Between Books - Marking Mary Poppins

As someone who has loved past books by Todd James Pierce and listens to his Disney History Institute podcast weekly, I get pretty excited about any new books or articles he publishes. Having heard some of the material from his latest book in a multi-episode podcast, I was a little worried that his new book would not seem fresh to me. I am happy to report that this anxiety was needless.

Making Mary Poppins: The Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of the Classic Film by Todd James Pierce provides an engaging and well-researched history of the film. The film’s story is not seen through the life of Walt Disney or Pamela Travers, but instead through the lives of his boys, Richard and Robert Sherman. Pierce begins and ends his story with the brothers, their father Al’s career as a professional songwriter, and the experiences that shaped two very different personalities. It was Al who saw the potential of his two adult sons and songwriting. One son, Robert (or Bob), was a World War II veteran who wanted to write novels. His other son, Richard (or Dick), was a young father and divorcee who dreamed of writing musical theater. With his introvert son Bob and his extrovert son Dick struggling to establish careers, Al challenged them to write a song together that an artist would be willing to purchase. After some early false starts, in 1958 their song “Tall Paul”, recorded by Annette Funicello, would become a hit!

Their continued collaboration with Funicello would garner the attention of Walt Disney Studios. The two met with Walt Disney to discuss potential work on the television show Zorro. But Disney’s focus was on a song that could be used in a future movie that would become The Parent Trap. This led to another meeting, and another assignment, and another meeting…until eventually the Brothers were hired full-time as studio songwriters, contributing to numerous projects across the studio. One of those projects was to provide potential songs for a movie based on Travers’ Mary Poppins, a book lacking a sequential plot fit for a movie. The two brothers would spend the next few years working and reworking songs, and help develop the plot of the film as it entered production. Pierce deviates from the brothers with the film in production as he turns his focus to other artists who worked on all aspects of the film. The book finishes with the successful premiere of the film, a night where young fans looking for stars labeled the two men as nobodies, invisible despite the enormous contributions they made in shepherding the story through music.

I had experienced some of this material in audio form on the Disney History Institute podcast. I enjoyed the storytelling in that format. But I worried that in book form it would feel like material that I had all heard before. However, that was not the case. Even without Pierce narrating the tale, I was still able to pull myself into this story. The Sherman Brothers and their often differing personalities are two characters that you want to cheer on as a reader, so while some of the story has been told before to me, on the page, I was still pulled in. Making Mary Poppins is one of those books that is a joy to read and engage with. It is both well-written and researched. The volume is also accessible for those who are tone deaf, like me! Often, I felt like I was reading the book that inspired Saving Mr. Banks, giving the audience the real story… although the movie was released years ago.

One of the aspects of the book that really stood out to me was the struggle. As a fan who largely knows of the Sherman Brothers well after they reached Disney Legend status, it is hard to imagine that they were not instant successes. In fact, their father may have seen them as grown adults without purpose. He was the parent of two men who were living together, only out of familial connections, and hitting rough patches in their lives. Even after he put them on a path to future success, they still were not instant successes despite Al’s career. The two had false starts on major recordings, had a somewhat unsuccessful publishing business, and had to work other jobs, including Bob as a flower arrangement instructor. This is a story not of overnight successes, but one could argue the American story of hard work and effort. It is a story that makes them even more relatable.

Making Mary Poppins: The Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of the Classic Film by Todd James Pierce is easily one of my five favorite new Between Books of 2025. Pierce has again written an accessible and engaging story, built around the two figures who had in my opinion the most creative impact on Mary Poppins with little of the credit. Even those who have heard Pierce’s earlier audio-only version of some of this material will still find it feels fresh! It is a volume that only helps you feel even more admiration for Robert and Richard Sherman. 

 

Review Copy Provided for Review

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Between Books - it's a small world (Disney Press)

 

Recently I read the Little Golden Books offering honoring the classic it’s a small world. I found myself disappointed, yes I know it’s a kids book! But part of my frustration is because of the existence of the Disney Press book honoring the Sherman Brothers and their attraction masterpiece.

it’s a small world with words and music by Richard Mr. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and illustrations by Joey Chou provides a literary tribute to the Disney attraction. The book matches the lyrics of the Sherman Brothers with Chou art that do not provide direct lifts from the attraction scenes but interpretations that match the fun and meaning and the words and sets. The hardcover also comes with a CD which has a copy of the song.

