2. Nannies go flying. Like witches, except not. I always thought this scene was hilarious, because they just all go flying up in the air. Some of them are even grasping at the fence posts, trying to stay on the ground. And then the maid opens the door to tell them all to go home, and the street is just completely empty.
3. Mary Poppins blows in on the wind. I can't tell you how badly I want to be able to fly on the wind with an umbrella. Every time there's a big wind storm at Cherry Crest, I'm tempted to jump off the bridge with one of the big Pepsi umbrellas, because I'm pretty sure I'll go flying through the air like a proper British nanny. So if you ever see someone doing that, it's probably me.
4. That infamous tea party scene. I've always been fascinated by it. As a kid, I KNEW it was movie magic, but I could never figure out exactly how they did it. I think that was part of the charm, that I couldn't quite put my finger on it. I won't spoil anything for anyone, but I did some research, so if you're curious, here's a great video that explains some of the magic.
5. "I Love to Laugh." While I'm on that scene.... I just can't deal. Bert does all those different laughs, and they're so accurate, it's hysterical! Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke are both amazing on their own terms, but the two of them together are almost too much brilliance to handle. Their back-and-forth banter is wonderful.
6. 13 Oscar nominations, 5 wins at the 37th Annual Academy Awards. Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Original Song ("Chim Chim Cher-ee"), Best Substantially Original Score, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects. That's the most of any Disney movie, ever. Boom, y'all.
7. Nursery clean-up was never so much fun. Even though I can't actually clean up a room by magic, I just pretend that I can. It makes it go much faster.
8. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Does anything else need to be said about this awesome word and accompanying song? Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious, if you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious. It even sounds awesome backwards (around 1:52).
9. Dick Van Dyke. Not only does he lead the way as the delightful chimney sweep and jack-of-all-trades, Bert, but he also stars as the elderly bank owner, Mr. Dawes, Sr. He is so utterly convincing that I genuinely forget that he's the one who plays the old man, every single time. Also, his tap dancing is superb. I mean, I don't know that much about dancing, but it looks pretty awesome to me.
10. The chalk drawings. When they melt, it's sad and beautiful and haunting, all at the same time.
11. The family dynamics and lessons learned. It may be cliche, but the story as a whole is quite touching, with the change that George Banks goes through. At the beginning, he's a strict and regimented workaholic father, who doesn't pay any mind to his children. By the end, Mary Poppins has taught him that "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" is the word to say when you don't know what to say and that a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, and he goes off to fly a kite with his kids and his wife. I love a happy ending. *tears*
And a bonus reason:
I'm sitting here watching the movie, and listening to Julie Andrews "Stay awake" is having the same effect on me as it is having on Jane and Michael.... I'm falling asleep just lying here.
One of the timeless movie classics from the end of the Golden Age of movie musicals, Mary Poppins is worth watching at any time, by anyone. And for those of you who now have a strong desire to watch the movie right away, you can stream it here. You're welcome.
