At a glance…
- A documentary about the incomparable Dame Julie Andrews is coming to Disney+ in 2027.
- Disney’s announcement post caused thousands to believe Julie had passed away.
If you, like me, immediately assumed Dame Julie Andrews had passed away when you saw Disney’s Instagram post this morning, you are not alone.
This innocent post was promoting an upcoming documentary about the legendary actress, coming in 2027.
Of the nine thousand comments, all the ones I read were from accounts of people who believed it was a death announcement.
“Hi don’t ever scare me like this again,” said Jasper Lewis.
“Baby, this scared the spoonful of sugar out of me!” commented Thee Make That Magic.
As the iconic actress is currently 90 years of age, it’s not too surprising that our minds immediately went to a bad news place.
Disney had an essential role in Julie’s career. Her first major film was Mary Poppins (1963). Walt Disney himself had seen her Broadway performance of Camelot and wanted her in the role. She initially turned it down as she was pregnant at the time. But Walt told her they would wait for her.
“In retrospect, I could not have asked for a better introduction to film, in that it taught me so much in such a short period of time,” she wrote in her second memoir, Home Work, published in 2019. Julie won the Oscar for Best Actress, a Golden Globe for Best Actress in Musical or Comedy, and a BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer.
She then, of course, went on to star in the timeless classic, The Sound of Music. This film celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2025. She also won a Golden Globe for that performance as well as an Academy Award and BAFTA nominations.
Over the decades, Julie continued her acclaimed multifaceted career. She acted in movies and television shows (the 1982 movie Victor/Victoria earning her another Oscar nod), returned to musical theatre, co-authored more than 30 children’s books with her eldest daughter, published two autobiographies, and toured with concert performances. More recently, she delighted a whole new generation of fans as the voice of Lady Whistledown in Netflix’s Bridgerton series.
Yet perhaps her greatest role was that of mother. A three-time Women’s Weekly cover star, Julie told the magazine in 2005 that, “As a mother, my children have always come first. Even though I’ve always been a working woman, I have also tried to have them with me, as often as I could.”
In a release, Disney shared that the upcoming documentary is a “definitive portrait” of Julie. Furthermore, it will feature “rare, never-before-seen archival footage and candid new interviews.”
“Julie Andrews is not simply a beloved performer,” said the documentary’s director/producer, R.J. Cutler. “She is a cultural touchstone, a figure woven into the fabric of how generations of people understand joy, resilience, and grace.”
“Most people don’t know the extraordinary challenges she’s had to overcome throughout her life, all of which we delve into in this film.”
“To sit with Julie, to be allowed into her inner world, to watch her reflect on a life that has shaped so many other lives, was an experience I will forever cherish. She gave us her full self, without armor, without pretense. And what we found was someone even more extraordinary than the icon. I am humbled by her talent, in awe of her strength and honored by her trust.”
No title or release date has been confirmed. Watch this space!
