Southern California Disney fans had a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious evening at El Capitan Theatre last week when The Walt Disney Archives hosted a special screening of Walt Disney’s original Mary Poppins as part of the archives’ 50th anniversary celebration, complete with a historical presentation and a display of memorabilia from the film.
In the lobby of the historic El Capitan, a small exhibit of items from the production and promotion of Mary Poppins was on hand for the enjoyment of guests in attendance, including the hat worn by megastar Julie Andrews (who played the title character) in the film. There was also the 1964 Grammy Award won in the category of Best Recording for Children, ephemera from the movie’s world premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theater (just across the street from El Capitan), and other interesting pieces.
Prior to the main attraction, a representative from The Walt Disney Archives came onstage to give a slideshow presentation about the behind-the-scenes artifacts from Mary Poppins in the archives’ collection. We learned more about the Sherman Brothers and how they composed the film’s music for Walt, the soundstages where Cherry Tree Lane and other locations were built on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank, and the function of The Walt Disney Archives itself– the latter of which was instrumental in preserving props such as the famous snow globe from Mary Poppins.
The next special screening in The Walt Disney Archives’ 50th Anniversary series at El Capitan Theatre will be Disneynature’s Earth on Wednesday, April 22. For more information and to purchase advance tickets, be sure to visit El Capitan’s official website.
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And don’t forget, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana (just seven miles south of Disneyland Resort) is also celebrating this anniversary by hosting the “Inside the Walt Disney Archives” exhibit through the end of the summer.