Directed by: Rob Marshall
Runtime: 130 minutes
When P.L. Travers wrote the first Mary Poppins novel in 1934, the character was an immediate hit. After five books in the series, the character became even more famous thanks to Walt Disney’s 1964 live-action/animated film adaptation starring then-newcomer Julie Andrews and countless classic songs. Even if you didn’t grow up on Poppins, all you had to do was watch the trailer on your ’90s VHS and lines like “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” or “Practically perfect in every way” become stuck in your mind for one obvious reason—Andrews’ wholesome and firm voice. Now, our beloved English magical nanny returns to the big screen after 54 years for the sequel, Mary Poppins Returns.
Set in 1935’s Great Depression (25 years after the original film), Jane and Michael Banks are now grown-up and live in Cherry Tree Lane, where we last left them. Michael (Ben Wishaw) is struggling in the wake of this wife’s passing, raising three children and falling behind on loan payments. Just when he and Jane (Emily Mortimer) find themselves in danger of losing their family home, help arrives from the sky in their former nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt). Startled that she hasn’t aged in 30 years, Michael reluctantly allows Mary to take his children under her wing while he and Jane try to secure their future. Mary takes the children on new magical journeys and sings along the way, with the help of an old friend Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), a London lamplighter who knew Mary as a child.
Often, sequels that follow the formula of their predecessor fail miserably. One can make a compelling argument that Mary Poppins Returns is a remake of Mary Poppins. The movie is filled with stuff we saw last time—a trip to an animated landscape, a wacky relative living life on the ceiling, a family strife at the bank and a chorus of industrial workers dancing in the streets of London at night. However, despite the feeling of déjà vu, Mary Poppins Returns is an absolute treat that sends you on a high. The old-fashion Disney tone and style is what director Rob Marshall’s sequel strives for, and, for the most part, achieves.
Marshall (who made Chicago and Into The Woods) keeps everything grand, splashy, uplifting and colourful. To recapture the magic, Richard M. Sherman (who penned the original Mary Poppins soundtrack) worked as a consultant on the new songs by Tony-winner Marc Shaman (Broadway’s Hairspray). While the new songs are not as ear-warming as Sherman’s classic tunes, they are catchy enough and elevated by the set design and costumes. Marshall mixes live-action Broadway panache, traditional hand-drawn animation and a little bit of rap by the Hamilton-creator himself, Lin-Manuel Miranda, in the manic-but-clever number “A Cover is Not the Book”. The level of imagination in all these musical sequences is boundless.
Julie Andrews’ Oscar-winning performance as Mary Poppins is a timeless treasure, and Blunt does a commendable job balancing an imitation of Andrews and a new spin on the character. This Mary is a little more stern and pompous, probably closer to P.L. Travers’ vision (even though her books did not have songs and talking cartoon-animals). Miranda is very talented as a replacement to Dick Van Dyke, even if Jack and Mary’s dynamic is not as compelling as Burt and Mary’s platonic-yet-flirty relationship. Ben Wishaw brings heart to the movie’s jolly proceedings, more than I can say for the three Banks children. They are cute, but not as well-rounded or distinguished as young Jane and Michael were in the first film. Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Julie Walters turn in enjoyable performances, but it’s the film’s “cameo” that will sending audiences cheering.
While this sequel may not be as emotionally-potent as the original, Mary Poppins Returns has enough magic and freshness to make it feel like a return to classic Disney. Fans of the original (like myself) will likely love the film for its nostalgia and irresistible warmth. Audiences under 24 (who are probably not accustomed to the “magic” of Poppins’ world) might find the story nonsensical. However, to quote Mary in one of the new songs, stuff and nonsense can be fun.
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