Julie Andrews got her Hollywood break back in 1964 headlining Walt Disney's Mary Poppins based on the children's novel by PL Travers. 40 years later this enchanting tale of a nanny with magic at her perfectly manicured fingertips continues to delight young and old with its "formidable charm". Even Dick Van Dyke's dodgy cockney accent has become a beloved part of this classic fairytale, which has been scrubbed up like new for a special edition DVD release.

There's Something About Mary...

Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice (Jane) and songwriter Richard Sherman are among those who contribute to a fascinating 50-minute documentary on The Making Of Mary Poppins. It follows Walt Disney's 20-year campaign to convince the uppity Ms PL Travers to sell the rights to her book and goes behind the scenes of major set-pieces like the carousel horse race. Van Dyke even gets a chance to address the matter of that accent, saying, "I notice that, in the film, sometimes I get it and other times it isn't there at all." If you can spot the scenes where he "gets it" drop us a line...

Other funny anecdotes include Julie Andrews' Golden Globe acceptance speech when she thanks Jack Warner for not casting her in My Fair Lady. It was especially cheeky as she beat her replacement, Audrey Hepburn, to get the gong.

Andrews also sets the scene for a cosy feature commentary, chatting over "tea and scones", with Van Dyke, Dotrice and Sherman. In particular she has very vivid memories of working with child actor Matthew Garber (Michael) who sadly died at 21-years-old. Apparently, when he tired of doing repeated takes, he kicked director Robert Stevenson in the shins and blackmailed him for small change! "At first he was offensive to my sense of propriety," Andrews confesses, "but he helped me to lighten up."

"Practically Perfect In Every Way"

Movie Magic demystifies a vast array of special effects used in the telling of the story and which were groundbreaking at the time. Look no further than the nursery scene where Poppins serenades an animatronic robin and toy soldiers pack themselves into a toy box using stop-motion animation. Meanwhile two scene deconstructions reveal an early incarnation of green screen (ie orange screen) that was integral for sequences blending animation and live action.

For a touch of old Hollywood glamour, Disney have edited together over 20 minutes of rare archive footage (some of it in "glorious Technicolour"!) from the LA gala premiere and after party. Even Walt Disney takes to the red carpet and chats to waiting reporters about, among other things, harassing Julie Andrews backstage after seeing her in a Broadway production of Camelot. "I put on quite an act there that night," he laughs, to which Andrews nervously responds, "I was very impressed, Walt."

Andrews relives the magic in a bonus short produced exclusively for this DVD and joins Van Dyke and Sherman around the piano to trace the evolution of songs like A Spoonful Of Sugar and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. On top of that there's a more in-depth look at the scoring of the film and the deleted song Chimpanzoo (performed by Sherman with animated storyboards).

A set-top game cleverly based on the I Love To Laugh number and a plethora of still art and photo galleries fill out this very generous package. It's simply a must-have DVD that rivals Poppins' own magical carpetbag for hidden treasures.

EXTRA FEATURES

The Mary Poppins: 40th Anniversary Edition DVD is out to buy on Monday 7th March 2005.