MARY POPPINS, SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS

Today, The Grandma has visited and old friend at 17 Cherry Tree Lane in London. She is a woman who doesn't depend on anyone to shape her life, the magic Mary Poppins.

 

They have spent an amazing day remembering old times, singing new songs and enjoying life, because this is the best secret to happiness: enjoy with the most beloved ones every minute of your life as it was the last.

 

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers's book series Mary Poppins.

The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California using painted London background scenes.

Mary Poppins was released on August 27, 1964, to critical acclaim. It received a total of 13 Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture -a record for any other film released by Walt Disney Studios- and won five; Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee.

More information: Disney Tickets

In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Mary Poppins is considered Walt Disney's crowning live-action achievement, and is the only film that earned a Best Picture nomination in his lifetime.

In Edwardian London, 1910, Bert entertains a crowd as a one-man band when he senses a change in the wind. Afterwards, he directly addresses the audience, and gives them a tour of Cherry Tree Lane, stopping outside the Banks family's home. George Banks returns home to learn from his wife, Winifred, that Katie Nanna has left their service after Jane and Michael ran away again.

They are returned shortly after by Constable Jones, who reveals the children were chasing a lost kite. The children ask their father to help build a better kite, but he dismisses them. Taking it upon himself to hire a new nanny, Mr. Banks advertises for a stern, no-nonsense nanny.

Instead, Jane and Michael present their own advertisement for a kinder, sweeter nanny. Mr. Banks rips up the letter, and throws the scraps in the fireplace, but the remains of the advertisement magically float up, and out into the air.

The next day, a number of elderly, sour-faced nannies wait outside the Banks' home, but a strong gust of wind blows them away, and Jane and Michael witness a young nanny descending from the sky using her umbrella. Presenting herself to Mr. Banks, Mary Poppins calmly produces the children's restored advertisement, and agrees with its requests, but promises the astonished banker she will be firm with his children.

As Mr. Banks puzzles over the advertisement's return, Mary Poppins hires herself, and convinces him it was originally his idea. She meets the children, then helps them tidy their nursery through song, before heading out for a walk in the park.

Outside, they meet Bert, working as a screever; Mary Poppins uses her magic to transport the group into one of his drawings. While the children ride on a carousel, Mary Poppins and Bert go on a leisurely stroll. Mary Poppins later enchants the carousel horses, and participates in a horse race, which she wins. While being asked to describe her victory, Mary Poppins announces the nonsense word Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. However, the outing is ruined when a thunderstorm dissolves Bert's drawings, returning the group to London.

On another outing, the four meet Uncle Albert, who has floated up in the air due to his uncontrollable laughter; they join him for a tea party on the ceiling, telling jokes. 

More information: Time

Mr. Banks becomes annoyed by the household's cheery atmosphere, and threatens to fire Mary Poppins. Instead, Mary Poppins inverts his attempt by convincing him to take the children to the bank for a day. Mr. Banks takes Jane and Michael to the bank, where they meet Mr. Dawes Sr, and his son. Mr. Dawes aggressively attempts to have Michael invest his tuppence in the bank, snatching it from him. Michael demands it back, causing other customers to misinterpret, and all demand their own money back, causing a bank run.

Jane and Michael flee the bank, getting lost in the East End until they run into Bert, now working as a chimney sweep, who escorts them home. The three and Mary Poppins venture onto the rooftops, where they have a song-and-dance number with other chimney sweeps, which spills out into the Banks' home.

Mr. Banks returns, and receives a phone call from his employers. He speaks with Bert, who tells him he should spend more time with his children before they grow up. Jane and Michael give their father Michael's tuppence in the hope to make amends.

Mr. Banks walks through London to the bank, where he is given a humiliating cashiering, and is dismissed. Looking to the tuppence for words, he blurts out Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!, tells one of Uncle Albert's jokes, and happily heads home. Dawes mulls over the joke, but finally gets it, and floats up into the air, laughing. 

The next day, the wind changes, meaning Mary Poppins must leave. A happier Mr. Banks is found at home, having fixed his children's kite, and takes the family out to fly it.

In the park, the Bankses meet Mr. Dawes Jr, who reveals his father died laughing from the joke, and re-employs Mr. Banks as a junior partner. With her work done, Mary Poppins flies away, with Bert bidding her farewell, telling her not to stay away too long.

