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The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (1976) More at IMDbPro »

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3 items from 2012

7 March 2012 2:37 PM, PST | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »

On March 5th, Robert Sherman, one half of the Sherman Brothers songwriting team (with his brother Richard) who did much to shape and define the "Disney sound," died at the age of 86. Chances are, even if you have no idea who Robert Sherman is, you can sing one of his songs with minimal mental strain, or can call a moment from your childhood that was structured exclusively around one of his songs. Sherman was a brilliant and beautiful songwriter, crafting indelible tunes for movies like "Mary Poppins," "The Jungle Book," and "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," but he was also responsible for something deeper and more profound – he helped shape popular culture through songs that were sweet but never saccharine, optimistic but never too sunny, and meant for children but universal enough to make grown adults cry (and sing along). His impact cannot be overstated.

Robert Sherman served in World War II. »

- Drew Taylor

6 March 2012 10:47 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »

Robert B Sherman, who has died aged 86, was part of one of the most unusual songwriting teams of all time. He and his younger brother Richard may not be as well known as other pairs of composers and lyricists, but they will for ever be remembered as the writers of Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book and a swath of other productions from Walt Disney Studios.

Their score for Mary Poppins (1964), the movie that introduced Julie Andrews to filmgoers, secured them a place in popular musical history and made them multimillionaires. Featuring songs including Jolly Holiday, Let's Go Fly a Kite and Feed the Birds, it won them two Oscars. It also included the classic A Spoonful of Sugar and the song with the one-word title that they used when they accepted the Academy awards: "All we can say is 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'. »

- Michael Freedland

6 March 2012 9:59 AM, PST | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »

One half of the Sherman Brothers songwriting team, the legendary Disney musicals composer died today. We look back at his greatest movie hits, including classics such as I Wanna Be Like You and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Robert B Sherman was the son of Jewish immigrants to the Us, and while still in his teens he was part of the first American military unit to enter the Dachau concentration camp shortly after its evacuation in 1945. After the war, he joined with his younger brother Richard to form a songwriting partnership. It took until 1958 before they had their first top 10 hit, Tall Paul, with Mouseketeer Annette Funicello. As a result, the duo subsequently came to the notice of Walt Disney, and they became staff songwriters for the Disney studio. They composed a song for Disney's It's a Small World attraction at the 1964 New York World's Fair and, as the song remained »

- Andrew Pulver

3 items from 2012