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Outlook: The secrets behind my Disney songs

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King Louie and Mowgli from Disney's animated version of The Jungle Book (credit: Rex Features)

17/02/2019 GMT

The secrets behind my Disney songs

BBC World Service - Outlook, The secrets behind my Disney songs

Composer Richard M. Sherman on making music for Mary Poppins and The Jungle Book

Legendary song writing duo Richard M. Sherman and his brother Robert overcame sibling rivalry to create some of the most beloved songs in cinema history.

Richard M. Sherman and his brother Robert created some of the most beloved songs in cinema history. They were the song-writing duo that convinced jazz star Louis Prima to transform into King Louie, the devious King of the Apes in The Jungle Book. And if you ever wondered what Walt Disney’s own personal favourite song was, well, it’s on the Sherman Brothers’ Oscar-winning soundtrack to Mary Poppins. Outlook’s Maryam Maruf met Richard in 2016. He belted out some of his classic tunes on his piano, and told her the stories behind their creations – including persuading a prickly PL Travers to assent to the screen transformation of her beloved Mary; and his own sibling rivalry with his brother Robert. 

A longer version of this episode is available on the Outlook podcast.

Image: King Louie and Mowgli from Disney's animated version of The Jungle Book
Credit: Rex Features

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