Episode 495: Welcome back, fellow Mouseketeers, to another practically perfect episode of Traveling with the Mouse! In Episode 495, we mix a spoonful of nostalgia with a dash of curiosity as we explore one of the most glaring missed opportunities in Disney Parks history: Why hasn’t Mary Poppins received a significant attraction of her own? But Before we hop on our chalk-drawn carousel horses and soar into the realm of possibilities, let’s run through this week’s Disney news…
We discuss the latest with the Disney Abu Dhabi project. Epic Universe officially opens this week and we will finally see what the impact on Walt Disney World will be. Mickey’s Not so Scary Halloween released the dates a pricing for 2025 and they are not so low, in fact the prices are up across the board for the Halloween Parties.
🌂 The Curious Case of the Missing Mary Poppins Ride
Now onto the main topic: Where is our Mary Poppins attraction?!
Let’s rewind the tape…
1964 – The Movie That Practically Perfected Itself
Mary Poppins was a massive hit — critically, commercially, and culturally. Julie Andrews became a household name. The Sherman Brothers gave us songs that still echo down Main Street. So why didn’t Walt greenlight a ride?
Well, our best guess? Timing. Walt passed away in 1966, just two years after the film’s release. The company entered a state of “WWWD” — What Would Walt Do? — which led to a lot of ideas being shelved or slow-walked while Walt Disney World came into being. That being said, We had fun brainstorming what a Mary Poppins attraction might have looked like if Disney had pulled the trigger in different decades: From the end of the Walt Era, through the lost years, into the Eisner era where we did get Mary Poppins included in an attraction but not it’s own to the present day where IP reigns supreme. Mary Poppins is one of Disney’s most iconic characters. She has Oscar gold, a timeless score, and cross-generational appeal — and yet, she’s never been given a proper ride. Ultimately, timing is everything and this popular film just never found the right timing. It’s fun to dream about though.
Epsidoe: 231 – Today we are breaking down all of the major news that came out the recent D23 expo! We cover the major news from Disney Plus to the new announcement for Disney Parks around the world. We then focus on the many upcoming and ongoing changes to Epcot. We conclude by each giving our top 3 things to come out of this year’s D23! Let us know what you are most excited about.