Mary Poppins (2000, VHS)

For as long as I can remember, this has been one of my very favorite movies. One of Disney's finest films ever, it employs the technique used in Bedknobs and Broomsticks, the unfortunate Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and other live actions films of introducing animated characters to interact with the live ones. This magic occurs when Mary Poppins, Bert, and the Banks children, Jane and Michael, jump through one of Bert's sidewalk drawings and land in an animated world with a lush green park and a horse race.

But now I'm jumping the gun. The movie starts with Bert, a cockney chap of many talents played by Dick van Dyke, giving a one-man band performance to a small audience. He feels the wind change and something tells him that his old friend Mary Poppins is about to visit. It is he who leads us to the Banks residence on Cherry Tree Lane, where yet another nanny is quitting. That evening, George Banks (Harry Tomlinson), the businesslike bank executive, sits down with his wife to put in an ad for the perfect nanny. The children, meanwhile, put together an advertisement of their own. Interview day dawns with dozens of nannies lined up outside the door, but a huge gust of wind blows each one away. When the door is opened, there stands only Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews), who arrived from the sky via magical umbrella in response to the children's advertisement.

The befuddled Mr. Banks is nonetheless impressed with Mary Poppins, and she leaves him little choice but to hire her. Thus begins the adventure of a lifetime for the Banks children. Mary Poppins is as unconventional as can be. Her first task as nanny is to help to children clean up the nursery, which she accomplishes with A Spoonful of Sugar. Then there is the excursion into Bert's chalk drawing. Bert and Mary enjoy a romantic stroll and stop to dine at a restaurant at which all of the waiters are penguins. Next the four go on a carousel ride and proceed to ride the carousel horses in a race, which Mary wins while Bert is rescuing a fox from a pack of hounds. Then there is the unforgettable tea party on the ceiling at Uncle Albert's.

Of course, none of this sits well with the sophisticated Mr. Banks. Such nonsense is not at all necessary to his children's development, so Mary suggests that he take his children on an outing to the bank. All starts out well, but the well-intentioned trip culminates in a run on the bank when Michael refuses to invest his tuppence, wanting instead to use it to feed the birds. The children run from the chaotic bank, straight into the arms of a filthy Bert, who is now a chimney sweep. One more magical adventure, this time on the rooftops of London, is a fitting end to what started as a very disappointing day. But Mr. Banks is inconsolable as he faces firing for his children's behavior. It takes a heart-to-heart from Bert to help him realize that perhaps he has been neglecting his children, and they are more important than any job could ever be.

The movie ends on a mostly happy note, the goal of reuniting the estranged father with his lonesome children having been accomplished. Similarly to Pete's Dragon, Mary leaves the children in good hands to set off to help some other children, but we are left with the impression that she may indeed return one day as Bert, now a kite distributor, suggests.

Some of the most memorable songs in Disney history are included here. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, "the biggest word you ever heard," ends Mary Poppin's horseracing experience. Chim-chim-cheroo accompanies Bert's chimney sweeping escapades. I Love to Laugh is Albert's delightful tune. Spoonful of Sugar helps the children realize that even tidying up the nursery can be fun. Each song in the movie is fabulous. My personal favorite is Feed the Birds, the gentle lullabye Mary Poppins sings about the bird woman who sits on the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral.

While Disney usually tends to put more effort into its animated films than its live action movies, Mary Poppins stands tall among the best that Disney has to offer. Perhaps their best movie ever, animated or not, children of all ages will delight in this spectacular tale of the joys of childhood and the importance of a father's relationship with his children.