Mary Poppins

In celebration of the film's upcoming 50th anniversary and also to help promote the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks, Disney will release Mary Poppins for the first-time ever on Blu-Ray tomorrow. Widely regarded as perhaps the greatest film Walt Disney was ever involved with, Mary Poppins brought the imaginations alive of viewers both young and old with a delightfully cartoonish world and music by the legendary Sherman Brothers. Although the film has been released previously on DVD, the superior quality of the transfer along with a collection of special features make this the definitive version of Mary Poppins to have in your collection.

Taking place in 1910, Mary Poppins revolves around the Banks family of London. Husband George (David Tomlinson, Bedknobs & Broomsticks) and wife Winifred (Glynis Johns, While You Were Sleeping) are having a difficult time finding a suitable nanny for their children. Shortly after placing an ad in the paper, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews, The Sound of Music) shows up at the Banks' residence and brightens the lives of pretty much everyone she meets. Along with her close friend Bert (Dick Van Dyke, The Dick Van Dyke Show), Poppins aims to bring happiness into the family life of the curmudgeonly Mr. Banks.

Little can be said about Mary Poppins that hasn't been said already. The film is arguably one of the greatest Disney pictures of all-time featuring once in a lifetime performances by Andrews and Van Dyke. The soundtrack has almost impacted culture as much as the film itself with songs like "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidicious," and "Chim Chim Cher-ee." The special features are rather loaded on this release even though they mostly consist of bonuses from previous DVD releases of the films including a 48 minute video on adapting the novel to Broadway and a 50 minute making-of from the 40th anniversary release. New to this release is a Mary-oke sing-along section and "Becoming Mr. Sherman" where actor Jason Schwartzman sits down with Richard Sherman to talk about the pivotal soundtrack. Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Edition is an absolute must own for any Disney fan and something that your family will enjoy for years to come. Highly recommended.