More information: The Culture Trip

Mary Poppins Returns is a 2018 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall, with a screenplay written by David Magee and a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Based on the book series of the same name by P. L. Travers, this sequel to 1964's Mary Poppins stars Emily Blunt as the eponymous character with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep in supporting roles. Set in 1930s London, three decades after the events of the original film, it sees Mary Poppins, the former nanny of Jane and Michael Banks, returning after a family tragedy.

Walt Disney Pictures announced the film in September 2015. Marshall was hired later that month, and Blunt and Miranda were cast in February 2016. Principal photography lasted from February to July 2017, and took place at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England. Mary Poppins Returns held its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on November 29, 2018, and was released in the United States on December 19, 2018, making it one of the longest gaps between film sequels in Disney history at 54 years.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Blunt's performance, the musical score and numbers, visuals, production values, and sense of nostalgia, although some critics found it derivative of the first film. It was chosen by both the National Board of Review and American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2018 and received numerous award nominations, including four at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, including for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy, nine at the 24th Critics' Choice Awards and a SAG Award nomination for Blunt at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

More information: Cosmopolitan

 

 

In every job that must be done, 

there is an element of fun.

Mary Poppins

MARY POPPINS, SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS

Today, The Weasleys & The Grandma have met Mary Poppins, a wonderful woman who has delighted them during all the day.

 

Mary Poppins had its final performance at the Prince Edward Theatre in London last January, 8. Since that day, Mary has enjoyed her holiday days until the arrival of Fernando & Toni Granger, two unforgettable members of the family, who are going to start a new adventure with her and her friends.

Good luck friends! 

Staying with you has been magic, fantastic and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

The Weasleys have studied the Present Simple.

More information: Present Simple

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers's book series Mary Poppins.

The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California using painted London background scenes.

Mary Poppins was released on August 27, 1964, to critical acclaim. It received a total of 13 Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture -a record for any other film released by Walt Disney Studios- and won five; Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee.

More information: Disney Tickets

In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Mary Poppins is considered Walt Disney's crowning live-action achievement, and is the only film that earned a Best Picture nomination in his lifetime.

In Edwardian London, 1910, Bert entertains a crowd as a one-man band when he senses a change in the wind. Afterwards, he directly addresses the audience, and gives them a tour of Cherry Tree Lane, stopping outside the Banks family's home. George Banks returns home to learn from his wife, Winifred, that Katie Nanna has left their service after Jane and Michael ran away again.

They are returned shortly after by Constable Jones, who reveals the children were chasing a lost kite. The children ask their father to help build a better kite, but he dismisses them. Taking it upon himself to hire a new nanny, Mr. Banks advertises for a stern, no-nonsense nanny.

Instead, Jane and Michael present their own advertisement for a kinder, sweeter nanny. Mr. Banks rips up the letter, and throws the scraps in the fireplace, but the remains of the advertisement magically float up, and out into the air.

The next day, a number of elderly, sour-faced nannies wait outside the Banks' home, but a strong gust of wind blows them away, and Jane and Michael witness a young nanny descending from the sky using her umbrella. Presenting herself to Mr. Banks, Mary Poppins calmly produces the children's restored advertisement, and agrees with its requests, but promises the astonished banker she will be firm with his children.

As Mr. Banks puzzles over the advertisement's return, Mary Poppins hires herself, and convinces him it was originally his idea. She meets the children, then helps them tidy their nursery through song, before heading out for a walk in the park.

Outside, they meet Bert, working as a screever; Mary Poppins uses her magic to transport the group into one of his drawings. While the children ride on a carousel, Mary Poppins and Bert go on a leisurely stroll. Mary Poppins later enchants the carousel horses, and participates in a horse race, which she wins. While being asked to describe her victory, Mary Poppins announces the nonsense word Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. However, the outing is ruined when a thunderstorm dissolves Bert's drawings, returning the group to London.

On another outing, the four meet Uncle Albert, who has floated up in the air due to his uncontrollable laughter; they join him for a tea party on the ceiling, telling jokes. 

More information: Time

Mr. Banks becomes annoyed by the household's cheery atmosphere, and threatens to fire Mary Poppins. Instead, Mary Poppins inverts his attempt by convincing him to take the children to the bank for a day. Mr. Banks takes Jane and Michael to the bank, where they meet Mr. Dawes Sr, and his son. Mr. Dawes aggressively attempts to have Michael invest his tuppence in the bank, snatching it from him. Michael demands it back, causing other customers to misinterpret, and all demand their own money back, causing a bank run.

