This week, my husband and I will be seeing Saving Mr. Banks at the Disney Studio. I feel like I have been waiting to see it forever! As we gear up for the screening, I thought I would share the four things we’ve done to prepare for this film!
1. Clearly, the most important thing you can do before the movie comes out is to watch Mary Poppins on DVD. Released on December 10, the 50th Anniversary Edition has been restored and it looks…amazing. And now that it can be viewed on Blu-ray and high def televisions, it’s a completely new experience and you will be amazed by all of the details. If Mary Poppins is not part of your DVD library, it really should be. It is such an amazing getaway and the perfect movie to bring a smile to your face on a rainy day. The DVD is available in stores now and can also be purchased on Amazon.
In advance of the release, my son Aidan, friend Elizabeth
and I saw the restored version of the film at the AFI Film Festival’s red-carpet screening at the TCL (Grauman’s) Chinese Theater in Hollywood. The film was attended by a who’s who of Mary Poppins, including Richard Sherman, Dick Van Dyke and Karen Dotrice who played Jane Banks. It was such a thrill to watch the movie where it premiered 50 years ago! We even got a photo with Richard Sherman!
2. Catch up with all things Mary Poppins and Saving Mr. Banks on the Disney D23 website. All D23 members, including those with the free membership, can experience a unique video reconstruction of the Mary Poppins world premiere that containing five minutes of never-before-released material. Other features include:- An interactive map of the Walt Disney Studios with photo locations from Saving Mr. Banks.
- Extensive Mary Poppins galleries, including a look at the film’s breathtaking matte paintings.
- Rarely heard audio files from the making of Mary Poppins.
- An in-depth Mary Poppins production timeline.
- A look at the sodium screen/traveling matte process, which gave the film its unique visual look.
- An exclusive interview with Mary Poppins visual consultant Tony Walton .
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| Image courtesy of D23. |
Of course, in true fan fashion, we’ve taken it a step further by reading the Winter issue of Disney twenty-three magazine. This incredible issue offers a look inside the fascinating life of P.L. Travers, as well as insight on the movie from the likes of film composer Richard M. Sherman, visual consultant Tony Walton, and choreographers Marc Beaux and Dee Dee Wood. The magazine also includes a irst-person account of the creation of the stage musical Mary Poppinsfrom Disney Theatrical Productions president Thomas Schumacher, a look at Mary Poppins merchandise over the years, an in-depth look at the film’s groundbreaking special effects and a walk down the red carpet for the Mary Poppins premiere.
3. Watch these incredible “featurette” interviews about Mary Poppins and Saving Mr. Banks.
4. And finally, if you want to be totally “in the know” about all things Mary Poppins, you simply must watch this video of Richard Sherman playing Walt Disney’s piano at the Disney Archives. This song was composed for Mary Poppins but didn’t make the film. I’m not going to lie, this was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
Saving Mr. Banks is in limited release now and opens nationwide next Friday! Who’s ready to Go Fly a Kite? I know I am!
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Love this one… can’t wait to see this film with my 8 year old 🙂
So I saw the film and was totally surprised. I didn’t know what exactly to expect but it was so UNLIKE what I had expected. I cried a LOT and actually, I feel like the best thing I could have done before seeing this film was read the book Mary Poppins and research P.L.Travers’ life.
Anyway, it was a fabulous movie. 🙂 I hope it goes on to win some awards!