Kids' Books Come to Life

Mary Poppins, 1964
It took Disney over two decades to persuade M.L. Travers, author of the Poppins books, to allow the studio to bring her magical nanny to the big screen. Travers fretted that Disney, known for its cartoons, could not do justice to a live-action treatment of her character. Nevertheless, the special effects that the Disney filmmakers developed, like Mary's umbrella-powered flight, were considered state-of-the art in their day. The film also blurs the line between real action and animation by having the stars, Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews, cavort with cartoon penguins in an extended animation sequence.

• Read TIME's review of "Where the Wild Things Are"