Jane and Michael flee the bank, getting lost in the East End until they run into Bert, now working as a chimney sweep, who escorts them home. The three and Mary Poppins venture onto the rooftops, where they have a song-and-dance number with other chimney sweeps, which spills out into the Banks' home.

Mr. Banks returns, and receives a phone call from his employers. He speaks with Bert, who tells him he should spend more time with his children before they grow up. Jane and Michael give their father Michael's tuppence in the hope to make amends.

Mr. Banks walks through London to the bank, where he is given a humiliating cashiering, and is dismissed. Looking to the tuppence for words, he blurts out Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!, tells one of Uncle Albert's jokes, and happily heads home. Dawes mulls over the joke, but finally gets it, and floats up into the air, laughing. 

The next day, the wind changes, meaning Mary Poppins must leave. A happier Mr. Banks is found at home, having fixed his children's kite, and takes the family out to fly it.

In the park, the Bankses meet Mr. Dawes Jr, who reveals his father died laughing from the joke, and re-employs Mr. Banks as a junior partner. With her work done, Mary Poppins flies away, with Bert bidding her farewell, telling her not to stay away too long.

More information: The Culture Trip

Mary Poppins Returns is a 2018 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall, with a screenplay written by David Magee and a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Based on the book series of the same name by P. L. Travers, this sequel to 1964's Mary Poppins stars Emily Blunt as the eponymous character with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep in supporting roles. Set in 1930s London, three decades after the events of the original film, it sees Mary Poppins, the former nanny of Jane and Michael Banks, returning after a family tragedy.

Walt Disney Pictures announced the film in September 2015. Marshall was hired later that month, and Blunt and Miranda were cast in February 2016. Principal photography lasted from February to July 2017, and took place at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England. Mary Poppins Returns held its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on November 29, 2018, and was released in the United States on December 19, 2018, making it one of the longest gaps between film sequels in Disney history at 54 years.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Blunt's performance, the musical score and numbers, visuals, production values, and sense of nostalgia, although some critics found it derivative of the first film. It was chosen by both the National Board of Review and American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2018 and received numerous award nominations, including four at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, including for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy, nine at the 24th Critics' Choice Awards and a SAG Award nomination for Blunt at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

More information: Cosmopolitan

 

In every job that must be done, 

there is an element of fun.

Mary Poppins

RICHARD W. VAN DYKE, FROM BERT TO DR MARK SLOAN

Today, The Grandma is relaxing at home. She is watching some of her favourite movies and she has chosen Walt Disney's Mary Poppins, a classic masterpiece. She has remembered one of her beloved families, The Poppins, and she has enjoyed the movie a lot. 

One of the stars of Mary Poppins is Dick Van Dyke, Bert and Mr. Dawes Senior in the movie, the unforgettable actor who was born on a day like today in 1925.

Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, comedian, writer, singer, and dancer, whose award-winning career has spanned seven decades.

Van Dyke first gained recognition on radio and Broadway, then he became known for his role as Rob Petrie on the CBS television sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, which ran from 1961 to 1966. He also gained significant popularity for roles in the musical films Bye Bye Birdie (1963), Mary Poppins (1964), and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).

His other prominent film appearances include roles in The Comic (1969), Dick Tracy (1990), Curious George (2006), Night at the Museum (2006), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), and Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Other prominent TV roles include the leads in The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971–74), Diagnosis: Murder (1993–2001), and Murder 101 (2006–08) which both co-starred his son Barry.

Van Dyke is the recipient of five Primetime Emmys, a Tony, and a Grammy Award, and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1995. He received the Screen Actors Guild's highest honor, the SAG Life Achievement Award, in 2013. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard and has also been recognized as a Disney Legend.

More information: The Guardian

Van Dyke was born on December 13, 1925, in West Plains, Missouri, to Hazel Victoria, a stenographer, and Loren Wayne Cookie Van Dyke (1898–1976), a salesman. He grew up in Danville, Illinois. He is the older brother of actor Jerry Van Dyke (1931–2018), who sometimes appeared as his brother in The Dick Van Dyke Show but is best known for a role in the TV series Coach.

Van Dyke is a Dutch surname, although he has English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry as well. His family line traces back to Mayflower passenger John Alden.

Among Van Dyke's high school classmates in Danville were Donald O'Connor and Bobby Short, both of whom would go on to successful careers as entertainers. One of his closest friends was a cousin of Gene Hackman, the future actor, who also lived in Danville in those years.

