Video: 4
Audio: 4
Extras: 4
Everyone wanted Mary Poppins to be their nanny when they were kids. Rosy cheeks, cheery disposition, and never cross? That's just ideal. However, lucky Jane and Michael Banks were the two children who got to enjoy her company, and this fine presentation of the classic musical will make you jealous of those two kids all over again.

The 1.66:1 anamorphic picture is crisp and clean, but you'll notice certain instances of edge enhancement. This is most noticeable during the scenes that incorporate cartoons into the film. However, for a film that's celebrating its 40th anniversary, the video looks remarkably clean. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio also gets the star treatment in this mix. According to Buena Vista, this version has been remixed with Disney's 5.1 Enhanced Home Theater Mix in an effort to uncover dialogue that was previously inaudible on the original track. Truth be told, I don't have every movie line memorized, so I wouldn't know a new line from an old one. However, what I did hear was an active mix that incorporated all of my speakers and sub.

The extras package is nicely separated into "Music and More" and "Backstage Disney" on a separate disc. "Music" includes a deleted song, a sing-along to "Spoonful of Sugar" and "Jolly Holiday," and a reunion with Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins), Dick Van Dyke (Burt), and music composer Richard Sherman. Dyke even dances! "Backstage" features an hour-long featurette on the making of the movie, which is interesting to watch. On the first disc, you'll find commentary from Andrews, Dyke, music composers Richard and Robert Sherman, and Karen Dotrice, who played Jane Banks.