Mary Poppins (DVD)

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Video:
As I said, it looks as if Disney went with the same video presentation as on the 40th Anniversary release. The film is presented in 1.66:1 aspect ratio and has the same quality picture with only a slight graininess and bright, bold colors. John complained about "minute halos" around live characters in some of the scenes, but unless you're looking for them they don't really stand out as a major (or even minor) annoyance.

Audio:
It's back to a standard English Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack for this release, after Disney tinkered with an enhanced home theater mix the previous outing. I'd agree with John that the regular Dolby Digital is superior to the enhanced mix, which to my ears sounded muffled on occasion and didn't distribute the sound naturally across the speakers. This 5.1 strikes me as a little cleaner. Additional audio options are French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 and the original 2.0 theatrical mix in English-which, when you play it, you're reminded of how far we've come over the past 50 years of technological advancement.

Extras:
Disc one features the film, a pop-up trivia track, and a commentary track by Andrews, Van Dyke, Dotrice and the Sherman brothers. There's also a "Disney Song Selection" option that allows you to play all or select one of eight songs, with or without lyrics appearing on-screen.

Disc two offers the 50-minute documentary, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: The Making of Mary Poppins" from the 40th Anniversary release. Other carryovers from the 40th Anniversary release are a seven-minute "Movie Magic" special effects featurette, a Dick Van Dyke make-up test, a 23-minute you-are-there reel from the gala world premiere, four still galleries, a live-action/animated short film on "The Cat That Looked at a King" (from Mary Poppins Opens the Door, by P. L. Travers) that's surprisingly engaging, and three musical features: the 17-minute "Magical Music Reunion" (with Andrews, Van Dyke, and Richard Sherman gathered around the piano to share memories and sing), a 20-minute solo reminiscence with Sherman, and the deleted song "Chimpanzoo." There are also two theatrical trailers, three reissue trailers, two original TV spots, and Julie Andrews' premiere greeting.

New to the title is "Mary Poppins: From Page to Stage," a substantial documentary that tells how the Broadway version came to be. Then there's a "Step in Time" performance, with introduction, and that same number available as a downloadable MP3 audio file. Rounding out the stage version features is a Bob Crowley Design Gallery, which allows you to click on costume design, set design, concept art, or set models and then click through brief slideshows of his drawings and models. Ultimate "MP" fans are going to want this version as well, but I can't say that the stage features alone would be enough to tempt me. The documentary feels a little plodding and lacking energy, especially alongside an actual production number. But when you combine most of the 40th Anniversary features with the new stage-related matter, it makes for a substantial package.

Bottom Line:
Everyone associated with this film called it a pinnacle of their career, and that's understandable. "Mary Poppins" remains a wonderful example of a big Hollywood musical that's for the whole family--a wonderful, magical journey, still.