Mary Poppins (1964)
- Robert Stevenson originally wanted a completely different ending for the film, but test audiences preferred the one we see today.
- Before Julie Andrews was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The original script for Mary Poppins was written over a decade before production finally began in 1964.
Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy directed by Robert Stevenson, produced by Walt Disney, and based on P.L. Travers's book series. Julie Andrews, in her film debut, stars as the "practically perfect" magical nanny who arrives via umbrella at the Banks family home in Edwardian London to care for the children Jane and Michael while teaching their emotionally distant father, played by David Tomlinson, the importance of family over career.
Dick Van Dyke co-stars as Bert, a cheerful jack-of-all-trades and Mary's possible romantic interest. Mary Poppins was a landmark in live-action/animation combination, with sequences like the "Jolly Holiday" sequence blending real actors with animated characters decades before Who Framed Roger Rabbit refined the technique. Julie Andrews won the Academy Award for Best Actress in her debut โ a win widely interpreted as consolation for being passed over for the film version of My Fair Lady.
The Sherman Brothers' songs โ including "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "A Spoonful of Sugar," and "Feed the Birds" โ became Disney standards. Mary Poppins earned $102 million in its initial release and was nominated for 13 Academy Awards, winning five.
