News Announced: Mary Poppins Attraction in UK Pavilion

HauntedMansionFLA

HauntedMansionFLA

Well-Known Member
Magenta Panther said:
Yeah, seriously, what the heck is that? "Mary Poppins" was Walt's crown jewel, and it portrayed London/Great Britain in a generally flattering light. I realize the movie doesn't dwell much on British history beyond the mentions of King Edward and the Suffragettes, but so what? Would people prefer that TDO build a Tower of London complete with ravens and severed heads and the murdered boy Princes? :p
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Doctor Who?
 
nickys

nickys

Premium Member
atighe42 said:
I wouldn’t count on it. Disney’s Mary Poppins has been around for 50+ years, I would assume they would go with the tried and true original as opposed to the sequel that no one knows about yet. The original is beloved and is considered one of the greatest films of all time. I see them sticking closely the former.
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But it's Disney who are making the sequel. Why would they not promote the new one? BTW I would far rather see Julie Andrews as MP in any ride, but I just don't see it happening.
 
VaderTron

VaderTron

Well-Known Member
Frizzball said:
My problem with Mary Poppins is that it is so locked in to the upper middle class la di da representation of a london centric Britain that I had hoped the pavilion would begin to move away from. I also have problems with the nostalgia aspect when it is being used to glorify certain aspects of British history that I believe need better more sensitive context than a theme park attraction. Sure Britain had power but it came at the expense of countless atrocities committed against countless communities. I liked Brave for the ride because it's expression of Scottish mythology was about as non problematic as British history gets and arguably fit much better with the edutainment aspect the park should be sticking to. If we can't have Brave I'm pulling for Sword in the Stone. Of course if Disney weren't so set on pushing an IP focus I'm sure they could produce something that fit much better than any of these; maybe something that focused on Britain's inventors and their contribution to the march towards modernisation or a ride through the stories of the individual nations patron saints?

Britain is honestly a tricky pull for a ride: our individual mythologies don't much influence our current society in the way many other cultures experience, we have very few unifying cultural threads and huge chunks of our history are ghastly to the point of offensive. Great swathes of IP's could fit if the only defining factor was location, but if we want any shred of edutainment that number dwindles down drastically. I see this ride going more the way of the Rat in France than Coco in Mexico when it comes to that factor but I'm still preparing to cringe if what is used to represent us falls in to the misguided nostalgia trap that Poppins would present.
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Perhaps it has been a while since you have seen Mary Poppins. In my recent viewing I found it to strike a very balanced view of society then. The majority of the performers in the movie represented the poor and oppressed. Yet they were shown to be, on the whole, the happier, more content, and enjoyable part of society than the elite. The Dawes and their banking clan were miserable, the Banks family was completely unhappy, the many rich stormed the bank in panic at the slightest hint their fortune was at risk giving away the inner turmoil and anxiety they constantly battled over the risk of losing their high station in life.

On the other hand, Bert is the poorest of the poor, barely able to make ends meet with his endless talents and initiative. However, he fills the streets with song, mirth, cheer, and good tidings to all levels of society. Bert's many chimney sweep friends are just as jolly and in love with life despite their low station. The bird woman, who is likely the poorest as she is a beggar, is kind, loving, enduring and her face expresses happiness and contentment in her ability to care for God's creatures through the generosity of passersby. Even Uncle Albert is quite poor. The neighborhood he lives in is far from "elite". The little dog, Andrew, who has been following Mary Poppins and the children is even nervous to be in the neighborhood when they are nearing Uncle Albert's. Yet, who would doubt that Uncle Albert is one of the most joyful characters in the whole film? What he delights in is the simple happiness that comes from company and a good joke among friends.

What can children (and honestly most adults) learn from the Mary Poppins IP? Money does not bring happiness. Ingenuity, stamina, creativity, imagination, proper principles, love of neighbor and family is what will.

What is more in line with Walt Disney's vision of the world than that?


On a side note: I personally am hoping for a Mary Poppins dark ride. Fast moving between scenes like Peter Pan's flight. Song and sound clips and from the movie throughout. The viewpoint should be from the children. Start with the unhapiness they see at home and move to the banking outing. Run on the bank with "stop those children!" The children run away (quick cameo of the creepy poor woman "Granny with hold you!"). They meet Bert and Marry Poppins. Upswing in mood to the chimney tops (steppin' time) then to Uncle Albert'. Uncle Albert tells 'wooden leg named smith' joke. Next scene is Mr. Banks laughing in Dawes Bank at "wooden leg named Smith". Finale of "let's go fly a kite" with Poppins silhouette flying away to the clouds.

@marni1971 make the pitch.:cool:
 
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larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
Marcus Cade said:
On a side note: I personally am hoping for a Mary Poppins dark ride. Fast moving between scenes like Peter Pan's flight. Song and sound clips and from the movie throughout. The viewpoint should be from the children. Start with the unhapiness they see at home and move to the banking outing. Run on the bank with "stop those children!" The children run away (quick cameo of the creepy poor woman "Granny with hold you!"). They meet Bert and Marry Poppins. Upswing in mood to the chimney tops (steppin' time) then to Uncle Albert'. Uncle Albert tells 'wooden leg named smith' joke. Next scene is Mr. Banks laughing in Dawes Bank at "wooden leg named Smith". Finale of "let's go fly a kite" with Poppins silhouette flying away to the clouds.
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If they're going to do that, 'ere's 'oping they'll update the technology to trackless cars and advanced AA's instead of omnimover and screens...
 

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