What's not to like?


I loved this movie as a kid and still do, it's a classic. 10 stars.

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Plenty not to like.

No villain.

Mary under developed.

Dick Van Dyke overdoing his English accent.

Cartoon world scene went on forever.

Not much Mary during the third act.

Maybe 30 or 40 minutes too long, lots of unnecessary fluff.


Good movie, and cool songs-- but flawless it aint.

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No villain.

Do all movies need a villain? Yes it is usually the best idea to have a villain, but this is not some action flick or mythological epic. The movie shows that people may oppose you or seem cold, but they are still people. The bankers were jerks sure, but they learned to do the right things by the end and were pretty much just doing their job.
Mary under developed.

Maybe because Mary is more of a driving force than anything. The film is arguably more about Jane, Michael, and their father.
Dick Van Dyke overdoing his English accent.

I agree with you here. The accent is pretty bad but the rest of his performance is terrific. He just has so much energy and drive.
Cartoon world scene went on forever.

I disagree. The charm of the cartoon world and the awesome songs keep it going.
Not much Mary during the third act.

That depends how you define the third act. She seemed to show up plenty on the rooftops of London to the end of the movie.
Maybe 30 or 40 minutes too long, lots of unnecessary fluff.

I think almost every bit of the movie is necessary or highly entertaining. Yes it is a long movie, but I never feel bored.

"Topside, this is papa bear. The breezies are in the hold. Cue the balloons."

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The musical is much better. It follows P.L. Travers's books. I'm 100% with her about what she was against. And I could totally live without the cartoon penguins.

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The cartoon country portion was unbearable especially the interminable Dick Van Dyke / penguin dancing followed by the horse racing. I haven’t researched the theory on the internet but it clearly seemed that Disney wanted to tout the capability to combine live action with animation and they overdid it. Otherwise I thought the special effects were really good for 1964. The nanny candidates being blown away in the wind was very well done.

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You sound surprised.
Look at the mess he made with Swiss Family Robinson.

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What's not to like?
- Dick Van Dyke's abominable Cockney accent, still a joke 60 years later
- Andrew's, and the film's overall, saccharine quality
- The manic, high-stepping chimney sweep number.

Were I to force myself to watch it again, I'm sure I could come up with more.

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Having looked.at the book I found the film a lot.more entertaining.

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You can find it, and sequels, here: https://archive.org/details/marypoppinsbyplt00shep/mode/2up

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