The Jewish brothers who won over Walt Disney

For a man who allegedly had a problem with Jews, Walt Disney was more than happy to work with the Sherman Brothers. So happy in fact that he never failed to employ the sibling composers when songs were required  for his animated features.

Pushed into music by their Russian-Jewish songwriter father Al who wrote tunes for Tin Pan Alley, Robert and Richard Sherman started writing songs together in 1951 and after scoring a hit with the title song for Doris Day’s album Bright and Shiny, they were hired as staff musicians for Disney.

As a result of this hiring there is barely a Disney movie that doesn’t carry a Sherman bros’ credit, so that’s all the music for Mary Poppins – yes, even ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’ , Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jungle Book  Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Aristocats and bless them, Richard and Robert even wrote the Disney theme park favourite that sticks in your head – It’s A Small World – which is the most-performed song of all time. But all their hits and Oscar wins pale beside The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. 

The 1977 animated film was the last Walt Disney worked on and he loved it, especially that moment when Rabbit draws a face on Pooh’s bottom. That is gospel according to Jonathan Rockefeller, the creator and director of Winnie The Pooh The Musical, which is currently on at the Riverside Studios before going off on a UK tour.

“We’re delighted to bring Pooh Bear home to where he was born,” says Jonathan, an Australian who was mentored by and worked as an assistant to film director Baz Luhrmann. “Pooh will be 102 in August, so this is a wonderful opportunity to bring him to the stage in the UK for the first time.”

When the show opened in New York in 2021, it broke box office records for the largest advance. Not a surprise as kids and adults alike adore the story and the show includes ‘The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers’ along with   Pooh’s own made-up hums as written by author AA Milne, which have now been set to music. Pooh himself delivers it, though he is no longer a toy or a cartoon,  but a 5ft puppet.

“This isn’t actors in animal costumes,” stresses Jonathan.
“This is a team of brilliant puppeteers who walk around moving life-size puppets that look exactly like the characters. It’s like seeing animation on the stage; Tigger leaps three feet in the air and Owl flies. You don’t notice the actors when watching the puppets.”

Having seen the show I can confirm that the animals do all those things and raise coos and aaghs of affection the moment they appear. They silenced at least three toddlers from beginning to end, though some of the older children were rather too keen to touch Pooh.  Actor Jake Bazel sounds exactly like Sterling Holloway, the voice of Disney’s Pooh Bear, which is very charming and I was desperate for a hug.

“It’s for anyone aged three to 100, ” says Jonathan relating to my urge. “50 percent of the audience who come are people without children and they also pay for the meet and greet.”

As if anyone would pass up a chance to meet a 102-year old bear, particularly one who mumbles:  “The most important thing is, even when we’re apart … I’ll always be with you …” and then nuzzles into Christopher Robbin’s shoulder.  Needless to say I booked a ‘meet and greet’ in honour of the Sherman Brothers.

Winnie The Pooh the Musical is at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, until 21 May ahead of a UK and Ireland tour

https://riversidestudios.co.uk/