Surprise! It's Mary Poppins

by Gaylin

I was wandering about in the Magic Kingdom one afternoon, I was walking down the path behind the Christmas Store in Liberty Square and who did I see? Miss Mary Poppins. She had one cast member with her and no Photopass photographer and best of all NO line-up. Well, one family in front of me but really, that is no line-up.

Because of the lack of line-up, I had a chance to talk with Miss Poppins, we talked about New Year's Resolutions and the fact that I own 8 umbrellas and none of them are as lovely as hers. It was a great meet and greet and a wonderful surprise!

Our visit was practically perfect in every way.

Wordless Wednesday: Minnie Poppins

Give Me More Music, Music Music...

By Beth Skarp

If I were to ask you to name just ONE Disney song to start singing right now, what popular or perhaps not so popular song would you start singing and possibly dancing to? 

My song of choice was Let's Go Fly a Kite” from “Mary Poppins”, but chances are you may or may not have been thinking of “Let It Go” from “Frozen."

What makes for a great Disney movie? Is it the story line, the animation, or the music?
I am beginning to think that perhaps the music is what makes the movie. 

I wanted to know which Disney movie holds the title to date for having the most music associated with it. Without doing an online search, can you name which movie, a Disney classic, holds this title? I had no idea until I looked online and discovered the movie was “Alice in Wonderland”. Now here is a real test of a Disney lover...name a song from this movie!

Did you think of an “Alice in Wonderland” song? Chances are, you came up with “The UnBirthday Song” , “I'm Late” or the opening theme song of “Alice in Wonderland”. Those were the only songs I could recall when thinking about the film.  

In all, thirty two songs were originally composed for “Alice in Wonderland”, but only twenty songs made the cut for the official movie soundtrack. Why do you suppose Walt Disney himself went to such great lengths to compose so many songs of such a wide variety for a single movie? 

The answer is quite simple actually. When Reverend Charles Dogdson, who used the pen name of Lewis Carroll (the author we know of for writing “Alice in Wonderland”) wrote these stories, they were intended to be read as short little snippets or bed time stories. Carroll had a vivid imagination and created many characters within his various stories. Many of the characters that Carroll created did not readily lend themselves from one story line to the next. Simply stated, there was no real continuity to Carroll's stories in his books. This posed a bit of a problem for Walt and his production team, since the works of Carroll were so unlike other well known author that Walt used as template of sorts for this earlier movies such as “Snow White." 

Walt presented the works of Lewis Carroll to his animators and writers, sharing his ideas for the possibility of a making a feature film. Using a bit of musical as well as animated whimsy, the story line was able to segue from one thought to another without the fear of being too disjointed or choppy.

Walt had a great pool of musicians from which he could draw for musical talent. Bob Hilliard & Sammy Fain collaborated on the scores to two early 1950’s Walt Disney animated features. Fain was the composer while Hilliard tended to be the lyricist. Another talented composer, Sammy Cahn, teamed up with Bob Hilliard & Sammy Fain for the music to "Your Mother and Mine" and "Second Star to the Right." While these songs were nicely composed and had memorable lyrics, they did not flow with the story line for “Alice in Wonderland.” 

“Peter Pan” was in production during the same time “Alice in Wonderland” was also in production. Not wanting to waste great talent or good music, the songs of "Your Mother and Mine" and "Second Star to the Right" were recycled into Peter Pan with more memorable results.

In fact, “Beyond the Laughing Sky” was the song originally suggested for Alice to sing during the opening scenes of the movie. Instead, the theme song, or the song we hear Alice singing in the very beginning of the movies became instead “In a World of My Own."

As one reads the twenty songs listed as the official soundtrack for the movie, it is a little bit easy to wonder if in fact you actually heard the various musical numbers or not. Some of the songs are a mere jingle of only a few seconds. The ones you actually remember are catchy tunes that you remember for the music as well as the sometimes silly words.

