She’s a Witch! by Kate Kaynak
I considered titling this article: “She Weighs the Same as a Duck (Because She’s Made of Wood).” But that set the nerd coefficient into the red zone. However, I still wanted to share my recent epiphany:
MARY POPPINS IS A WITCH.
It’s obvious, once you look at it from a post-Rowling perspective.
- She flies with an enchanted umbrella. Hagrid had something similar.
- She makes a room clean itself.
- She has a handbag that holds furniture. Hermione had a bag like that in book 7.
And it’s obvious that a British person such as herself must have learned all those things at Hogwarts, right? I’m not saying she’s evil or anything–just magical in the same way that Harry and Hermione and Ron and Professor McGonagall are. We never learn her back-story in the movie, but I imagine her as the Jane Eyre of the magic world–governess to the muggles.
Oh, and Burt’s a wizard, of course. Don’t tell me that all chimney-sweeps/one-man-bands/street artists can make chalk drawings that people can hang out in for a day. The thing he did to his pants so he could dance with the penguins has to be supernatural.
Why didn’t I see it before? I think it’s because Julie Andrews played her as such a Glinda in the movie. I once heard that the author of the original book cried at the premiere–they’d ruined her character. So now I have to read the original P.L. Travers book, just to know for sure. If I were still in school, I’d consider writing a term paper comparing/contrasting the magical worlds of Harry Potter and Mary Poppins. Geez, even the names look similar. Harry Potter. Mary Poppins.
With the right teacher, that could earn a solid “A.”
If my four-year-old could type, he’d comment that “Mary Poppins is NOT a witch!” He repeats this emphatically whenever I allude to my aforementioned epiphany. I accidentally may have ruined a childhood classic for him. He still inhabits a Disney-based world in which witches are the bad women who try to snuff pretty girls with apples, thorn-bush moats, and other plant-based methods of destruction. He doesn’t yet understand that witches don’t need to be the villains, although even a “white” witch like Mary can still be a little terrifying. Personally, I take comfort in having such power as a force for good.
I bet this idea haunts you for the rest of the day. I know it still haunts me.
About the Author
Kate Kaynak, Ph.D. is an author, consultant, college professor, superhero, caffeine-junkie, and mother of three. She also blogs as The Disgruntled Bear. Her debut novel, Minder, comes out in June 2010 from Spencer Hill Press. Please visit her website at http://www.ganzfield.com.
Spoonful of Sugar – Julie Andrews
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Mary Poppins $8.86 Winner of five Oscars (including two for Richard and Robert Sherman’s memorable slate of songs), Disney’s 1964 adaptation of British author P.L. Travers’ beloved children’s tales melded live action, animation and music more successfully than any film before or since. Containing the most complete version of the Sherman Brothers’ score and a wealth of previously unavailable behind-the-scenes treas… |
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Alice in Wonderland (Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection) [VHS] $4.06 Imaginatively rendered but slightly chilly, this 1951 Disney adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic is also appropriately surreal. Alice (voiced by Kathryn Beaumont) has all the anticipated experiences: shrinking and growing, meeting the White Rabbit, having tea with the Mad Hatter, etc. Characterization is very strong, and the Disney team worked hard to bring screen personality to Carroll’s ecce… |
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Mary Poppins [VHS] $5.99 There is only one word that comes close to accurately describing the enchanting Mary Poppins, and that term was coined by the movie itself: supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Even at 2 hours and 20 minutes, Disney’s pioneering mixture of live action and animation (based on the books by P.L. Travers) still holds kids spellbound. Julie Andrews won an Oscar as the world’s most magically idealized na… |
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Disney Sing Along Songs – Mary Poppins – Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious [VHS] $9.99 Sing, dance, and play along with your favorite Disney songs! It’s fun and easy as you read the on-screen lyrics and join your favorite characters in their most memorable musical moments! Get ready to laugh and sing with wonderful tunes from one of the most popular musical films of all time — MARY POPPINS! Join everyone’s favorite nanny in singing along to “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” “I … |
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Mary Poppins – 45th Anniversary Special Edition (DVD) $19.79 A magical, musical nanny brings a breath of fresh air into the stuffy Banks household in turn-of-the-century England. Overstuffed with gaiety, this children`s fantasy is filled to the brim with wonderful dance numbers and outrageous songs (such as the … |
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Mary Poppins from a to Z $11.51 Features twenty-six vignettes, one for each letter of the alphabet, starring Mary Poppins and other characters from the Mary Pop |
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Original Soundtrack – Mary Poppins (Special Editon) [Digipak] [Remaster] $8.77 Description Not Available |
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Mary Poppins $9.25 A delightful collection of 11 songs complete with a synopsis with color photos from the film. Songs include: Chim Chim Cher-ee * Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious * A Spoonful of Sugar * and more. |
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Michael Kenna ‘Mary Poppins over Midtown, NY 2006′ Framed Art Print $172.84 Artist: Michael KennaTitle: Mary Poppins over Midtown, NY 2006Product type: Framed art print |
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‘Mary Poppins over Midtown, NY 2006′ Metal Framed Art $161.99 Artist: Michael KennaTitle: Mary Poppins over Midtown, NY 2006Product Type: Metal Framed Art |
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Michael Kenna ‘Mary Poppins over Midtown, NY 2006′ Framed Print $144.89 Artist: Michael KennaTitle: Mary Poppins over Midtown, NY 2006Product Type: Framed art print |
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Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Comes Back (Hardcover) $16.4 With the original, iconic illustrations, an omnibus edition combines the first two classics featuring the beloved nanny that inspired both the 1964 movie and the Broadway musical. |
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Mary Poppins $9.49 A delightful collection of 11 songs complete with a synopsis with color photos from the film. Songs include: Chim Chim Cher-ee * Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious * A Spoonful of Sugar * and more. |
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Disney`s Karaoke Series/Karaoke/Various Artists – Disney`s Karaoke Series: Mary Poppins $9.89 Disc 1:Spoonful of Sugar – (instrumental, with Disney`s Karaoke Series)Jolly Holiday – (instrumental, with Disney`s Karaoke Series)Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious – (instrumental, with Disney`s Karaoke Series)Stay … |
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Mary Poppins $13.69 Not anything like the movie, this Mary Poppins is prim, strict, and never tells anybody anything. Arriving mysteriously with the |
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Original Soundtrack – Mary Poppins: The Supercalifragilistic Musical $14.97 255 characters or less! |
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Mary Poppins $10.26 Not anything like the movie, this Mary Poppins is prim, strict, and never tells anybody anything. Arriving mysteriously with the |
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