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Mary Poppins
Apr. 2nd, 2020 08:46 pmMary Poppins is not technically on my list of Disney animated films, buuuut there are definitely animated sections, and it is also one of the best films ever made, and certainly one of the most cheering in dark times, so Julie and I rewatched it anyway.
I started listing favorite parts of the movie - Mary Poppins unpacking her bag; Mary Poppins and the children cleaning up the nursery (Michael yelling “Let me out! Let me out!” when his wagon rolls him into the closet, CLASSIC); the color-changing tonic, all shot in one take, so you know it’s not just that they’ve switched out the jar; the chimney sweeps; “Feed the birds, tuppence a bag” - but, uh, basically I ended up listing every single scene in the movie.
(Actually, one of the things that struck me about the movie this time is that it is, in fact, a series of set-pieces. There’s an overarching story, but really it exists mostly as a framework on which to hang magical adventures.)
However, my VERY favorite bit has always been the part where they jump into the chalk drawing, which has always struck me as practically perfect in every way. I love the styling of the sequence: the fact that the backgrounds really look like a chalk drawing, all the way through. The penguins, the moment when Bert does the penguin dance (as a kid I tried to pull my pants into the correct position for the penguin dance; I realized only on this viewing that, duh, Dick van Dyke has specially designed penguin pants for that sequence), Mary Poppins’ lovely swirly dress (so many layers of petticoats!!), the carousel horses that fly free from their carousel and go racing across the countryside…
But at the same time they remain true to their nature as carousel horses, so they move in the carousel manner, long arcs across the grass, and their carousel poles dig into the ground as they go. True bliss.
I have always yearned to write a “jumping into a painting” story that makes me feel the way that this jumping into a chalk drawing sequence does, but I’ve never even gotten close. Maybe it only works in a visual medium? Or maybe I’ve been too concerned with the rules of how the magic works, when really… well, what are the rules of Mary Poppins? The only rule we ever get is “I’ll leave when the wind changes,” which exists mostly to ensure that the story eventually ends; but otherwise, who knows and who cares?
I started listing favorite parts of the movie - Mary Poppins unpacking her bag; Mary Poppins and the children cleaning up the nursery (Michael yelling “Let me out! Let me out!” when his wagon rolls him into the closet, CLASSIC); the color-changing tonic, all shot in one take, so you know it’s not just that they’ve switched out the jar; the chimney sweeps; “Feed the birds, tuppence a bag” - but, uh, basically I ended up listing every single scene in the movie.
(Actually, one of the things that struck me about the movie this time is that it is, in fact, a series of set-pieces. There’s an overarching story, but really it exists mostly as a framework on which to hang magical adventures.)
However, my VERY favorite bit has always been the part where they jump into the chalk drawing, which has always struck me as practically perfect in every way. I love the styling of the sequence: the fact that the backgrounds really look like a chalk drawing, all the way through. The penguins, the moment when Bert does the penguin dance (as a kid I tried to pull my pants into the correct position for the penguin dance; I realized only on this viewing that, duh, Dick van Dyke has specially designed penguin pants for that sequence), Mary Poppins’ lovely swirly dress (so many layers of petticoats!!), the carousel horses that fly free from their carousel and go racing across the countryside…
But at the same time they remain true to their nature as carousel horses, so they move in the carousel manner, long arcs across the grass, and their carousel poles dig into the ground as they go. True bliss.
I have always yearned to write a “jumping into a painting” story that makes me feel the way that this jumping into a chalk drawing sequence does, but I’ve never even gotten close. Maybe it only works in a visual medium? Or maybe I’ve been too concerned with the rules of how the magic works, when really… well, what are the rules of Mary Poppins? The only rule we ever get is “I’ll leave when the wind changes,” which exists mostly to ensure that the story eventually ends; but otherwise, who knows and who cares?