The film soundtrack was first released on vinyl record back on July 28, 1951. I may be one of the few who actually still has a copy of this record someplace in our collection. The song titles for the record included the following titles:

“Alice in Wonderland”--sung by the Jud Conlon Chorus and the Mellomen

“In a World of My Own”--sung by Alice

“I'm Late"—sung by the White Rabbit

“The Sailor's Hornpipe”--sung by the Dodo

“The Caucus Race”--sung by the Dodo and Animals

“How Do You Do”--sung by Tweedledee and Tweedledum

“Shake Hands”--sung by Tweedledee and Tweedledum 

“The Walrus and the Carpenter”--sung by Tweedledee and Tweedledum

“Old Father William”--sung by Tweedledee and Tweedledum

“Smoke the Blighter Out”--sung by the Dodo and the White Rabbit 

“All in the Golden Afternoon”--sung by The Flowers and Alice 

“A-E-I-O-U”--sung by the Caterpillar 

“Twas Brillig”--sung by the Cheshire Cat 

“The UnBirthday Song”--sung by the Mad Hater, March Hare, and Alice

“Very Good Advice”--sung by Alice 

“Painting the Roses Red”--performed by the Playing Cards but sung by the Mellomen and Alice 

“Who's Been Painting My Roses Red?” (Reprise)--sung by The Queen of Hearts and the Playing Cards (Mellomen) 

“The UnBirthday Song”--sung by the Mad Hatter, March Hare, The Queen of Hearts, and the Playing Cards (Mellomen) 

“The Caucus Race” (Reprise)--sung by The Entire Cast minus Alice 

“Alice in Wonderland” (Reprise)--sung by the Jud Conlon Chorus and the Mellomen 

If you wish to count them, you will find that exactly twenty titles appear on the official listing for the soundtrack.
 
After doing a bit of research, I did manage to find the listing of the songs written for the film but not used for one reason or another. For your enjoyment, here is that listing:

“Beyond the Laughing Sky”. This was replaced with “In a World of My Own”--sung by Alice. “Beyond the Laughing Sky” was later turned into “The Second Star to the Right” and is a featured song in “Peter Pan.”

“Dream Caravan”--sung by The Caterpillar. This song was replaced by “A-E-I-O-U” 

“I'm Odd”--sung by the Cheshire Cat. This song was replaced with “Twas Brillig” 

“Beware the Jabberwock—sung by Stan Freberg, Daws Butler and the Rhythmaires. Since the character of the Jabberwock was deleted from the film, the song was deleted as well.

“So They Say”--sung by Alice 

“If You'll Believe in Me”--sung by the Lion and the Unicorn which were deleted characters.

“Beautiful Soup”--sung by the Mock Turtle and the Gryphon. This song was set to the tune of “Blue Danube” and had already been used by the Walt Disney Company in two cartoons recently released at the time (Jungle Rhythm and Night). The character and the song was removed from this film.

“Everything Has A Useness—meant for the Caterpillar to sing to Alice while attempting to explain the usefulness of everything, or in this case the use of the mushroom. 

“Curiosity”--no one seems to know why this song was written or why it was deleted 

“Humpty Dumpty” 

“Speak Roughly To Your Little Boy”--this was from the original works of Lewis Carroll depicting a grotesque character from one of the stories. Walt felt the music and the character may be too inappropriate for young children, including his own daughters Sharon and Diane Disney. Because of this, both the character and music was deleted 

“Will You Join The Dance”  

If you were counting, you will notice that an even dozen or 12 songs were written that were not used for “Alice in Wonderland”. This brought the total number of songs composed to thirty two.

One of biggest criticisms for “Alice in Wonderland” was that it was in essence a series of short cartoons or story sketches loosely pieced together. Walt himself felt he had let his audiences down, that this was a feature that truly had no heart to it. Walt was not a huge fan of this particular movie, and almost didn't release the film for theaters.

However, movie goers tended to love the characters and the whimsical music associated with “Alice in Wonderland”. This fact alone is probably what has helped keep “Alice in Wonderland” a beloved Disney Classic.

    
  



  

   

The Sherman Brothers

 

Photo Courtesy of D23 media net

By: Jacqueline aka Jersey Diva

Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films.  They wrote more motion-picture musical song scores than any other songwriting team in film history.  The brothers began writing songs together in 1951 on a challenge from their father, Al Sherman, the songwriter who wrote Tin Pan Alley.