Van Dyke's mother's family was very religious, and for a brief period in his youth, he considered a career in ministry, although a drama class in high school convinced him that his true calling was as a professional entertainer. In his autobiography, he wrote, I suppose that I never completely gave up my childhood idea of being a minister. Only the medium and the message changed. I have still endeavored to touch people's souls, to raise their spirits and put smiles on their faces.

Even after the launch of his career as an entertainer, he taught Sunday school in the Presbyterian Church, where he was an elder, and he continued to read such theologians as Martin Buber, Paul Tillich, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who helped explain in practical terms the relevance of religion in everyday life.

More information: The Guardian

Van Dyke left high school in 1944, his senior year, intending to join the United States Army Air Forces for pilot training during World War II. Denied enlistment several times for being underweight, he was eventually accepted for service as a radio announcer before transferring to the Special Services and entertaining troops in the continental United States.

Van Dyke's start in television was with WDSU-TV New Orleans Channel 6 (NBC), first as a single comedian and later as emcee of a comedy program.

Van Dyke's first network TV appearance was with Dennis James on James' Chance of a Lifetime in 1954.

From 1961 to 1966, Van Dyke starred in the CBS sitcom The Dick Van Dyke Show, in which he portrayed a comedy writer named Rob Petrie.

Van Dyke began his film career by playing the role of Albert J. Peterson in the film version of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). That same year, Van Dyke was cast in two roles: as the chimney sweep Bert, and as bank chairman Mr. Dawes Senior, in Walt Disney's Mary Poppins (1964).

Van Dyke received a Grammy Award in 1964, along with Julie Andrews, for his performance on the soundtrack to Mary Poppins.

More information: The Penn Gazette

I think, the 'Van Dyke Show' and 'Mary Poppins'
are two of the best periods of my life.
I had so much fun, I didn't want it to end.

Dick Van Dyke

THE GRANDMA GOES TO THE CINEMA: 'MARY POPPINS'

Mary Poppins Returns

Today, The Grandma has received the visit of Tonyi Tamaki and Claire Fontaine and they have decided to go to the cinema to watch the new sequel of Mary Poppins. The Grandma loves this character. She remembers one of her wonderful families, an unforgettable one that Tonyi Tamaki knows very well.

Before going to the cinema, The Grandma has studied a new lesson of her Elementary Language Practice manual (Grammar 51).

More information: Articles 1

Mary Poppins is a 1964 American musical fantasy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney, with songs written and composed by the Sherman Brothers. The screenplay is by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, based on P. L. Travers's book series Mary Poppins.

The film, which combines live-action and animation, stars Julie Andrews in her feature film debut as Mary Poppins, who visits a dysfunctional family in London and employs her unique brand of lifestyle to improve the family's dynamic. Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, and Glynis Johns are featured in supporting roles. The film was shot entirely at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California using painted London background scenes.

Mary Poppins was released on August 27, 1964, to critical acclaim. It received a total of 13 Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture -a record for any other film released by Walt Disney Studios- and won five; Best Actress for Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Original Music Score, Best Visual Effects, and Best Original Song for Chim Chim Cher-ee.

More information: Bustle

In 2013, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Mary Poppins is considered Walt Disney's crowning live-action achievement, and is the only film that earned a Best Picture nomination in his lifetime.

In Edwardian London, 1910, Bert entertains a crowd as a one-man band when he senses a change in the wind. Afterwards, he directly addresses the audience, and gives them a tour of Cherry Tree Lane, stopping outside the Banks family's home. George Banks returns home to learn from his wife, Winifred, that Katie Nanna has left their service after Jane and Michael ran away again.

Mary Poppins

They are returned shortly after by Constable Jones, who reveals the children were chasing a lost kite. The children ask their father to help build a better kite, but he dismisses them. Taking it upon himself to hire a new nanny, Mr. Banks advertises for a stern, no-nonsense nanny.

Instead, Jane and Michael present their own advertisement for a kinder, sweeter nanny. Mr. Banks rips up the letter, and throws the scraps in the fireplace, but the remains of the advertisement magically float up, and out into the air.

The next day, a number of elderly, sour-faced nannies wait outside the Banks' home, but a strong gust of wind blows them away, and Jane and Michael witness a young nanny descending from the sky using her umbrella. Presenting herself to Mr. Banks, Mary Poppins calmly produces the children's restored advertisement, and agrees with its requests, but promises the astonished banker she will be firm with his children.

