That scenes cracks me up. But on top of that, the scene where Mary, Bert, Michael and Jane are watching the sunset after blowing the smoke into stairs and walking on the rooftops is some of best things I've seen in any Disney movie. And finally, the most famous scene in the movie is when Mr. Banks is walking to his job knowing he's about to lose it. The atmosphere, the pacing and the music make this scene so good. And that all leads to a very happy ending. I won't spoil it but it's unbelievable with how much of a happy ending it is. There's even a scene where we see an old woman feeding birds and a song is being sung by Mary that's said was Walt Disney's favourite song ever. And can you blame him. It's great to listen to. This film brings me back to being a kid again every time I see. But as a teenager I can appreciate so much about it too like the writing, the characters, the acting, the happy scenes and the songs. It's just so strong. This is one of those kid films that just every family has and for good reasons. Everyone should see this masterpiece. Everyone loves it. It's just a fantastic film. It's written fantastically, it's acted fantastically, it looks fantastic, it sounds fantastic. It's just a movie and I'd say see it, but let's face it. Who hasn't? Just watch it again and enjoy every fantastic moment of it.