Dick Van Dyke Chats About 'MARY POPPINS' with CNN

Beloved screen legend Dick Van Dyke discussed Walt Disney's Mary Poppins with CNN in celebration of the classic film's 45th Anniversary Edition DVD release.

He reveals the true reason for his casting and the staying power of the Disney classic. To read the CNN exclusive click here.

The Walt Disney Studios celebrates the 45th Anniversary of the 1964 classic film, Mary Poppins, with a 2-disc special edition DVD featuring brand new bonus materials from the hit stage production based on the popular film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and on the P.L. Travers books.

 Released today January 27, 2009, the DVD set will features a new 45-minute documentary, "Mary Poppins: From Page to Stage" that takes audiences behind the scenes for a close look at the creation of the stage musical produced by DTP and Cameron Mackintosh. Filmed in the UK, France and the United States, the documentary is a series of intimate conversations with many of the stage versions' creators including producers Cameron Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher, composers George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, Richard Sherman, who co-wrote music and lyrics for the original film and set and costume designer Bob Crowley. The documentary also features a roundtable discussion at the world-famous Sardi's restaurant in New York City between Schumacher and actors Ashley Brown and Gavin Lee, who originated the roles of Mary Poppins and Bert in the Broadway production.

Another extra from the stage version is the musical number "Step In Time" shot in its entirety onstage at the New Amsterdam Theatre, the show's Broadway home since 2006. The number showcases showstopping technical effects, as Bert and his chimneysweeps dance with Mary and the Banks children over the rooftops of London. The performance features Brown, Lee and the full Broadway company performing the never-before-filmed popular number from the show, also downloadable as an MP3 audio file.

Mary Poppins is currently running on Broadway as the show's popularity grows around the globe. Following a successful three-year run at the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End, a UK tour commenced this summer and is garnering critical and box office success. In April of 2010, an open-ended run of Mary Poppins will launch at the Circustheater in Scheveningen, Holland, outside of Amsterdam. Holland will mark the fifth production of Mary Poppins, with a sixth planned for Australia in 2010. Last month, a new local production opened in Gothenburg, Sweden, and upcoming engagements are scheduled for Denmark, Finland and Hungary.

Photo by James Sims