As Mr. Banks puzzles over the advertisement's return, Mary Poppins hires herself, and convinces him it was originally his idea. She meets the children, then helps them tidy their nursery through song, before heading out for a walk in the park.

Outside, they meet Bert, working as a screever; Mary Poppins uses her magic to transport the group into one of his drawings. While the children ride on a carousel, Mary Poppins and Bert go on a leisurely stroll. Mary Poppins later enchants the carousel horses, and participates in a horse race, which she wins. While being asked to describe her victory, Mary Poppins announces the nonsense word Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. However, the outing is ruined when a thunderstorm dissolves Bert's drawings, returning the group to London.

On another outing, the four meet Uncle Albert, who has floated up in the air due to his uncontrollable laughter; they join him for a tea party on the ceiling, telling jokes. 

More information: The Guardian

Mr. Banks becomes annoyed by the household's cheery atmosphere, and threatens to fire Mary Poppins. Instead, Mary Poppins inverts his attempt by convincing him to take the children to the bank for a day. Mr. Banks takes Jane and Michael to the bank, where they meet Mr. Dawes Sr, and his son. Mr. Dawes aggressively attempts to have Michael invest his tuppence in the bank, snatching it from him. Michael demands it back, causing other customers to misinterpret, and all demand their own money back, causing a bank run.

Jane and Michael flee the bank, getting lost in the East End until they run into Bert, now working as a chimney sweep, who escorts them home. The three and Mary Poppins venture onto the rooftops, where they have a song-and-dance number with other chimney sweeps, which spills out into the Banks' home.

Mr. Banks returns, and receives a phone call from his employers. He speaks with Bert, who tells him he should spend more time with his children before they grow up. Jane and Michael give their father Michael's tuppence in the hope to make amends.

Mr. Banks walks through London to the bank, where he is given a humiliating cashiering, and is dismissed. Looking to the tuppence for words, he blurts out Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!, tells one of Uncle Albert's jokes, and happily heads home. Dawes mulls over the joke, but finally gets it, and floats up into the air, laughing. 

Mary Poppins

The next day, the wind changes, meaning Mary Poppins must leave. A happier Mr. Banks is found at home, having fixed his children's kite, and takes the family out to fly it.

In the park, the Bankses meet Mr. Dawes Jr, who reveals his father died laughing from the joke, and re-employs Mr. Banks as a junior partner. With her work done, Mary Poppins flies away, with Bert bidding her farewell, telling her not to stay away too long.

More information: Vogue

Mary Poppins Returns is a 2018 American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall, with a screenplay written by David Magee and a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Based on the book series of the same name by P. L. Travers, this sequel to 1964's Mary Poppins stars Emily Blunt as the eponymous character with Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep in supporting roles. Set in 1930s London, three decades after the events of the original film, it sees Mary Poppins, the former nanny of Jane and Michael Banks, returning after a family tragedy.

Walt Disney Pictures announced the film in September 2015. Marshall was hired later that month, and Blunt and Miranda were cast in February 2016. Principal photography lasted from February to July 2017, and took place at Shepperton Studios in Surrey, England. Mary Poppins Returns held its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on November 29, 2018, and was released in the United States on December 19, 2018, making it one of the longest gaps between film sequels in Disney history at 54 years.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Blunt's performance, the musical score and numbers, visuals, production values, and sense of nostalgia, although some critics found it derivative of the first film. It was chosen by both the National Board of Review and American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2018 and received numerous award nominations, including four at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, including for Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy, nine at the 24th Critics' Choice Awards and a SAG Award nomination for Blunt at the 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

The Grandma doesn't want to explain the plot of this sequel. It's better for you to go to the cinema, if you are interested in it and discover it by yourself.

More information: Cosmopolitan

In every job that must be done, 

there is an element of fun.

Mary Poppins

THE JONES VISIT DISNEYLAND IN MARNE-LA-VALLÉE

Marta and Paqui Jones at Disneyland Paris

The Jones are visiting Disneyland Paris in Marne-la-Vallée. They are enjoying with all the characters of this selected club of entertainment. It's a special day for all of them, including The Grandma who has met two lovely old friends, Mary Poppins and Peter Pan, and has remember one of her favourite quotes: Don't grow up. It's a trap!

