These days, it’s not hard to guess how some of the most breathtaking moments in TV and film are made. It’s all by computer, right? Whether it’s painting out more modern buildings for shows like Game of Thrones or creating entirely new characters (like the Hulk), computers play a huge role in filmmaking.
However, when Mary Poppins was released in 1964, CGI didn’t exist–computers barely did! So how did they pull off all the magic? Practical effects! And it seems Mary Poppins Returns has taken a page or two from its predecessor’s tricks of the trade…
1964
When the original Mary Poppins was made, computer generated images were something more easily dreamed up in Star Trek than actually used in “modern” filmmaking. In fact, green screens were barely a thing!
The long way ’round
Back then, Disney shot the soon-to-be classic movie using black sound stages and screens, and then added the practical sets (or hand drawn) backgrounds in afterward.
No computers here, guys.
Bigger on the inside
In this scene, you can see a hand holding the base of the potted plant Julie Andrews as Mary is pulling up through her bag.
The scene was then re-shot without the table or Mary, then spliced together to create one magical moment.
A new generation
As computers became more and more integrated into our daily lives, they also took on previously practical roles in film. The first mainstream CGI audiences were exposed to was in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.
By 1993, Jurassic Park was blowing our minds with CGI dinosaurs interacting with animatronic ones seamlessly.
Side note
Practical effects still had their uses as the computer age came about: the iconic shot of the glass shaking on the car dashboard from Jurassic Park was achieved by stringing guitar wire under the cup and merely plucking it.
This created perfect, concentric circles to signal the T-Rex’s presence.
Okay, back to Mary Poppins.
Fast forward
Okay, that’s great, you’re thinking, but how is this relevant to now?
Well, first of all, you’re welcome for that brief history of computers in film.
Second of all, it’s relevant because Mary Poppins Returns decided to…ditch the computer and pluck a guitar string, one might say.
2018
Mary’s back! After 54 years, Emily Blunt stepped in and filled Julie Andrews’ shoes, taking on the role of Mary Poppins for Mary Poppins Returns, joining Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, and Dick Van Dyke (what a cast).
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Banks, banks, banks
In the film, Mary’s magic spreads through the Banks’ lives once more.
This time, she’s taking on Michael’s three young children to bring a little order to their chaotic lives.
A spoonful
Much of the trailer highlights the fantastical differences between the first and second Mary Poppins films.
This film has huge amounts of CGI and computer magic, adding extra levels of sugary delight to Mary’s whimsical ways.
Bathtime
One moment towards the end of the trailer has caught the internet’s attention since the trailer (and the film itself) debuted: Mary falling into a full bathtub and completely disappearing.
Practical magic
But how was this particular trick done? As it turns out, as some of the best ones are: completely practically.
Twitter user @disneyamore’s video (reposted by @CafeFantasia ) has blown everyone’s minds with the behind-the-scenes look at how Emily Blunt filmed the scene.
Old school
As she explains in another video, the bathtub was filled to the brim with just bubbles.
Emily then had to sit on the edge of the tub and propel herself back into the tub.
Slip ‘n slide
She then slipped down through the bubbles and past a trap door built into the tub, heading backward right down a slide underneath the floor.
She stayed sitting up the whole time!
No CGI required
Emily then hit the mats next to the slide, and voila! The trick is complete. All practical effects and absolutely no CGI required. She did the stunt twice before calling it quits.
Wrap it up
All in all, the stunt and shot itself total up to no more than 6 seconds. However, it was a worthy 6 seconds: not only were people dazzled by it in the film, but the video has now racked up over 6 million views.
Movie Magic: “Inception”
Inception is chock full of practical effects, but the most extreme example has to be the hallway fight.
In order to achieve the effect of a hallway constantly turning, a hallway set was built and then mounted on a giant machine that would actually rotate it over and over while the actors fought inside it.
Movie Magic: “Thor: The Dark World”
Why animate a truck levitating when you can stick a giant rod through it and do it yourself? That’s what the crew of Thor: The Dark World did, only using CGI to hide the giant crane moving the truck behind it. Metal.
Movie Magic: “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”
Jabba the Hut. You know, the giant slug man who imprisons Leia, and then gets choked to death by her using her own chains? (Spoiler alert.)
Well, he was real. He required 7 puppeteers to move, and cost $500k. Ouch.
Movie Magic: “Skyfall”
Opting out of using CGI to crash a train into the London catacombs, the crew hung a real train from rails and then just crashed it into a wall they built.
It’s a spectacular thing you have to see to believe.
Movie Magic: “Jurassic Park”
What, you thought we were done with the majesty of Jurassic Park? Nah. Speaking of majesty — her royal highness, the Tyrannosaurus rex, was actually a mix of practical and CGI.
Yup, that definitely means they actually built a life-size T-Rex. Nightmare fuel.
Movie Magic: “The Dark Knight”
What’s with movie crews and trucks? For this practical trick, a truck blows up and flips upside down. So what did they do?
Well, they blew up a truck and flipped it upside-down— using hydraulics and some very careful timing.
Movie Magic: “Apollo 13”
How do you simulate a zero-g environment when you’re decidedly stuck on Earth? You hit up the vomit comet. In order to make the actors appear like they were floating, they were boarded onto a plane that specializes in sharp climbs and drops, which create momentary weightless moments. Barf. Literally.
Movie Magic: “The Dark Knight Rises”
There’s many scenes in TDKR that defy CGI, but one really terrifying notable example is when a plane’s fuselage just falls from the sky and crashes into the ground. Why was it terrifying? Because they really did drop an entire plane fuselage out of the sky.
Okie dokie.
Movie Magic: “Mad Max: Fury Road”
This is so cool that it’s actually hot. Because fire. Get it?
Anyway. The scene in Fury Road where a guitar player jams on top of a moving car while flames shoot out of his guitar…was all real. Including the flames.
I’m going to be paying attention to these movie magic moments next time!
