Saturday, December 12th promises to be practically perfect in every way as ABC and Target will air the Disney classic Mary Poppins at 8 p.m. EST. The Wonderful World of Disney Presented by Target Brings You Mary Poppins event will mark the first network television broadcast of the film in 13 years.
Set in Edwardian London, the film features no-nonsense nanny Mary Poppins, who flies out of the windy London skies and into the home of two mischievous children of the wealthy and strict Banks family, Jane (Karen Dotrice) and Michael (Matthew Garber). With the help of a carefree chimney sweep named Bert (Dick Van Dyke), the spirited nanny sets off on a series of fantastic adventures with Bert and the children, and teaches their parents some lessons about love along the way.
Disney’s beloved classic received a total of 13 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and won five, including Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Song (“Chim Chim Cher-ee”), Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, and Best Original Music Score.
The movie features many classic songs, including “A Spoonful of Sugar,” “Jolly Holiday,” Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “Feed the Birds,” “Chim Chim Cher-ee” and “Let’s Go Fly a Kite.”
Released in 1964, Mary Poppins combines live-action and animation, and in 2013 it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”