This is a really successful way to bring the attraction to kids and Disney adults. The book relies on the song lyrics, with every line but “it’s a small world” refrains included in the song in the correct order. The scenes are cute and fun, which while not Mary Blair figures do stay in the spirit of fun and play. I do love Chou art, with these easily being prints in a child or adult’s room. I think everyone in the Between house has an item with Chou Disney art. The scenes keep to an order that will help kids learn the pacing of the ride, with really only the last page being Chou’s take on an ending in unity instead of him presenting the white room finale. This version is also from 2011, which can explain the CD inclusion. I mean, do you even know where the CD player is in your home?

This book is colorful, the same as the Little Golden Book. But this is the winner for me. It’s just more expensive being a larger hardcover and out of print. I’d like to say there’s room enough for both versions, but you really need to use some or all of the lyrics to pull off small world packaging for me! 

it’s a small world with words by the Shermans and art by Joey Chou is a fun and cute presentation of it’s a small world. It presents the classic words to the audience in an enjoyable fashion to help kids and adults stay connected to the attraction. 

 

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Between Books - it's a small world (a Little Golden Book)

I 100 percent get I’m not the target audience for a Little Golden Book. But I am a target audience for media related to it’s a small world! I’m mature like that. Sadly, the Little Golden Book adaptation of the attraction to me fails on so many levels.

it’s a small world by Lauren Clauss, illustrated by Steph Lew, and designed by Winnie Ho introduces kids to the classic Disney attraction. The text tells the story of a group of friends traveling the world, through the attraction, and all the things they see. On each page, children say hello to the reader in their native language. Every page is illustrated with cute adaptations of attraction scenes.

I’ll start with the good. The images are cute. They really are. I can see them decorating a young child’s room, especially if their parents are Disney Adults. It is the Disneyland Park version of the ride as Disney characters like Aladdin, Jasmine, Woody, and Jessie are in the scenes. They are cute.

But the art really can’t get me over the bad. This is an attraction defined by a song written by Disney legends! There is no reference, foreshadowing hint, allusion, introduction, or otherwise direct copy of the words. I have read, and will need to review, other books that do a much better job at introducing the song to kids, by actually, wait for it, using the lyrics! Second, if this book is to introduce the attraction to kids or remind them of it, the scenes are not in the right order. The images jump around in a way that if a kid reads the book over and over again…because kids don’t do that at all…they may be really confused when they ride the attraction for the first time.

it’s a small world, the Little Golden Book edition, fails for me on several levels. I don’t know why the production team ran away or ignored the Sherman Brothers’ lyrics. Maybe that would be too close to other books? Maybe they were instructed to treat the lyrics as words that cannot be named! But if you write a it’s a small world inspired book and never drop a verse, it’s likely going to fail for Disney fans.   

 

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Between Books - Mary Poppins & Mary Poppins Comes Back

 

For years I have had a copy of Mary Poppins & Mary Poppins Comes Back by P.L. Travers sitting on my Between Books shelf, but I have never had a chance to read it.  Recently, I decided to pick it up and dive into the story that was a key Disney movie moment.  As I read through it, I realized how factual another semi-fictional Disney film actually was and the challenge this story presented. 

Mary Poppins & Mary Poppins Comes Back by P.L. Travers collects the first two books of Travers' Mary Poppins series.  The titles consist of a series of short stories detailing the interactions between the magical nanny Mary Poppins and the four, yep four, Banks children.  The characters will feel familiarish to anyone who has seen the Poppins films.  And the stories will occasionally remind one of the movies as we travel into China bowls or visit a laughing uncle.  But overall, the stories are generally not connected and provide short incidents, which are often confusing and nonsensical, with the Banks children.

When we hear the story of the Disney movie, we are told that Walt's children loved these stories.  But to be honest, I did not.  They really are confusing at times and I often feel like the characters are not that approachable.  If anything, reading through these makes it clear how factual Saving Mr. Banks is, as it would have been impossible to make a straight adaptation of this writing into an engaging movie.  In short, the Travers' stories had to be adapted, and the Sherman Brothers and Don DaGradai did an excellent job taking random stories and connecting them together.  For example, the presence of Mr. Banks is somewhat invisible in the book, and the choice to make him the antagonist helps string together a watchable movie.  Ironically, at the same time, I was reading this Between Book, I also started listening to the Sherman Brothers series on the Disney History Institute podcast which focused on the facts of Saving Mr. Banks and describes the actual adaption of the book into a movie.  

