REVIEW: "Mary Poppins Returns" With Gusto and Magic

Based on P.L. Travers' novels about a "practically perfect" nanny who comes to look after the Banks children and, in the process, change their stubborn father's view, Walt Disney's beloved and unforgettable 1964 film adaptation of Mary Poppins is considered by many to be the crowning achievement of his career. It was also a landmark feature at the time of its release, with stunning achievements in directing, special effects (who could ever forget the classic animated sequence, with Dick Van Dyke's chimney sweep Bert dancing alongside penguins?), costume design, music (by the Sherman Brothers, no less), its period setting (pre-WWI), and its showstopping dance numbers (the chimney sweep sequene, anybody?). The same goes for its performances, led by a "practically perfect" Julie Andrews (in her film debut, as the magical nanny) and a memorable (if inaccurately-accented) Van Dyke.

What most people don't remember is that Travers herself wasn't happy with the finished film, as she was dismissive of Hollywood's apparently poor track record of adapting books into films. She did approve of Andrews performance, however. All dissatisfaction aside, the story of Mary Poppins (including the way Disney told it) is a universal one about the joys of childhood, learned and expressed through work, through imagination (or, as Bert describes it, "a doorway to a land of enchantment"), through laughter, and through experiencing and overcoming the difficulties of life.

(Left to right) Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice, Matthew Garber,
and Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins

And here we are, fifty-four years later, with a new story for the screen, titled Mary Poppins Returns. With inspiration from all seven books in Travers' series to draw from (including his own fondness for the original film as a child), director Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods) had a tall order to fill by crafting an original story and an original musical, set twenty-five years after the original story (during the Great Depression), with siblings Jane and Michael Banks as adults, along with three children of Michael's own. With new music and songs by composer Marc Shaiman and lyricist Scott Wittman, a screenplay written by David Magee (Life of Pi), and a phenomenal cast led by a whimsical and cheery Emily Blunt (who brilliantly makes the title role her own), Marshall and his team have made a film that is wonderful, magical, and does our hearts good.

Andrews has gone on record that she turned down a cameo appearance in the film, as she approved of Blunt's casting and didn't want her (Andrews') appearance to distract the audience. Nevertheless, the casting, again, is phenomenal, with Lin-Manuel Miranda (of Hamilton fame, as lamplighter Jack), Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer (as Michael and Jane), Julie Walters (as housekeeper Ellen), Colin Firth (as corrupt bank president William Wilkins), Meryl Streep (as Mary Poppins' oddball cousin Topsy), and Dick Van Dyke (in a surprise cameo). And the Banks children (played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson) are just wonderful.

(Left to right) Joel Dawson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Blunt,
Pixie Davies, and Nathanael Saleh in Mary Poppins Returns

As with the original film, the set pieces, costume design, and showstopping choreography (particularly the lamp post sequence) are a thorough delight. There's an underwater sequence that recalls the 1971 DIsney classic Bedknobs & Broomsticks (with Angela Lansbury), while Topsy's shop may be the most elaborate and whimsical set of the bunch. And just wait until you see the lovely hand-drawn animated sequence (which reportedly brought many animators from Disney and Pixar out of retirement for this special occasion).

Mary Poppins Returns is also a much-needed story that reminds us of the power of magic, imagination, delight, and adventure that Disney infused into almost all of his projects during his lifetime, and what family films ideally should be. The moving theme of remembering what we still have, in spite of unfortunate circumstances, rings especially true. It's an experience that is very evocative, cheery, and wonderful. A "jolly holiday," if ever there was one.