Robert founded the music publishing company, Music World Corporation, in 1958.  The publishing company later had a landmark relationship with Disney's BMI-affiliated publishing company, Wonderland Music Company.  That same year, the Sherman Brothers had their first top-ten hit with "Tall Paul" which was sung by Mouseketeer Judy Harriet and later covered by Mouseketeer Annette Funicello.  After the success of this song, Walt Disney hired the Sherman Brothers as Staff Songwriters for Walt Disney Studios.  On personal assignment by Walt Disney, the first song they wrote was "Strummin' Song" in 1961.  The song was used in the Annette Funicello made for television movie called The Horsemasters.

While working at Disney, the Sherman Brothers wrote more motion picture musical scores than any other songwriters in the history of film.  Their best known song,  "It's a Small World (after all)" was written for the 1964 New York World's Fair.  Some have claimed that this has become the most translated and performed song on Earth, although this is mainly due to the fact that it is played continuously at Disney's theme park "it's a small world" attractions.

In 1965, the Sherman Brothers won two Academy Awards for Mary Poppins, which includes their songs, "Feed the Birds," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and Oscar winning "Chim Chim Cher-ee." Since the premiere of Mary Poppins, the Sherman Brothers have earned nine Oscar nominations, two Grammy Awards, four Grammy Award nominations and 23 gold and platinum-certified albums.

The Shermans worked directly for Walt Disney, completing the scores for the live action musical films The Happiest Millionaire and The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band until Disney died in 1966.  After leaving the company, the Sherman Brothers have worked as freelance songwriters on scores of motion pictures, television shows, theme park exhibits and stage musicals.

In 1968, they worked on their first non-Disney assignment with Albert R. Broccoli's motion picture production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for United Artists. This gave the brothers their third Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. Two years later, the Sherman Brothers returned to Disney for a brief stint where they completed The Aristocats and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.  The latter gained the brothers their fourth and fifth Oscar nominations.  In 1972, the brothers received a Grammy nomination for Snoopy Come Home.  In 1973, the Sherman Brothers make history by becoming the only Americans to ever win First Prize at the Moscow Film Festival for Tom Sawyer, for which they also wrote the screenplay.

In 1976, The Slipper and the Rose was picked to be the Royal Command Performance of the year. A performance attended by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The Sherman Brothers also wrote songs, score and the screenplay for this modern musical adaptation of the classic Cinderella story. The Brothers received two more Oscar nominations for this film. Also in 1976, the Sherman Brothers received their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is located directly across from Grauman's Chinese Theater.

Other film credits, Disney and non-Disney, include The Jungle Book (1967), The Parent Trap (1961 & 1998), Charlotte's Web (1973), Huckleberry Finn (1974), The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) and Little Nemo:Adventures in Slumberland (1992).  The Sherman Brothers also had a Tony Award nomination for their hit Over Here! (1974) which was the biggest grossing original Broadway musical of that year. The brothers have also written many top selling songs including "You're Sixteen," which reached Billboard's Hot 100 Top 10 twice, once with Johnny Burnette in 1960 and then at #1 with Ringo Starr more than thirteen years later.  Other top ten hits include "Pineapple Princess", "Let's Get Together", and more.  In 2002, the brothers wrote "Only a Woman Like You" with Michael Bolton who co-wrote and recorded as a single from the album of the same name.

In 2000, the Sherman Brothers wrote the score for the Disney film The Tigger Movie. This film was the brothers' first major motion picture for Disney in over 28 years.  In 2002, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang hit the London stage and received rave reviews. It is currently the most successful stage show ever produced at the London Palladium with the longest run in that century old theater's history.  A second Chitty company premiered in New York City on Broadway at the Foxwoods Theatre on April 28, 2005. The brothers wrote six additional songs specifically for the new stage productions.  A third Chitty company is currently touring throughout the United Kingdom.  In a British nationwide poll reported by the BBC in 2003, four of the Sherman brothers' musicals ranked in the Top 10 Favorite Children's Films of All Time. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) topped the list at #1.  In addition to the new songs they wrote for Chitty, the brothers also wrote some new songs for the Broadway production of Mary Poppins which premiered on November 16, 2006 at the New Amsterdam Theatre.  Both Chitty and Mary Poppins were produced collaboratively by Disney and Cameron Mackintosh.