In short, I was disappointed by Mary Poppins & Mary Poppins Comes Back.  I will not read any more of the series.  it is not for me.  But I also better understand the challenge that Walt Disney and his team faced when creating a classic movie. 

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Between Books - The Disney Interviews: Volume I

 

 

The Walt’s People series has really created a gold standard for interview/oral history volumes on our Disney bookshelves.  These books create a benchmark that even experienced authors and interviews may struggle to maintain.  So, while the idea of an experienced interviewer moving audio interviews into a text format may seem like a no-brainer, sadly it can still go wrong. 

The Disney Interviews: Volume I by Lou Mongello transcribes interviews from the popular WDW Radio podcast into book format.  Each chapter consists of a brief introduction by the author about the context of the interview and some thoughts about the event.  The bulk of the chapter is a transcription of the interview.  Those included are a wide range of Disney celebrities including the well-known Julie Andrews, Alice Davis, Marty Sklar, and Richard Sherman.  But it also includes figures like Al Konetzni and Ralph Kent that may not be on every Disney fan’s radar.

This volume shows how difficult it can be to create a book, even when you have strong material.  In short, this book needs an editor desperately.  There are numerous text errors that create both reading discomfort and factual errors.  It makes one wonder if a simple transcription program was used to move the words into text, and then perhaps not carefully reviewed.  There are numerous grammatical errors.  But factual errors also frequent the book.  I was wondering who Dick Nunez was as he seemed to have had an impact on Tom Nabbe’s career.  I eventually figured out it was Dick Nunis.  But I was taken out of my experience as I pieced this puzzle together.  There are even factual errors in the introductions.  For example, in the Al Konetzni interview readers are directed to the full podcast episode 511, which is the Bill Sullivan interview. 

The Mongello interviews are comforting to hear.  They may be fancentric, but they really are like sitting down with an old friend when you hear them.  I really was looking forward to revisiting these interviews in a new way.  Sadly, instead I found The Disney Interviews: Volume I to be distracting and periodically frustrating to read.  I borrowed a Kindle edition and would really like to see this material edited and updated to provide what should be a fine reading experience. 

 

 

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Mousey Movie Review - Saving Mr. Banks

To say I liked Saving Mr. Banks is an understatement.  I have  seen it twice now, and on my dime each time.  And both times I thoroughly enjoyed this story about P.L. Travers the author of Mary Poppins and her struggles, both spiritually and creatively, in bringing her famous nanny to life.

The film stars Emma Thompson as Travers, an accomplished actress who has taken a turn in a Mary Poppins like role in the delightful Nanny McPhee and its sequel(s).  Tom Hanks, Woody of the Toy Story franchise and cough cough future Disney legend, plays Walt Disney himself.  The film jumps between two settings.  The first is a two week period in 1961, where Disney's team of the Sherman Brothers and scriptwriter Don DaGradi worked directly with Travers to flesh out the script for a possible Mary Poppins at the Disney Studio.  The second is flashbacks to Travers' childhood in Australia, where the audience learns that the Mary Poppins' story has a deeper meaning to Travers.  This story is based on real events, so audiences need to keep the perspective that some scenes in this Mousey Movie are either fictional or occurred at another time:

• The Evil Queen: Emma Thompson is wonderful!  She makes you forget that she is an actress.  She makes you hate Travers (okay I may have been pre-disposed to that), and she is also able to make you feel for the Travers' character.  She really should receive the accolades that she has been receiving for this role.  But Tom Hanks does an excellent job also.  I know many have mocked his mustache, but I have looked at this role as Hanks the actor not mimicking Disney but portraying Disney.  So I did not need or want Hanks to be a body double, I wanted him to act.  And he does a great job researching the role and portraying a Missouri born business mogul.  But it is likely Paul Giamatti as the chauffeur Ralph who steals the movie and provides it heart.  Honestly, this entire cast does a great job!

