THE BOYS: THE SHERMAN BROTHERS' STORY
Release date: November 30, 2010

“The Boys: The Sherman Brothers’ Story” is sure to give you new insight into the history of this legendary songwriting team and there’s some really fantastic rare film footage and photos as well.

I remember meeting Bob and Dick Sherman twenty years ago at the Disney Studios and soon after, the three of us got together for an unforgettable lunch at the Smokehouse in Burbank. It seems like yesterday that Dick told me to sit in the middle so I don’t have to ping pong my head to listen to both of them. They were happy to answer my questions as I asked about the “Carousel of Progress,” the “Tiki Room,” “Journey Into Imagination,” “Magic Journeys,” “Winnie the Pooh,” “Mary Poppins” and so much more.

In time, I became friends with one of Bob’s sons, who was still living with his father, and spent quite a bit of time at his house. We always had some time to sit down with Bob before we’d rush out to whatever we were doing, and those were always fun times. Bob is one of the kindest, gentlest men I’ve known, with a very fatherly persona. I don’t ever recall him saying anything negative about his brother.

Woven within the story of the Sherman Brothers and all that fantastic footage, the film tends to focus on the brothers differences and how that kept them from ever being close away from work. Whether or not that aspect is exaggerated for today’s Hollywood, I would hate to think that people will always hear their music and have that in mind. The legacy they have left the world with their legendary work is what should be remembered first and foremost, and there is certainly no shortage of that history in “The Boys.”

The BONUS FEATURES primarily feature various personalities who appeared throughout the main film, discussing the various topics and reminiscing. Some of those featured include Debbie Reynolds, John Davidson, Leslie Ann Warren, Angela Lansbury, Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke amongst many others.

WHY THEY’RE “THE BOYS” (2:37) simply looks at why the Shermans’ were and are called “the boys.”

DISNEY STUDIOS IN THE ‘60s (3:34) discusses what it was like to work for Walt Disney in the ‘60s

CASTING MARY POPPINS (3:40) is an interesting piece about how Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke were cast in their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert, with reminiscences from the two stars themselves.

THE PROCESS (4:21) is largely about people’s thoughts on the songs of the brothers.

THEME PARKS (9:09) centers around some of the more popular songs written for the Disney theme parks such as “It’s a Small World” and “(There’s a) Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.” Although most of their more rare songs were not included, I was delighted to see some video clips of the 3D film “Magic Journeys” (which was set to audio of Dick singing the song).

CELEBRATION (3:54) allows the various personalities to share their thoughts about the Sherman Brothers.

BOB’S ART (2:15) is a short piece of Bob’s artistic side, along with some of his own artwork.

SHERMAN BROTHERS JUKEBOX – Don’t let the name fool you with this one. This is far from simply selecting songs and hearing them. When you select any of the over a dozen songs you will be treated to a rare video clip or short interviews related to the song. I particularly enjoyed hearing what Dick Van Dyke had to say about “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

My favorite bonus feature is ROY WILLIAMS (3:23). Fans of the original “Mickey Mouse Club” know Roy as the lovable big Mooseketeer, but Roy was also an artist and storyman at Disney. With an office near Bob and Dick’s, he would often draw relevant doodles for them, and many of these are showcased while Dick describes the situations behind the artwork.