Emily Blunt Explains Why She Loves Playing Mary Poppins
Are you ready for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious trip down memory lane?
Because even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, Mary Poppins is marking its 60th anniversary Aug. 27. (Though, sorry, if you say it loud enough, you’re unlikely to sound precocious.)
Produced by Walt Disney and directed by Robert Stevenson, the 1964 movie—starring legends Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews—follows the story of a magical nanny who brings music and adventure to two neglected children in London. And, 60-year-old spoiler alert: Her efforts end up bringing them closer to their father.
Disney’s movie, based on the books by P.L Travers’ and adapted for the big screen by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, naturally received high praise from viewers and critics alike, going on to nab five Oscars including Best Actress, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song.
And, in 2018, everyone’s favorite nanny returned with an equally spellbinding sequel starring Emily Blunt.
Though, as much as fans received her performance in the most delightful way, the Oscar nominee, has admitted her daughters Hazel, 10, and Violet, 8, seem to prefer the OG version.
“They’ve seen mine once and that seemed to be enough for them,” Blunt confessed to The Guardian in 2020. “Whereas Julie Andrews has been watched on a loop.”
But how well do you know one of your favorite feel good flicks? We’re serving up—with a spoonful of sugar, of course!—10 sweet facts.
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The Happiest Cast on Earth
Walt Disney spoiled the cast with perks like free admission to the Disneyland theme parks.
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A Kid at Heart
Dick Van Dyke—a.k.a Bert, the chimney sweep—was the biggest kid on the set. According to co-star Karen Dotrice, who played Jane Banks, “He’s just very, very silly. He’d stick things up his nose and do whatever it took to get us to laugh.”
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And the Awards Go To
Mary Poppins earned five of the 13 Academy Awards it was nominated for in 1965. Julie Andrews also won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role—Musical or Comedy. The Sherman Brothers were recognized with Grammys for Best Recording for Children and Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television.
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A Spoonful of Sugar
In an effort to woo Andrews for the role, songwriting duo Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman—known as the Sherman Brothers—were tasked with writing her a song that she would love.
Though they initially struggled, Robert’s kids provided him with some great inspiration following their pain-free polio vaccinations. The polio medicine was placed on a sugar cube for the kids to eat like candy.
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Fighting for the Rights
Author P.L. Travers was strongly opposed to selling the movie rights to her Mary Poppins books, but gave in to Disney after 20 years, primarily for financial reasons.
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Favorite Things
“Feed the Birds” was Walt Disney’s all-time favorite song. He would even request that Richard perform it for him from time to time.
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Not a Fan
It appears Travers wasn’t a fan of the animated sequence when first seeing the script. “I cried when I saw it,” she reportedly admitted. “I said, ‘Oh, God, what have they done?'”
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Double Duty
David Tomlinson not only portrayed Mr. Banks, but he also provided the voice of the talking parrot from Mary Poppins’ umbrella.
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Music to Our Ears
The Sherman Brothers wrote and composed more than 30 songs for the Mary Poppins film. Only 17 songs made the final cut.
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The Birth of Disney Imagineering
Because of how successful the Mary Poppins film was, Disney was able to expand W.E.D. Enterprises, a sector which focuses on animatronics. W.E.D. Enterprises is now known as Walt Disney Imagineering.
This story was originally published on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018 at 4 a.m. PT.
