This film is the perfect companion to the two CD set "The Sherman Brothers Songbook," which I listened to before I watched the DVD of this film.Let's start with what I already knew. I knew that the Sharman's had written the vast majority of the songs used in Disney's films of the 60s and early 70s. I likewise knew that they had written some of the songs used at the theme parks. But they wrote so much more.They wrote songs for albums by former Mouseketeer Annette, such as "Tall Paul," which topped the pop charts, and "Pineapple Princess." They wrote "Sweet Sixteen," which became a number one hit for Ringo Starr. They wrote songs for the film musical "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." I knew that they had written "It's a Small World." But they contributed even more that I hadn't even remotely been aware of.If you've ever been to a Disney theme park, their footprints are everywhere. "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room." "Magic Journeys" at Epcot. "Meet the World," used at Tokyo Disneyland. "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow," the song used at The Magic Kingdom's Carousel of Progress." The real treat of the CD is "Makin' Memories," at "Journey Into Imagination" at Epcot. Disney edited a slew of photos ranging from touching to cute to funny to this song. It's was replaced years ago, but I've always loved that song.What shocked me is that they had written several songs for "Winnie the Pooh," and the Charlie Brown animated films.Their are some people that they interviewed for the film that were complete surprises, such as Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborn, and director John Landis. It was also cool to see Pink Floyd covering one of the Sherman's classics.Some other nice touches include one of the Sherman's singing and playing the piano for "Feed the Birds." During this song they inter-cut Walt Disney feeding birds on the Disney lot.Highly recommended.

Starting in 1961 with an inauspicious tune called "Strummin' Song" (from "The Horsemasters"), brothers Robert and Richard Sherman, sons of Russian-Jewish immigrants, became the in-house, go-to songwriters for the Walt Disney Company. They churned out one melodious, deceptively simple ditty after another, until they eventually hit upon Oscar gold with their score from "Mary Poppins". As it turns out, the fabulously talented Shermans are not unlike most siblings: there are rivalries between the two, personality differences which cause them to clash, and they're not really the best of friends. This incredibly moving documentary, directed by the duo's sons, Gregory and Jeff Sherman, was a valiant attempt to get Robert and Richard to reconcile their feelings for one another--and to acknowledge their extensive body of work, which is often unfairly criticized as being sappy or sugary. It may indeed seem a bit of a stretch to compare the Shermans to John Lennon and Paul McCartney...but after hearing such wonderful songs as "Feed the Birds" (Walt's personal favorite), "On the Front Porch" (Robert's favorite), "A Spoonful of Sugar", "Winnie the Pooh", and "It's a Small World", among others, their resume becomes a virtual collection of childhood memories. The Shermans deserved this valentine to their talents as sentimental and romantic songwriters par excellence, and the family story which slowly plays out behind-the-scenes underscores their sunshiny output with realistic melancholy. It is quite an achievement. ***1/2 from ****

Never heard of this movie? That's because it's not very good. For over an hour, it makes the fatal mistake of assuming that the audience is already interested in its topic. It doesn't draw you in or build. And the makers are unfamiliar with the concept of "getting to the point." After 45 minutes all we know is that the two famous song-writing brothers of countless Disney songs don't talk to each other. It teases this forever. We are going back in history and revisiting their childhood home; at a point it still hasn't conveyed anything beyond "they don't like each other." I lost patience waiting for them to get on with it and began to jump over portions. Bobby, a very sympathetic figure, is so difficult to understand they should've put sub-titles on screen when he talks.The aspect of Sherman songs that the movie doesn't acknowledge is that they are delightful to kids, and excruciating to adults. The Sherman brothers didn't write some of the most irritating songs ever written, they appear to have written ALL of them.(Supercalifragilisticexpialadocious, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, It's a small world, Let's go fly a kite, Feed the Birds, Chim chim Chiree, Winnie the Pooh, Hushabye mountain, me ole Bamboo, Toot Sweets) Songs that get stuck in your head in the bad way. The movie is really just an excuse to parade these songs past you.

This little shown intimate portrait of the Sherman Brothers seems to have been largely overlooked in favor of the more broadly drawn "Waking Sleeping Beauty". That is most unfortunate because this is much more profound both as a peek into the creative functioning of the Disney empire...and as a fascinating unvarnished love letter to the astonishingly prolific and inspired team that gave the studio product so much of it's sparkle...This is an exquisite film with the interviews and clips arranged for maximum impact...(the DVD is even more of a treasure trove...the out-takes and extended scenes being just as valuable as the material that made the final cut). The tear jerking moments depicting "The Boys'" relationship with Walt Disney...and his love for "Feed the Birds" has been hinted at before...but this film brings it into a clear focus that makes it a must see for everyone who ever loved one of the studio's films...or ever hummed along to one of the teams immortal creations.There will be some people upset that this ends up being less of a happily ever after fairy tale than they would expect. This documentary lovingly depicts the somewhat strained relationship between two brothers who were very different people and how they were able to come together in one glorious project...the creation of songs that will live as long as there are children to re-discover them.Co-directed by the sons of "The Boys" this is also a delicious portrait of the lives of two families...and of Hollywood Magic in the mid 20th century...The moving reminiscences and archival clips are alone worth the price of the Disc!