Rooney Disney's Mary Poppins Response

As soon as the opening scene of Mary Poppins came on my computer screen, I felt like I was transported back to the couch with my dad, as I mentioned in my last blog post. I have many little cousins ranging from the ages of not yet born to 12, so I have watched many movies again as a teenager or ‘adult’. When I watch movies that are particularly nostalgic, like Mary Poppins, the Lion King, the Sound of Music, etc., it is always kind of a mix between a little weird but also heartwarming. I love music and showtunes, so the overture and key Mary Poppins songs especially tugged at my heartstrings.

Specifically, “Feed the Birds” stood out to me because when I was little I hated that scene, mostly because the color scheme of the scene was depressing- greys, blacks, and browns. But today, it was a much more emotional experience and I understood the message for the first time. It had never occurred to me that Mary Poppins was appealing to the children to notice and care for all people in all walks of life- even the small, old woman with the words that are “simple and few” calling to the people to feed the little birds. It is even more significant to me that the little birds are pigeons, the typically gross city birds that are looked down on. I interpreted Mary Poppins’ lesson as taking care to respect, care, or even just notice the small members of society. As Mr. Banks is a banker, one who ‘can’t see beyond the end of his nose’, and who has a high and mighty, superior, self-centered attitude, Mary Poppins is pleading to the children to, if they are going to follow in the footsteps of their father, have a wider and more compassionate perspective.

I found Mrs. Banks to be a little saddening, mostly because of the irony of her intense passion for the Votes for Women movement- except when Mr. Banks was around. She takes a back seat to all decisions and action, even when the role is a traditional female one. Mary Poppins or Mr. Banks himself take the forefront in those scenarios.

I have always loved Bert, his silliness, undying love for Mary Poppins, and genuine kindness. I still don’t understand why he loves Mary Poppins so much, and am not sure whether his love is romantic or platonic. There certainly is not a romantic side to Mary Poppins, but I have always wondered if he loved her. His accent is awful.

Mary Poppins is very different from P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins, but definitely retains certain aspects of her predecessor. She is ‘firm, but never cruel’, still a little vain (‘practically perfect in every way’), and she ‘never explains anything’. It is definitely notable that P.L. Travers hates the film version of the nanny, mainly critiquing that she is too kind. P.L. Travers also despises the animated versions, particularly when Bert dances with the penguins. Personally, I always loved that scene- it felt incredibly magical and fantastic.