It’s been over 50 years since the original Mary Poppins hit theaters, and it’s captivated audiences ever since. And now, the sequel has finally hit theaters this week. The movie picks up with the Banks family when Jane and Michael are adults need the help from the ageless nanny once again. Taking place during the “great slump” or the depression as it was known here, the movie does have a couple of more grown up ideas woven into the story, but it is a piece of nostalgia mixed throughout the new story that your family will love.
From the very beginning of the movie there are Easter eggs throughout, that pay homage to the original movie and fans will pick up on them. From the “Bird Lady” on the stairs of the bank, that broken snow globe referring to the original, references to Michael not being a Cod Fish, Janes giggling and even that cameo of Dick Van Dyke we see in the trailer. And the biggest of them all is the kite with the Suffragette tassle, that ties the newest generation of the Banks children with the former movie. It will take some time for us to pick up all of the Easter Eggs throughout the movie, but the movie is so good that we’ll have no problem watching it over to see if we can find them.
Filled with new songs, new lessons and at the heart of it all – teaching the children to be kids again and the parents what matters most. The harder lessons throughout the movie are tempered down to a level kids will understand through songs. What are the major big things facing the Banks family this time? Michael’s wife has passed away and the family is struggling with that, and due to that and the financial depression they are also at risk of losing their home. Heavy topics in a movie that kids will be watching, but one that many will be able to relate to from their own experiences or with the current financial struggles many families face. Mary Poppins teaches the kids a song about how their mother may be gone, she’s not actually lost and she is still alive in their hearts and memories. This is a great lesson and a way to make it easier for kids to understand and handle death in their own lives.
Similar to the original movie, Jane has her own cause that she supports and Michael works at the same bank his father did. There is of course an old curmudgeon at the bank who is only out for profits again and a zany friend of Mary Poppins they visit which is similar to the original movie. With bits that remind you of the original movie, Mary Poppins returns will bring a new life to the story and another generation will fall in love with the characters and the new songs as they watch it. Similar to the original movie, there is a mixture of live action, musicals and even old school 2-D animation that will bring a smile to your face.
Is Mary Poppins Returns a movie you should head into the theater to watch with your family? Absolutely, your kids will love it and you will find yourself feeling like a kid again while watching the movie with your family. Mary Poppins Returns brings you back to that magical part of childhood that we all seem to let go of as we get a bit older.
“Can You Imagine That?” clip:
“Royal Doulton Bowl” clip:
MARY POPPINS RETURNS arrives in theaters everywhere on December 19, 2018!
In Disney’s MARY POPPINS RETURNS, an all-new original musical and sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.
Emily Blunt is Mary Poppins in Disney’s MARY POPPINS RETURNS, a sequel to the 1964 MARY POPPINS, which takes audiences on an entirely new adventure with the practically perfect nanny and the Banks family.
MARY POPPINS RETURNS is directed by Rob Marshall. The screenplay is by David Magee and the screen story is by Magee & Rob Marshall & John DeLuca based upon the Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers. The producers are John DeLuca, p.g.a., Rob Marshall, p.g.a. and Marc Platt, p.g.a. with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer. The music score is by Marc Shaiman and the film features all new original songs with music by Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman. The film also stars Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks; Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks; Julie Walters as the Banks’ housekeeper Ellen; Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and introducing Joel Dawson as the Banks’ children, with Colin Firth as Fidelity Fiduciary Bank’s William Weatherall Wilkins; and Meryl Streep as Mary’seccentric cousin, Topsy. Angela Lansbury appears as the Balloon Lady, a treasured character from the PL Travers books and Dick Van Dyke is Mr. Dawes, Jr., the retired chairman of the bank now run by Firth’s character.
