Five Reasons You Should Watch Disney's Mary Poppins with Your Kids

One of my all-time favorite movies is Walt Disney's Mary Poppins. At 139 minutes, it's rather long, although I don't believe it seems so when you're watching it. Thankfully it is one of my daughters' favorite movies as well, so I frequently have the opportunity to join them in viewing it. If (gasp!) you have never seen Mary Poppins, or haven't watched it in a long time, here are five reasons why you should purchase or rent the DVD or video to watch with your kids.

1. The music. Of course Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins has an amazing voice and the other performers carry a tune quite well. So many of the songs from this movie are memorable including A Spoonful of Sugar, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, Chim Chim Cher-ee and Let's Go Fly a Kite.

2. The dancing. I am awed just thinking of all the practice time that must have been involved in the steps that Bert (Dick Van Dyke) and his fellow chimney sweeps do while performing Step In Time. If you've been sitting on the couch for the whole movie, it's a perfect time for you and the kids to get up and join the action! Bert and Mary do some nifty steps of their own throughout the movie.

3. Dick Van Dyke. His zany antics, physical comedy and perfect portrayal of his character make for an interesting foil to Julie Andrews more serious character. His kind heart and gentlemanly affection for Mary Poppins add another layer of interest to the story.

4. Special effects. While they may not seem nearly as impressive today as they would have been originally, the mix of live action and animation used in Mary Poppins is still quite remarkable. Seeing Bert and Mary as "real people" who interact with cartoon character penguins and other animals is notable as is the portion of the movie that includes a tea party on the ceiling with Mary's Uncle Albert. A favorite scene for all children is that of the toys picking themselves up and putting themselves away.

5. The message. Timeless and true, the moral of this story is convicting. How often do we as parents get wrapped up in our own work or hobbies and miss the joy and satisfaction of investing ourselves in our children? Taking the time to help his children make and fly their own kite demonstrates to Jane and Michael their father's interest in them as well as his love for them - a lesson we can all take to heart.