December 2018

• Title: Mary Poppins Returns
• IMDb: link

My initial reaction to the news of Disney’s decision to make a sequel to Marry Poppins was something along the lines of “No, no, no, no, no, no. No.” Although it may not quite measure up to the original, Mary Poppins Returns does succeed in capturing the spirit of the first film and delivers a magical treat for audiences this Christmas.

Stepping into the shoes of Julie Andrews for the title role is Emily Blunt as the magical nanny returns to help the grown-up Banks children (Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer). More successful than something like Hook, Mary Poppins Returns still deals with some of the same themes involving growing up and loosing the childlike wonder that makes life worth living. Blunt is terrific in some inspired casting. Although the songs of the sequel don’t measure up to the original (there’s only a single number here even approaching the energy of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” or “Chim Chim Cher-ee“) the songs we do get help tell the story of the Banks children (Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson) and their introduction to Mary Poppins‘ magical world.

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