Review of Mary Poppins Returns (2018) by Martin K — 21 Jan 2019

Over 50 years in the making, Mary Poppins makes her grand return to the big screen in this brand new sequel to the 1964 original classic. Emily Blunt plays the practically perfect in every way magical nanny, originally played by Julie Andrews. Blunt does an excellent job bringing a new take on the titular character. She leads the film with an intrepid supporting cast including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, and Angela Lansbury. Much like it's predecessor the sequel is a musical that showcase brand new songs that are well crafted and really enjoyable. It not only features incredibly beautiful visual effects, but also a nice throwback with its combination of live action and traditional hand drawn animation. They do also include some nice computer graphic imagery in the film, most notably during the ocean scene in the "Can You Imagine That?" musical sequence. This sequel is a lovely homage to the legacy of it predecessor, while delivering a magical new Mary Poppins story that's familiar yet still an enchanting follow up to the 1964 film.

Walt Disney's original film is both highly regarded, as well as considered a bit of a relic of its time. Although its appeal has not diminished with the iconic music, and memorable performances of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke from the original film. Emily Blunt makes the role of Mary Poppins her own marvelously, with a more strict and firm portrayal than from Julie Andrews more kinder take on the magical nanny. Blunt gives Mary Poppins a slight edge while maintaining her gentle side. The supporting cast do splendid jobs in their roles. Some honorable mentions include Lin-Manuel Miranda is very charming as Jack, a lamplighter and former apprentice to Bret from the original film. Meryl Streep brings a delightfully quirky performance as Mary Poppins Eastern European cousin, Topsy. Angela Lansbury (who voiced Mrs. Potts in the animated version of Beauty and the Beast) has a very sweet small role during an uplifting musical number towards the end of the film.

The musical score and songs is helmed by Hairspray songwriters Marc Shaiman, and Scott Wittman. Their songs are not only highly enjoyable but have a surprising amount of depth to them. Although, they lack the irresistible charm and feel more like counterparts to the Sherman Brothers tunes. That's not to say the songs are in anyway as bad as some would have you believe, they're beautifully crafted and feature some wonderful messages for both kids and adults. Some of my standout favorites in the film are "Can you Imagine That?", "A Cover Is Not the Book", and "Trip A Little Light Fantastic". However, the song that is my #1 favorite in the film is the one Angela Lansbury sings called, "Nowhere To Go But Up" its a truly beautiful finale song. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman do a tremendous job integrating the songs while moving the plot forward at the same time.

The story of this sequel delivers a big dose of nostalgia. It tends to feel as though it almost mirrors that of the 1964 film, but still manages to expand upon its predecessor. Although, its major flaw being it reveals an important part of the plot rather early on in the film. The visual effects and animation are quite possibly even more magical than the original. I'm especially glad Disney stayed true to the originals legacy of using traditional hand drawn animation. Not only that it also featured some pretty neat computer graphic imagery, particularly during the ocean scene in with the dolphins in the "Can You Imagine That?" musical sequence.

Overall Mary Poppins Returns is a truly wonderful follow up to its predecessor. Emily Blunt is a fantastic new Mary Poppins for a new generation, with an equally impressive supporting cast. The score and songs are exceptionally beautiful. Even if you don't find yourself humming the tunes when the movies over doesn't mean they are necessarily bad, they just don't quite reach the standards set by the Sherman Brothers. It honors the legacy of the 1964 film with its music, visual effects, and animation. The plot is similar to the original, but suffers from revealing is plot quite early in the film. Yet it still manages to capture much of the magic of the original film quite brilliantly.