In 1961, the Disney studio released the fantasy comedy Monte-là d’ssus, a feature film directed by Fred McMurray, which was a huge success. The story is about an obsessive scientist who accidentally invents a new substance: Plaxmol (Flubber in English, which later gave a Robin Williams remake). Banker Alonzo P. Hawke tries to capture Plaxmall for his own account.
5 movies and the same dead ends
Thanks to this elastic and shiny product, the hero of the film wins the basketball competition at his high school, causes a car theft and prevents a banker from stealing Plaxmol. The screenplay was written by Bill Walsh and Don Dagrad duo Samuel W. According to Taylor’s story. And obviously, these two authors will be so distinguished by the success of their film that they will repeat it three times in disguise!
Including Mary Poppins?

Two years later they were asked to write a sequel to Monte là-d’ssus, titled in French Après lui, le déluge. In this film, Plaxmoll helps win the football competition, the car flies again, and the hero manages to avoid the great Alonzo P. Hawke (in the first film and already in the role of Keenan Winn) to close the high school. .
In 1964, Walsh and Dagrady joined forces again to write a screenplay for Mary Poppins, in which they reused the same themes: a robbery (this time thanks to an umbrella and Mary’s magic), a sporting event (a horse race in a park) and an institution for saving (this time a bank). How do you think it will end? You are way off the mark.
Two movies released in the same year with the same elements!
Four years passed, and in 1968 the screenwriting duo signed Blackbeard’s Ghost and Ladybug’s Love (the first film in the famous saga), in which a sports coach arrives in a small town and finds himself haunted by the ghost of an evil pirate. And here again, Walsh and Dagrad are running the same program, except that the similarities between the two films really become apparent.

Another flying car!
In both cases, the story begins with the purchase of an item that turns out to be more interesting than it seems (pool/shupette), then a sports competition (athletics/racing), a fantasy character (a ghost/a living car), a high-stakes bet (in a casino/between businessmen) and a man (cop/antagonist) being chased by a driverless car.

As if that wasn’t enough, in Blackbeard we find the now customary “public institution” for the mobsters, descendants of the Blackbeard pirates, near the Buccaneer’s Inn.
And here’s how the Disney studio, while certainly reshaping, essentially changed nothing in these 5 feature films released between 1961 and 1968. That doesn’t make them bad movies, and we encourage you to watch them or watch them again. The two “Flubbers” are no more, but Mary Poppins, Ladybug and Blackbeard are available on Disney+.
Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.