Decades after her original visit, the magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael’s children through a difficult time in their lives.
For fans of “Mary Poppins” not sure what to expect, let me clear the air at once. If you enjoyed the original movie featuring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, you will not be disappointed with Disney’s latest incarnation of the beloved stories by P.L. Travers.
In all, Travers published eight Mary Poppins books. The original “Mary Poppins” film used the first four books in the series as the basis for the narrative. The sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns,” draws material from seven of them. Director Rob Marshall and John DeLuca developed the eventual storyline, along with screenwriter David Magee.
The film takes place twenty years later in Depression-era London, with the Banks children now grownups. If times were hard in “Mary Poppins,” they seem even harder in “Mary Poppins Returns.” With a narrative clearly intending to highlight class divisions, what becomes apparent in the course of things is that the upper class may have more money, but the working class has more fun.
Emily Blunt dazzles in this fresh chapter of the Mary Poppins saga. Expertly assuming the mantle first carried by Julie Andrew’s Academy Award-winning performance, Blunt commands the production from start to finish. What might have seemed like a potentially risky career move – Andrews is nothing if not a hard act to follow – Blunt manages the task expertly. She steps up in seeming effortless execution to convey wit, wisdom, taciturn counsel and compelling empathy in a delightful blend that few other actors could pull off.
Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Jack, a kindly lad who used to wave at Michael’s sister, Jane Banks when they were all children. Jack clearly resembles Bert, played so memorably by Dick Van Dyke in the original. While Bert was a chimney sweep, Jack’s London lamplighter is similarly well acquainted with the city’s obscure byways and his fellow working class chums.
As a family man, Michael, now well into adulthood and played by Ben Wishaw, shows us an older, if not wiser soul. Michael’s wife died not long ago, leaving him in utter disarray. His children – Anabel, John, and Georgie – expertly cast, in order include Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson. All three serve up endearing and vibrant portraits of the innocence of youth. Emily Mortimer portrays the older version of Jane, a single labor organizer, as well as the object of mild disdain by two attorneys seeking to evict the family from their ancestral home.
“Mary Poppins Returns” boasts a formidable supporting cast. Colin Firth plays William Weatherall Wilkins, a dastardly banker hoping to profit from foreclosure on the Banks’ residence. David Warner sits atop the house next door as the obligatory clock-watcher, Admiral Boom. Most importantly, brief but satisfying appearances by Van Dyke, Meryl Streep, and Angela Lansbury add suitable gravitas to the lavish production.
The original “Mary Poppins” proved a huge success, grossing just over $100 million at the time – representing over $700 billion on an inflation-adjusted basis. Nevertheless, P.L. Travers was notoriously finicky throughout her life about prospective productions of her creations. To say that the relationship between Walt Disney and Travers was touch-and-go – at best – remains a colossal understatement. In the course of decades of negotiation with Disney, Travers secured final script approval rights – an unusual concession in Hollywood – and made the most of that advantage. Subsequently, though Disney had bandied about with talk of a sequel for decades, it was only in 2015 that the Travers’ estate approved this latest project. Ultimately – and perhaps incredibly – Travers was disappointed with the first film, which helps explain why a sequel took so long to materialize.
The only weakness perhaps lies with the musical score. The original songs in “Mary Poppins Returns” provide for sufficient merriment and pathos, but nothing on the order of Oscar-winning “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “A Spoonful of Sugar,” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” – all composed by the gifted Sherman Brothers, Richard, and Robert.
As in the original, the film contains generous portions of humor, song and dance numbers, and animated whimsy – in a word, literally something for everyone. More than a remake, more than a reboot, “Mary Poppins Returns” will delight both children and adults alike. Highly recommended.
Now available on Digital 4K Ultra HD™ and Movies Anywhere and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray & DVD March 19th