• King of the Forest: There are plenty of moments that will thrill the Disney fanboy.  These include a ton of Disney plush, pretending to be with the Sherman brothers as they compose their classic works and reproductions of concept art for Mary Poppins.  My favorite moments are digging around Walt's working office.  Here my favorite item is a picture from Marceline from Walt and Roy O. Disney's visit to their hometown.  My other favorite moment is when DaGardi announces to the boys that Walt is coming using the Bambi based code phrase for the boss is coming, after Disney gives his warning cough of course.  Really a lot of this story is about a culture clash, between the very proper Mrs. Travers and call we Walt, Mr. Disney.  And the film does a great job of showing that culture including the use of first names, which Walt insisted on.  

• Let It Go:  Okay Disney fans to quote Princess Elsa, "Let it go!"  Yes, when Disney and Travers go to Disneyland, you can see the computers of the modern ticket machines.  And yes, the Mickey walk-around character is vintage, but Pluto looks a little too modern.  Yes, it's true, you should not see the sign for Pinocchio's Daring Journey as they ride the King Arthur Carousel.  I do have a background in history, so I am the guy who bored all my friends and family with facts about Braveheart instead of just enjoying it.  So if I can let it go, you can too.  Seriously, the cold never brothered me anyway.          

• Daddy Day: An emotional touchstone of this movie is that Walt Disney explains that bringing Mary Poppins to light is to fulfill a promise to his daughters, a promise that he had spent 20 years pursuing.  In his office there are pictures of both Diane and Sharon Disney, and he uses their images to underscore his desire to make this film.  I have decided in the movie premiere scene at the end that the young lady walking with a tall handsome man is Walt's daughter Diane Disney Miller and husband Ron Miller.  In my mind, I have decided this closes the circle on the promise.  Additionally, those who wait until the very end will see this film is dedicated to Diane Disney Miller who passed away shortly before the release date of this film.  And yes, I shed a little tear as I wondered what she would have thought of Hanks' portrayal of her father. 

• Fathers and Daughters: The story of P.L. Travers is really not about her struggle with Walt Disney, it is her struggle to remember her father.  As a dad, this story was very meaningful for me as I tried to imagine what my own children will remember about me.  I did take the Between Tween to my second showing, and the movie lead to plenty of discussions about childhood, creativity and familial love.  Oh, and there were tears, so many tears!  This movie is not fluff!  It gives you something to mull over.

Saving Mr. Banks is a wonderful story that Disney and non-Disney fans should see.  Of course, as a Disney fan I fully supported Walt on the screen in his quest to create his classic.  But I feel this story based on the real events were fair to both Travers and Disney.  Even Walt Disney expresses support for Travers' position at one point.  And as a Disney fan, I smiled as I watched them depict Richard Sherman singing to Walt his favorite song, "Feed the Birds" for the very first time.  The Disneyland scenes and studio scenes created huge excitement for me, especially since I visited both during the summer of filming.  Honestly, I as a Disney fan wanted and needed to like this film.  But as a movie fan, I love Saving Mr. Banks.

Honestly, this short review barely touches all my thoughts on this Mousey Movie, which you need to go see if you have not taken it in yet!

I should warn you, you will want to go straight home and watch Mary Poppins!

Between Books - The Imagineering Way

We can all agree that the artists of Walt Disney Imagineering (WDI) create magic.  But how does an idea move from idea to concept to final attraction?  The book The Imagineering Way by The Imagineers gathers the collected creative wisdom of WDI and attempts to show how non-Imagineers can use the same principles in their everyday work and creative lives.

The Imagineering Way consists of small essays written by a number of WDI staff.  These include well known Imagineers including Tony Baxter, Marty Sklar, John Hench and honorary Imagineer Richard Sherman.  But being in the public eye is not a key to selection of inclusion in the book as a number of lesser known Imagineers contribute to the book.  Contributors range across a number of WDI disciplines including story, lighting, artists, and engineers.  The essays range from a page in length to no more than five pages.  Some of the essays are not even really essays but doodles, quotes and poems.  The essays are grouped into five main topics including brainstorming, building a culture, creativity, and multi-tasking. 