Disneyland Paris, originally Euro Disney Resort, is an entertainment resort in Marne-la-Vallée, a new town located 32 km  east of the centre of Paris, and is the most visited theme park in all of Europe. It is owned by The Walt Disney Company through subsidiary Euro Disney S.C.A. 

More information: Disneyland Paris

The resort covers 19 km2 and encompasses two theme parks, many resort hotels, a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex, and a golf course, in addition to several additional recreational and entertainment venues.

Disneyland Park is the original theme park of the complex, opening with the resort on 12 April 1992. A second theme park, Walt Disney Studios Park, opened in 2002. The resort is the second Disney park to open outside the United States following the opening of the Tokyo Disney Resort in 1983.

The Jones are visiting Disneyland Paris

Following the success of Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World in Florida, plans to build a similar theme park in Europe emerged in 1972. Under the leadership of E. Cardon Walker, Tokyo Disneyland opened in 1983 in Japan with instant success, forming a catalyst for international expansion. 

In late 1984 the heads of Disney's theme park division, Dick Nunis and Jim Cora, presented a list of approximately 1,200 possible European locations for the park. By March 1985, the number of possible locations for the park had been reduced to four; two in France and two in Spain. Both nations saw the potential economic advantages of a Disney theme park and offered competing financing deals to Disney.

Both Spanish sites were located near the Mediterranean and offered a subtropical climate similar to Disney's parks in California and Florida. Disney had also shown interest in a site near Toulon in southern France, not far from Marseille. The pleasing landscape of that region, as well as its climate, made the location a top competitor for what would be called Euro Disneyland. 

More information: Disneyland Paris News

However, shallow bedrock was encountered beneath the site, which would have rendered construction too difficult. Finally, a site in the rural town of Marne-la-Vallée was chosen because of its proximity to Paris and its central location in Western Europe. This location was estimated to be no more than a four-hour drive for 68 million people and no more than a two-hour flight for a further 300 million.

Silvia & Cris Jones in Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

Michael Eisner, Disney's CEO at the time, signed the first letter of agreement with the French government for the 20-square-kilometre site on 18 December 1985, and the first financial contracts were drawn up during the following spring.

The final contract was signed by the leaders of the Walt Disney Company and the French government and territorial collectivities on 24 March 1987. Construction began in August 1988, and in December 1990, an information centre named Espace Euro Disney was opened to show the public what was being constructed.

In order to provide lodging to patrons, it was decided that 5,200 Disney-owned hotel rooms would be built within the complex. An entertainment, shopping and dining complex based on Walt Disney World's Downtown Disney was designed by Frank Gehry.

More information: BuzzFeed

With its towers of oxidised silver and bronze-coloured stainless steel under a canopy of lights, it opened as Festival Disney. For a projected daily attendance of 55,000, Euro Disney planned to serve an estimated 14,000 people per hour inside the Euro Disneyland park. In order to accomplish this, 29 restaurants were built inside the park, with a further 11 restaurants built at the Euro Disney resort hotels and five at Festival Disney.

The Grandma with Mary Poppins and Peter Pan

Unlike Disney's American theme parks, Euro Disney aimed for permanent employees, an estimated requirement of 12,000 for the theme park itself, as opposed to seasonal and temporary part-time employees. Casting centres were set up in Paris, London and Amsterdam. 

However, it was understood by the French government and Disney that a concentrated effort would be made to tap into the local French labour market.  

Disney sought workers with sufficient communication skills, who spoke two European languages, French and one other, and were socially outgoing. Following precedent, Euro Disney set up its own Disney University to train workers. 24,000 people had applied by November 1991.

The prospect of a Disney park in France was a subject of debate and controversy. Critics, who included prominent French intellectuals, denounced what they considered to be the cultural imperialism of Euro Disney and felt it would encourage an unhealthy American type of consumerism in France. For others, Euro Disney became a symbol of America within France. On 28 June 1992, a group of French farmers blockaded Euro Disney in protest of farm policies supported at the time by the United States.

More information: Theme Park Touristic

A journalist at the centre-right French newspaper Le Figaro wrote, I wish with all my heart that the rebels would set fire to Euro Disneyland. Ariane Mnouchkine, a Parisian stage director, named the concept a cultural Chernobyl, a phrase which would be echoed in the media during Euro Disney's initial years.