On June 9, 2005, the Sherman Brothers were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.  On November 17, 2008, the brothers received the National Medal of Arts, the highest honor conferred upon artists or patrons of the arts by the United States Government.  The award was presented to them by President George W. Bush in a ceremony at The White House.  On March 11, 2010,in honor of their contribution to Disney theme parks, the brothers were presented with a Window on Mainstreet Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Two months later on May 17th, they received the "Career Achievement Award" at The Theatre Museum's 2010 Awards Gala in New York City.  A year later on May 21st, the brothers were each awarded honorary doctorate degrees in Fine Arts from their alma mater, Bard College.  Robert has previously received an honorary doctorate degree in May 1990 from Lincoln College.

On May 22, 2009, the Sherman brothers' sons, Gregory V. Sherman and Jeff Sherman directed and produced The Boys: the Sherman Brothers' Story, a critically acclaimed documentary film about the famed duo. The film was theatrically released and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.  In October 2009, Disney released a 59 track, two disc CD, titled "The Sherman Brothers Songbook" which is compilation of their work for the studio spanning forty-two years.

Robert Sherman passed away on March 5, 2012 in London where he had lived since 2002.

~Jersey Diva

 This article was originally posted on the Tips From the Disney Divas and Devos Blog, where Jersey Diva is a contributing writer.

Maleficent- Mostly Spoiler Free Review

by Nick

I liked Maleficent a lot. Really. Admittedly, going in, I wasn't sure I was going to. When I first saw the preview, I was excited. But the last couple of previews left me thinking it may not be as good as I'd first hoped. Then, there have been the reviews. I didn't read any, as I didn't want spoilers, but I did note that it had a score of 50 out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 141 reviews.
And the beginning made me actually think - "Uh oh."

But then, it got real.

It's not as epic as previews would have you believe. It's almost a human interest story, with magic thrown in. I really fell in love with some characters, while loathing others thoroughly.

Have you ever wondered what Maleficent's motivations were for putting a curse on an infant? In Sleeping Beauty it seems that she is angry for not being invited to the party. In Maleficent, we see why she's so angry. And she certainly has every right to be! She has always been, to me, the most visually interesting of the Disney Villains, and I loved how bad she could be. But my love of the character has reached new heights. She is now my favorite Disney Villain. Can I still call her that?

When we got home, we popped in the original Sleeping Beauty. Surely in the original, the fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, who are renamed in the update for some reason, aren't as incompetent as they are portrayed in Maleficent? Yes, yes they are. Maleficent explains how Aurora managed to get to 16 at all, because I absolutely found myself questioning that while watching Sleeping Beauty!

This is complete and utter revisionist history, and I will never watch Sleeping Beauty the same way again, much as I will never view Mary Poppins the same after seeing Saving Mr. Banks. But I don't care! I prefer this much less black and white version of the Sleeping Beauty story, if I'm being 100% honest! And, might a story being told from 2 different perspectives be something completely different after all?

After the movie, I struggled a bit with how this would change my view of ALL of the characters from Sleeping Beauty going forward. Yes, I realize it's not reality, but at the Disney Parks, they kind of are real. Maleficent is in the Castle Show and in parades. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather can also be found on occasion, and of course Aurora is very easily visited. I will now look at them very differently indeed.

And if I ever see King Stefan...but I cannot go any further, as the title states, this is a mostly spoiler free review!

by Barbie

What can I say? Nick pretty much summed up how I felt about the movie, so I will talk about the visuals and the acting. The movie was beautifully shot, and the computer generated imagery was stunning.

Angelina Jolie's performance has made me completely rethink the character of Maleficent, and villains in general. Now I want to know the back-stories to ALL the Disney Villains!

The part of Aurora was beautifully played by all of the actresses that portrayed her through various stages of her life. The fairies were a comical delight, and I'm surprised that their parts weren't played in previews more.

All in all, I really enjoyed, nay, loved this movie, and look forward to seeing it again!

And that King Stefan...!

Wordless Wednesday: Disney Characters on Parade, Walt Disney World's 40th Anniversary