Walt Disney Records’ Legacy Collection’s excellent streak of soundtracks continues with its August 2014 release that commemorated the 50th anniversary of Mary Poppins, considered by many critics as one of Walt Disney’s greatest achievements. Its Oscar-winning song, “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” and the other cheerful tunes and score are as ingrained in our minds as Julie Andrews‘ and Dick Van Dyke‘s unforgettable performances.

This new CD set remarkably integrates nearly every musical element of the film possible across three packed discs. The Legacy Collection: Mary Poppins is even sweeter than a spoonful of sugar.

Anniversaries signify dates of a celebratory nature. We reflect on the past and the importance of a milestone. In the Disney universe, certain years warrant attention for the amount of quality content produce and momentous occasions held. Some might argue 1989 was Disney’s biggest year, launching the “Disney renaissance” with the release of The Little Mermaid and also the opening of Disney’s fifth theme park (Disney-MGM Studios). Others would consider 1928 (the debut of Mickey Mouse), 1937 (the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), and 1955 (Disneyland’s opening) as equally significant. If we look into the future, 2015 may prove to be Disney’s most monumental year with new films from Lucasfilm, Marvel, Pixar and even a few major releases from Disney itself.

But how can anyone forget or dismiss 1964? This was the definitive Disney year in multiple realms. The events that took place during this 12-month period forever altered the landscape of The Walt Disney Company. 50 years later, I reason that the Disney we treasure today would not exist without the turning points that occurred in 1964.

Saving Mr. Banks was destined to be the first Disney film since perhaps Mary Poppins to accrue countless Oscar nominations across a multitude of categories. Unfortunately, the brilliant drama that explores the roots of how Mary Poppins evolved from page to screen failed to score more than one Academy Award nod. Why so?

This Disney In Depth aims to identify why Saving Mr. Banks may not have resonated with certain critics, despite the warranted buzz it received prior to its release. I also share how Banks should have been recognized at the forthcoming 86th Academy Awards.

Saving Mr. Banks
Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, B.J. Novak
Walt Disney Pictures
Rated PG-13 | 125 Minutes
Release Date: December 20, 2013

Directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), Saving Mr. Banks centers on the life of Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson), shifting between 1907 with her childhood in Queensland, Australia, the 1961 negotiations with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), and the subsequent making of Mary Poppins.

While in California for filming, Travers has flashbacks to her difficult childhood in Australia with her sweet but self-destructive father (Colin Farrell), the inspiration for her story’s patriarch, Mr. Banks.

Some film critics, like the immortal Leonard Maltin, have called Saving Mr. Banks “a charming and heartwarming piece of entertainment, highlighted by a handful of superior performances.” I, on the other hand, would call it a nauseating, sentimental piece of corporate propaganda about an anti-Semite and a very British – and very bitchy – author who may or may not be a crazy person.

Mary Poppins
2-Disc Blu-ray/DVD/Digital | DVD/Digital l Instant
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Glynis Johns, Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber and Ed Wynn
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: Dec. 10, 2013

Mary Poppins, the winner of five Academy Awards, flies onto Disney Blu-ray for the first time ever in honor of its (premature) 50th anniversary and the forthcoming release of Saving Mr. Banks. But is the Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke musical practically perfect in every way? The film, yes. The Blu-ray release itself, only practically, as the less-than-perfect presentation and lack of copious new supplemental material have much to be desired.

Critics and everyday individuals alike regard Poppins as one of Walt Disney’s finest achievements – if not his finest piece of cinema – for what the movie represented back in 1964, and how it holds up today. The film, inspired by the P.L. Travers work, showcases how the family dynamic of an early 20th-century clan in London is transformed by the introduction of one very ideal, precise and magical nanny. The tale captured our imaginations, portraying an atmosphere where children could leap into sidewalk drawings and a fantastic woman could soar above the cityscape with an umbrella and carpetbag in tow. The scene, utterly delightful. The people, certainly relatable. The combo, undeniably winning. But what makes Mary Poppins work so well? Credit a combination of elements at play.