Mary Poppins Returns review

MARY POPPINS RETURNS:

JULIE ANDREWS PASSES THE UMBRELLA TO EMILY BLUNT IN A FAMILIAR YET MAGICAL FOLLOW-UP!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

DISNEY

Emily Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns

            Emily Blunt (Edge of Tomorrow, Into the Woods, A Quiet Place) dons the hat and magic umbrella that Julie Andrews once had in Mary Poppins Returns, the sequel to Walt Disney’s 1964 classic Mary Poppins based on the series of books written by P.L. Travers. Out of all the Disney sequels and remakes that have been coming out recently, this was the film I was most concerned about.

            The original Mary Poppins starring Julie Andrews as the titular character is a landmark in cinema and a timeless classic with several kids and adults. It features groundbreaking special effects and some of the most iconic songs in movie history that are still remembered to this day, Andrews lighting the silver screen with her debut performance as the magical and mysterious nanny, and the film was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and winning 5.

            Much like The Wizard of Oz, it’s as close as you could get to a perfect movie and stood tall on its own for several generations and many more to come. Can Disney and director, Rob Marshall (Chicago, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods) capture the same magic 54 years later with a new cast and crew bringing it to the screen? Sort of.

            For a follow-up that doesn’t need to exist, Mary Poppins Returns is a good continuation of the story and Emily Blunt mirrors Julie Andrews’ mannerisms and expressions flawlessly. But they don’t really do anything new with the plot and certain scenes play out like a Disney remake trying to capitalize on the original’s success.

            The film is set 25 years after the first movie and follows the Banks children, Michael (Ben Whishaw-Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, Skyfall/Spectre, Paddington 1 and 2) and Jane (Emily Mortimer-Howl’s Moving Castle, Lars and the Real Girl, Hugo) now all grown-up and Michael being a single father to three children, John (Newcomer, Nathaniel Saleh), Annabel (Pixie Davies-Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger, Humans, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children), and Georgie (Newcomer, Joel Dawson). One day they realize Michael’s house is being repossessed by the bank after the death of his wife who handled their finances and completely forgot about the temporary loan payments for the house and unless he can pay them off by Friday, they will have to move out.

            Michael and Jane remember that their late father gave them his shares at the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, so they begin to search for the certificate that proves their ownership. While the Banks children are out for a walk in the park, Michael gathers possessions from the past to sell to charity including the kite from his childhood, but a gust of wind blows the kite away coincidentally flying by the children.

            They try to bring the kite back down, but the wind keeps blowing it higher into the sky until the magic nanny, Mary Poppins (Blunt) appears and descends from the clouds with it in her hand. The children, along with Mary Poppins head back to the Banks’ house where Michael and Jane are astonished to see their old nanny hasn’t changed a bit and agree to let Mary stay at their home to look after the children.

            Mary Poppins along with a cockney lamplighter named Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda-200 Cartas, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Moana) and former apprentice of her old friend, Bert take the children on various adventures such as exploring an underwater world within an ordinary bathtub, venturing into the animated landscape on their mother’s antique china bowl after it gets damaged, and encountering Mary’s eccentric cousin, Topsy (Meryl Streep-Sophie’s Choice, The Iron Lady, The Post) who runs a topsy-turvy fix-it shop in London to hopefully fix the broken china bowl so the children can sell it to save their home, while teaching them important life lessons along the way.

            The film also stars Julie Walters (Billy Elliot, Harry Potter franchise, Paddington 1 and 2) as Michael and Jane’s housekeeper, Ellen, Colin Firth (Nanny McPhee, The King’s Speech, Kingsman 1 and 2) as William “Weatherall” Wilkins, the current president of the bank that owns Michael’s house, David Warner (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Tron, Titanic) as retired naval officer, Admiral Boom, Jim Norton (Straw Dogs, Father Ted, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) as Mr. Binnacle, Jeremy Swift (Gosford Park, Amazing Grace, Downton Abbey) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Taking the Flak, Justice League, Paddington 2) as Wilkin’s associates, Hamilton Gooding and Templeton Frye, Noma Dumezweni (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Doctor Who, Frankie) as Wilkin’s secretary, Miss Penny Farthing, Angela Lansbury (Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Beauty and the Beast, The Grinch (2018)) as The Balloon Lady, Dick Van Dyke (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Night at the Museum 1 and 3) who had previously portrayed Bert in Mary Poppins, as the bank’s chairman Mr. Dawes Jr., Edward Hibbert (Frasier, The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride/The Lion King 1 ½, The Prestige) as the voice of Mary Poppins’ Parrot Umbrella, Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Thor: The Dark World, St. Vincent) as the voice of Séamus the Coachman, and Mark Addy (The Thin Blue Line, The Full Monty, Barney’s Version) as the voice of Clyde the Horse.

            Overall, Mary Poppins Returns is a magical comeback for everyone’s favorite nanny that isn’t quite “Practically Perfect in Every Way” but a wholesome family film for the holiday season. Although, a lot of things on repeat like the father overworking himself at the bank, the animated segment with dancing penguins, and visiting a character on the ceiling, it feels more like an homage-sequel rather than a follow-up.

            Luckily, Emily Blunt is able to bring magic and a sense of wonder to its familiar narrative with her performance as Mary Poppins. It’s obvious she knows the first movie and Julie Andrews’ performance really well and manages to capture the spirit of the character while still making it her own.

            The visuals and production design are impressive, from the gloomy streets of London to the gorgeous underwater world created in the Banks’ bathtub. Not to mention, it’s great to see traditional hand-drawn Disney animation again on the big-screen with the china bowl segment especially in a time where every Disney animated hit nowadays is CGI.

            Mary Poppins Returns is a familiar but magical follow-up and guarantees a “Jolly Holiday” for your entire family.