I have wanted to read this book for several years, ever since I saw it lying on a shelf in a Downtown Disney store in Orlando.  I have contemplated picking it up several times and have pushed it off until my most recent vacation.  I probably built too much anticipation over the years as I found myself slightly disappointed.  I do not think the book falsely advertised what it was, but I do not believe I truly understood what it was.  I was expecting a cohesive creative manual for non-Imagineers.  Instead the book is a series of quick hits which are only loosely held together.  Once one understands the style of the book it is possible to mine nuggets of wisdom from the WDI team which can be used in your non-Imagineering life.  In fact, I believe this book is highly quotable, and I could see stealing quotes from this text in the future especially as tweets.  Additionally, readers should not expect this book to include detailed concept art or discussions of WDI disciplines.  The book focuses on the philosophy of creativity not the artistic skills needed to develop a final WDI project. 

The Imagineering Way attempts to connect the philosophy of Imagineering to the non-Imagineering community.  It offers the common man the ideas that help guide Imagineers and makes suggestions on how these principles can be used beyond the walls of WDI.

Mousey Movies – Iron Man 2

My friends like superhero movies. I like superhero movies. My friends seem to like Iron Man more. I like Iron Man 2 more. In fact my friends seem to strongly dislike Iron Man 2. To be honest, despite their attacks on the story, I just do not see how one cannot but love this Mousey Movie!

In this sequel to 2008’s Iron Man, the world knows that Tony Stark is the superhero Iron Man. Of course this leads to problems. The U.S. government wants Stark’s weapon, the Iron Man suit. And a Russian bad guy named Anton Vanko believes Tony and his father Howard stole his own father’s technology for the development of the arc reactor which powers the Iron Man suit. Howard Stark had Vanko’s father deported leading to a life of poverty while Tony had a life of affluence. And the Iron Man suit and the pacemaker that keep Tony alive want something from him too, his life. Tony is slowly being killed by the arc reactor powering his heart. This leads to fights with friends, girlfriends, industrial competitors, Vanko and self through bad life choices. This all leads us to ask, how will Tony Stark survive?

A Mousey Movie you say? Well of course! Yes, Disney does own Marvel and Iron Man is a Disney character. But the movie was developed pre-Disney acquisition, so it’s not fair to say that it was developed as a Disney project. Though by the time of release in May 2010, Marvel was fully a member of the Disney family and any visit to the Disney Store made it clear that Iron Man was part of the House of Mouse. No, it’s not the ownership by Disney that makes this a Mousey Movie, it’s the fact that I see Iron Man 2 as a tribute to the life and legacy of Walt Disney and his theme parks. When viewed it that light it is impossible to not appreciate the final product released to theaters.

• Stark Expo: The Stark Expo screams World’s Fair, even for those not aware of Disney history. And for those that do know Disney history you cannot escape the parallels to Walt Disney and the World’s Fair. Both the Stark Expo and the 1964 New York World’s Fair are held in Flushing Meadows. At the 1964 World’s Fair, The Walt Disney Company designed four shows. These were it’s a small world, Progessland with the song “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln with a Abraham Lincoln Audio-Animatronic, and The Ford Magic Skyway. All four of these shows were precursors to attractions in both the Disneyland Resort and the Walt Disney World Resort. And the 1964 incarnation of the World’s Fair showed Walt Disney that there was an audience for a Disney park on the East Coast because the Disney attractions were crowd favorites.

• Howard Stark: During the movie we are shown “recorded” clips and outtakes used by Tony’s father Howard Stark to promote Stark Expo 1974. And one can only come to one conclusion, Howard Stark is Walt Disney. For those who have seen Walt Disney promotional films where he introduced projects ranging from Disneyland to Walt Disney World and Epcot with the use of maps and models, one cannot but feel that the character of Howard Stark is based on Walt Disney.

•  “Make Way for Tomorrow Today”: The theme song for Stark Expo 1974 seems like it could be dropped right into a Disney park. There is a reason for that. It was written for the movie by Richard Sherman. As part of the team that brought us “it’s a small world” and “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow”, Mr. Sherman knows a thing or two about written a song for a theme park. I have added “Make Way for Tomorrow Today” onto my MP3 player, and it fits in perfectly with the Disney attraction themes living on my Zune, the iPod killer!

So if you are in a Disney mood, but are not in the mood for cartoon animals or want to have some excessive explosions, throw in Iron Man 2. It will bring you a little bit closer to home living Between Disney.