In response, French philosopher Michel Serres noted, It is not America that is invading us. It is we who adore it, who adopt its fashions and above all, its words. Euro Disney S.C.A.'s then-chairman Robert Fitzpatrick responded, We didn't come in and say O.K., we're going to put a beret and a baguette on Mickey Mouse. We are who we are.

Susana & Ana Jones are enjoying the attractions

Topics of controversy also included Disney's American managers requiring English to be spoken at all meetings and Disney's appearance code for members of staff, which listed regulations and limitations for the use of makeup, facial hair, tattoos, jewellery and more.

French labour unions mounted protests against the appearance code, which they saw as an attack on individual liberty. Others criticised Disney as being insensitive to French culture, individualism and privacy, because restrictions on individual or collective liberties were illegal under French law, unless it could be demonstrated that the restrictions are requisite to the job and do not exceed what is necessary.

Disney countered by saying that a ruling that barred them from imposing such an employment standard could threaten the image and long-term success of the park. For us, the appearance code has a great effect from a product identification standpoint, said Thor Degelmann, Euro Disney's personnel director. Without it we couldn't be presenting the Disney product that people would be expecting.

More information: The Telegraph

According to the Disneyland Paris website the theme park's top five attractions are It's a Small World, Space Mountain: Mission 2, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters. It's a Small World, located in Fantasyland, takes visitors on a musical tour of world attractions; Space Mountain: Mission 2 is a roller coaster in Discoveryland; Big Thunder Mountain is a mine train roller coaster in Frontierland; Pirates of the Caribbean is located in Adventureland; and Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, located in Discoveryland, was inspired by the Disney/Pixar film Toy Story 2 and features people shooting lasers at targets to earn points.

The park is approximately 1,942 ha, and is divided into two main parks that each hold separate attraction areas within them. The park receives around twelve million visitors a year which makes it the most visited place in Europe.

Download Map of Disneyland Paris

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Mary Poppins

THE JONES IN THE GAMES ROOM: PLAY & ENJOY

Shelock Holmes

Today, The Jones have spent an unusual day playing in the Games Room of Hogwarts. It has been a very beautiful day because lots of magic friends have come to visit them: From Mary Poppins to Cleopatra, from Johan Cruyff Sherloch Holmes. 

They have also participated in a Quidditch Championship. It has been a beautiful experience.

The family is going to spent this Easter in Hogwarts and they are going to meet every member of the Magic School deeply, apying a lot of attention to their biographies.

Quidditch is a wizarding sport played on broomsticks. It is the most popular game and most well-known game among wizards and witches, and, according to Rubeus Hagrid, the equivalent to Muggles' passion for football.

The object of the game is to score more points than your opponents. Each goal is worth ten points and catching the Snitch is worth one-hundred fifty points. The game ends when the Snitch is caught or an agreement is reached between the captains of both teams. Some games can go on for many days if the Snitch is not caught, the record, according to Quidditch Through the Ages, is three months. 

Happy Easter Jones and good reading!

Download Play Games with English 1 & 3

Talent wins games, but teamwork 

and intelligence wins championships. 

Michael Jordan

WALT DISNEY: THE GREAT GENIUS OF ANIMATION

Mickey Mouse & Walt Disney

Walter Elias "Walt" Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor and film producer. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film producer, Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Born in Chicago in 1901, Disney developed an early interest in drawing. He took art classes as a boy and got a job as a commercial illustrator at the age of 18. He moved to Hollywood in the early 1920s and set up the Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. With Ub Iwerks, Walt developed the character Mickey Mouse in 1928, his first highly popular success; he also provided the voice for his creation in the early years. 

More information: The Walt Disney Company

As the studio grew, Disney became more adventurous, introducing synchronized sound, full-color three-strip Technicolor, feature-length cartoons and technical developments in cameras.

Mary Poppins in London

The results, seen in features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Fantasia, Pinocchio (both 1940), Dumbo (1941) and Bambi (1942), furthered the development of animated film. 

After a period of struggling feature films in the aftermath of World War II, new animated and live-action films followed in the 1950s, including the critically successful Cinderella (1950) and Mary Poppins (1964), the latter of which received five Academy Awards and was the first Disney production nominated as the Best Picture of the year.

Disney remains the central figure in the history of animation. Through technological innovations and alliances with governments and corporations, he transformed a minor studio in a marginal form of communication into a multinational leisure industry giant. Despite his critics, his vision of a modern, corporate utopia as an extension of traditional American values has possibly gained greater currency in the years after his death.

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
 

Walt Disney