Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins is a 1964 musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, produced by Walt Disney, and based on the Mary Poppins books series by P. L. Travers with illustrations by Mary Shepard. The film was directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with songs by the Sherman Brothers. It was shot at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California.

The wonderful story of a family in need of some magic. A very proper British family needs to hire a new nanny and the mysterious Poppins floats to their aid. Mary, with the help of her chimney sweeping friend Bert (played joyfully by Dick Van Dyck), takes the two children on a magical journey through chalk paintings, Merry-Go-Round Horse races, and to the roofs of London. Mary Poppins ends up teaching the entire family lessons on money, love and the importance of family, before she heads on her way. The whole movie is filled with wonderful song and dance numbers impossible not to hum afterwards. The world inside the chalk paintings is one of the reasons movies are made. The technique of combining live action and animation was nothing new, in fact some of Disney's first films used this process (A series called "Alice in Wonderland"). But the Disney Studio created a magical realm with lovable creatures and vivid colors beyond what we've seen before. The dance with Bert and a group of penguins makes me smile every time. Julie Andrews took the role of Mary Poppins after the role of Eliza Doolittle, from "My Fair Lady" (a role she created on Broadway) went to Audrey Hepburn.

Julie Andrews won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as Mary Poppins and the film also won Oscars for Best Film Editing, Original Music Score, Best Song for "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and Best Visual Effects, and received a total of 13 nominations.