Mary Poppins Returns Is A Spoonful of Nostalgia With A Twist

December 19th, 2018 by justJENN

If you have fond memories of the original 1962 Mary Poppins like I do, it’s time for Mary to return to brighten our lives and lift our spirits. Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns is an all new original musical and 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 inimitable Mary Poppins, with Lin-Manuel Miranda as lamplighter Jack, Ben Whishaw as grown-up Michael Banks with his sister Jane played by Emily Mortimer. Julie Walters, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Colin Firth, and Meryl Streep round out the cast with a few surprise cameos along the way.

Young Michael Banks is now a grown man with three children: Annabel, John and Georgie and times are tough in 1930s Depression-era London especially with the family struggling to cope with the recent death of Michael’s wife. The only one who can come and lift the spirits and inspire the family is the one and only Mary Poppins who always appears when she’s needed most.

Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers played a big part in bringing this new Mary Poppins tale to life. Seeing the familiar curve of 17 Cherry Tree Lane was breathtaking and immediately takes you back to the joy of the original film. And like the original, a Mary Poppins story wouldn’t be the same without a touch of heartfelt emotion, hope, and humanity. The added element of animation fused with live-action was a lovely call back to the original movie along with catchy tunes you’ll want to listen to long after the movie is over.

Seeing Mary Poppins back in action was a pleasant surprise I didn’t know I needed, the fun-frantic scenes and musical interludes were so heartwarming that emotional tears were quickly quelled by tears of happiness. I’m saying bring plenty of tissue, you won’t regret it.

By the end of the movie you’ll feel encouraged and hopefully you’ll try to find ways to infuse a little bit of Mary’s whimsy into your daily life.

Mary Poppins Returns arrives from the clouds in theatres everywhere, today!