Mary Poppins Returns

Mary Poppins Returns

Starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer

Directed by Rob Marshall

The Story:
In 1930s London, things are looking bleak for the Banks family.  Michael (Ben Whishaw) is about to loose his home after loosing his wife, and even with the help of his sister Jane (Emily Mortimer), they can't seem to scrape the funds together.  Then they learn that their father had shares in the bank that could be enough to save their home, but they can't seem to find it.

Meanwhile, Michael's children - Annabel (Pixie Davies), John (Nathanael Saleh), and Georgie (Joel Dawson) are in the park when Georgie finds Michael's old kite that he threw away, and is almost taken up in the sky during a wind storm.  Lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) arrives to keep Georgie on the ground as Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) emerges from the sky.  She's returned to take care of the Banks children again (including the little ones), and show that life is full of possibilities - even the impossibilities.

The Synopsis:
2018 kicked off with the amazing "Paddington 2," a family-friendly adventure film filled with humor, heart, and amazing visuals.  2018 ends with "Mary Poppins Returns," which is another family-friendly adventure film filled with humor, heart, and amazing visuals.  Both films are the epitome of what a film is supposed to do - give you a sense of wonder, magic, and transport you from your troubles and cares for a little while.  Filled with heartwarming moments, humorous dialogue, catchy songs, wonderful choreography, and blast-from-the past animations, "Mary Poppins Returns" returns just in time to brighten up our most darkest days.

Taking place years after the original, the Banks children are now grown up and facing their own hardships, while Michael's children seem to almost forget what it's like being children.  They're about to loose their house unless Michael can find the shares his father left him in the bank, but time is running out fast.  It's during this most bleak time that Mary Poppins again comes down from the sky on a kite, to offer her own brand of advice and show that anything is possible, even the impossible.

"Mary Poppins Returns" holds the distinction of having the longest gap between a live-action film and its sequel in history, taking place 54 years after the original.  Unlike other films that have their sequels take place a year or two after the original, "Returns" is different in that many people don't even recall the original anymore, or they hold it to such a high standard that nothing would be able to top it.  Personally, I fall somewhere near the middle, where I hold it in high regard and absolutely love it, but at the same time I haven't seen it in a while, so I didn't go into the film with an already jaded view that Disney would create a sequel to a truly classic original.  Going in with that view, I found the film to be utter magic, a throwback to classic cinema that brought out the inner child in me all over again, filled me with hope for the world, and had me leaving feeling happy and joyful.

Taking the reigns of a beloved classic character is no easy task, but Emily Blunt seemed born to play the role of the next Mary Poppins after the iconic Julie Andrews (who won an Oscar for her performance, and I can easily see Blunt earning a nomination as well).  In fact, Andrews even gave her own seal of approval, saying it was a "wonderful" casting decision, and chose to not appear as a cameo because it was "now Emily's show."  Blunt's Poppins is a no-nonsense nanny who's quick with dry wit and humor, as well as provide emotional support to a broken family and re-ignite the inner child in us all, while providing a sly, coy smile and who looks absolutely beautiful from top to bottom.

Equally, the entire cast does a tremendous job in their performances, providing an overall joyful experience.  Lin-Manuel Miranda plays the lamplighter Jack (taking the place of the chimney sweeps from the original), who's obviously got the vocal chops to pull off a big-budget musical.  Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer play the grown-up Banks children, and as Poppins even mentions, they both maintain some of their childhood idiosyncrasies.  Michael's children - played by newcomers Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson - are pure revelations who start off the film as being forced to be adults before their time, but slowly learn thanks to Mary Poppins that it's alright to be a child.  Colin Firth and Meryl Streep also provide great supporting roles, especially Streep's Topsy, who's Poppin's cousin and provides one of the better musical numbers in the film.  Dick Van Dyke (who appeared in the original) makes a memorable cameo, and Angela Lansbury (who was once considered for the role of the original Mary Poppins) shines as a simple balloon lady who teaches an important lesson to Michael.

When it comes to the music, this is where the film either rises or falls, due to the fact that the original had such classic tunes that people still know today.  Only time will tell of these songs will maintain such popularity, but they were all fantastic and wonderful, that both spark the imagination in us all and also helps us deal with the most difficult situations.  While they're still grieving over the death of their mother, Mary Poppins sings a song called "The Place Where Lost Things Go" that calms the children (as well as us) by saying that "nothing is gone forever, only out of place."  There's other important life lessons learned in the songs, from believing the impossible ("Can You Imagine That?"), not judging a book by its cover ("A Cover is Not the Book"), seeing the world in a different light ("Turning Turtle"), finding your way home ("Trip a Little Light Fantastic"), and seeing the bright side of life ("Nowhere to Go But Up").

Combining these catchy songs are incredible choreographed numbers that dazzle the eyes as the songs dazzle the ears, as we witness some marvelous dance numbers as well as a grand mixture of live-action and classic animation that director Rob Marshall wanted to incorporate into the film.  Originally, Disney wanted the animation to be CGI, but Marshall fought to have it be as it was in the original, and the result is pure movie magic.  On top of the animation, the set designs and costumes are on point, and all are worthy of award recognition.  London looks bleak and dark, with everyone wearing shades of grey and black, until Mary Poppins arrives in her bright blue and red costume, brightening up the dark sky.  The set pieces made me feel like I was watching a live-action play, and everyone's costumes were a pure delight, especially Streep's Topsy.

While the story itself is very simple - Michael and his family go in search of bonds that could save their house, which is basically the MacGuffin of the film - that's not the main focus of the film.  It's not a highly cerebral film with many twists and turns, and it's not supposed to be that.  What it was is a pure magical delight, a film filled to the brim with dazzling set pieces and musical numbers, delivered with near perfection by a stellar ensemble cast.

The Summary:
There are many sequels that no one ever asked for, but "Mary Poppins Returns" is something truly rare - a sequel we didn't know we needed.  And the result is a film that's "practically perfect in every way."

The Score: A+