Mary Poppins (45th Anniversary Edition) (Widescreen)

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One of the all-time favorite Disney blockbusters, Robert Stevenson's 13-Oscar-nominated 1964 fantasy mixing live-action and animation remains a whole generation's favorite children's film. Based on the novels by P. L. Travers, the story begins with the search for a nanny to watch over the Banks' children--Michael and Jane. When the children's own wishful ad is discovered and ripped up by the elderly Banks (David Tomlinson), a breeze sweeps up the pieces, puts them back together, and lo and behold, Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews in an Oscar-winning performance) flies in--sans airplane--the next day to apply for the job. It's the first of many wondrous scenes as the prune-faced prospective nannies are all blown down the street. Mary Poppins is, of course, every child's dream nanny: she makes the room tidy itself up (with a wonderful song, to boot), takes the children to see a sidewalk painter's (Dick Van Dyke) creations spring to life, and introduces them to the hysterical Uncle Albert (Ed Wynn), who floats to the ceiling whenever he has a laugh attack. Before saying goodbye, Mary Poppins imparts to the parents a lesson that remains valuable today: wealth is no substitute for love and attention. In addition to featuring the longest one-word song on record, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," the film also contains the haunting "Feed the Birds," the gay "Chim-Chim-Cheree" (an Oscar winner for Best Song), and the lively "A Spoonful of Sugar." Making its second appearance on DVD in a 40th anniversary edition, Mary Poppins looks and sounds supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, and boasts a number of extras, including audio commentary by Andrews and Van Dyke; the all-new animated short "The Cat That Looked at a King" (based on a story by Travers); a reunion with Andrews, Van Dyke, and co-composer Richard Sherman; a new rendition of the never-before-heard deleted song "Chimpanzoo"; a new definitive "making of" with never-before-released footage and new interviews; the new set-top game "I Love to Laugh"; a karaoke option for the classic songs; and much more. Highly recommended.

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