Mary Poppins: 50th Anniversary Edition on Blu-ray December 10th!

[Gorlois]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 12:21pm

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious news!

Mary Poppins is coming to Blu-ray this year on December 10th!

No press release but cover art and the names of two new bonus features are out!



http://www.hometheaterforum.com/topic/325380-mary-poppins-50th-anniversary-blu-ray-december-10th-2013/
Updated On: 7/29/13 at 12:21 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 12:32pm

I knew they were holding off on this until it's 50th. This is one of my all time favorite films. No doubt about it that I will be purchasing it.

Will someone be so kind as to post the cover art directly to this thread. I can't access Home Theater Forum at my job site. Thanks!

Updated On: 7/29/13 at 12:32 PM

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 12:48pm

Here ya go, Carlos :)

Updated On: 7/29/13 at 12:48 PM

[Gorlois]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 12:53pm

I tried to upload the picture for you Carlos, but ImageShack was being uncooperative. Thank you spiderdj82 for getting the pic up!

Speaking of which, does anyone have any idea what those multicolored dots are doing on the cover? Are they supposed to be sequins? Or stars? Or anything?

[madbrian]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 12:55pm

Will also coincide with the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks movie, starring Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as PL Travers.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/29/13 at 1:38pm

Thanks so much!!

[theaternut]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 1:22pm

Will be interesting to see if there really is much difference from the last release.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 1:33pm

The last release was on DVD this is a blu-ray release. I can safely say that there will be a huge difference. It's definitely a major upgrade.

[theaternut]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 1:36pm

I hope so. But not all Blu Rays are major upgrades. Has it been restored in any way?

[Gorlois]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 1:54pm

I've read reports online since 2009 about "Poppins" getting a major restoration, so I believe one had been made, and that it was fairly extensive. For the record, I've never bought a Disney BD that wasn't an improvement over the last DVD, and that includes lackluster releases like last year's "Cinderella."

[theaternut]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 1:56pm

Oh good. Well then it definitely will be worth getting.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 6:19pm

Disney seems to do a full restoration/remastering for the Blu Ray releases. Now, of course, whether what they do is really best for the film can still be up for debate, such as crushing the black levels (I think that's the term, best12 has explained it before and I fully agree with his take on that) where they make anything that is black in the movie so dark that you lose details because the person in charge of the remastering feels that that is a "true" black.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/30/13 at 6:43pm

I really hope this gets a major overhaul. I'm depressed every time I put on the 40th Anniversary DVD. It's dingy and way too brown. They all look like they're wearing clay mud masks, and I'm all for film grain, but not sandpaper. It's way too much.

Also, there are inherent flaws in the movie, and I wonder if they'll be cleaned up. I personally hope they are. Some of the optical (in camera) effects leave the screen muddy, and some were done poorly. Also during the animation sequence, some of the squirrels go by Dick Van Dyke's feet and turn transparent. (I assume he was wearing oder eaters at the time).

To me, it's the equivalent of getting rid of the wire attached to the Cowardly Lion's tail in The Wizard of Oz. When they did the last HD master (still too dark to me), they removed the wire, seen most notably in If I Were King of the Forest. I remember when we used to laugh at it as kids watching (small SD) TV.

We'll see what Disney does with Mary Poppins, but they have been fine about changing colors in their animated features without much thought. It drives the purists insane.

Some major color revisions in Pinocchio (check out Stromboli's shirt):
https://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews44/pinocchio_blu-ray.htm

Also Dumbo (check out the uniforms of the guys holding the ropes on Mrs. Jumbo):
https://www.dvdbeaver.com/film2/DVDReviews50/dumbo_blu-ray.htm

They've also done a lot of "cleaning" when they basically repaint each digitized cell, removing all film grain. It's gone now.

[Gorlois]

Posted: 12/8/13 at 10:21am

Just a heads up that Amazon has finally lowered their price to $24.99!

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/8/13 at 4:26pm

Home Theatre Forum review of the Blu-ray Disc.

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/8/13 at 5:31pm

I have it. It's a wonderful release.

[DAME]

Posted: 12/8/13 at 5:52pm

Is it a reasonable upgrade from the last DVD release?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/8/13 at 6:58pm

Reasonable is not the right word.

Let me put it this way. If you are a true fan of this film, it's score, Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke or even Walt Disney himself you will be doing yourself a disservice by not purchasing this film on blu-ray.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 11:40am

My favorite film of 1964, by a light-year!

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 1:37pm

Let me put it this way. If you are a true fan of this film, it's score, Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke or even Walt Disney himself you will be doing yourself a disservice by not purchasing this film on blu-ray.

I think Dame was referring to the quality of the picture and sound, though.

Updated On: 12/9/13 at 01:37 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 1:58pm

The quality of the picture and sound BLOWS EVERY OTHER VERSION OF THE FILM THAT PRECEDED THIS BLU-RAY RELEASE OUT-OF-THE-WATER.

It doesn't get any better than that.


Updated On: 12/9/13 at 01:58 PM

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 3:18pm

Has the Buena Vista logo with Irwin Kostal's fanfare been restored? It was missing from the previous DVD release, and to me, that's how MARY POPPINS begins! I heard it was on the UK release, so I'm hoping it's on the North American one, as well.

Updated On: 12/9/13 at 03:18 PM

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 7:53pm

Buena Vista logo, fanfare and all is intact.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 8:49pm

Yay!

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 9:58am

I'm grumbling about the $24.99 price tag (at best, other places it's higher).

Does anybody know where it can be bought cheaper?

Disney used to offer street date discounts (sometimes one day only). I don't see those anywhere today, though.