It’s been 54 years since the magical nanny Mary Poppins first appeared on the big screen. She returned, this time played by Emily Blunt, for the sequel Mary Poppins Returns, released less than a week before Christmas 2018.
Mary Poppins Returns takes place in the era of the Great Depression, about 25 years after the events of the first film. We find Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) widowed with three children, John (Nathanael Saleh), Anabel (Pixie Davies) and Georgie (Joel Dawson), who of course is named for his grandfather, George Banks.
Michael and his children live in Michael and sister Jane’s childhood home. They are threatened with foreclosure on the home and Michael must find the money to pay off his debt from the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, where George Banks was a senior partner after the events of the first film. Jane (Emily Mortimer) helps Michael search for the shares left for them by George that will be enough to pay off the loan.
While out on a grocery run, Georgie separates from his children when he sees Jane and Michael’s old kite flying in the wind. He is nearly blown away during the strong winds, but a young lamplighter named Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) grabs Georgie before he flies away. Together, they fly the kite for several seconds before it disappears in the clouds for a moment before it reappears with Mary Poppins holding onto it.
The children lead Mary Poppins home, surprising Jane and Michael, who thought they would never see their nanny again. Mary Poppins reveals she has returned to “care for the Banks children” to which one of the kids asks, “Us?” and Mary Poppins says, “Oh, yes, you too.”
From there, the adventures with Mary Poppins continue, with John, Anabel and Georgie going into an underwater world while taking a bath. Jane and Michael, though, have convinced themselves that their adventures they had with Mary Poppins were imagined.
Although this film is a sequel, it functions much more as a remake. It has all of the ingredients of the first film: a chore (in this case a bath) is transferred into a magical event, a young man who is friends with Mary Poppins joins the adventure (Jack), Mary Poppins, Jack and the children are transported into a hand-drawn world, the group visits a relative of Mary Poppins, this time her eccentric cousin Topsy (Meryl Streep), a musical number involving the young man’s colleagues (Jack’s fellow lamplighters) and the climax and main problem of the story is addressed at the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, where Michael is an apprentice.
Like its predecessor, this film is also a musical, with a soundtrack of its own. Disappointingly, none of the songs from the first film are heard, though this film’s soundtrack functions as a parallel to that of the original soundtrack. The cast, particularly Miranda and Blunt, are fantastic singers and bring joy to each song they sing.
As in the first film, the antagonist is someone who works for Fidelity Fiduciary Bank. This time, it’s Wilkins (Colin Firth), who is a nephew of Mr. Dawes, Jr., the son of the bank’s chief officer from the first movie. Though he claims to want to help Michael pay off his loan, his true intentions are much more sinister.
The best part of the film comes during the climax when Mr. Dawes, Jr. returns to the bank. This time, the role is taken on by Dick Van Dyke, who of course starred as Bert in the original film and comically played Mr. Dawes, Sr., too. Even at age 93, Dick Van Dyke delivers a hearty performance capped by a song and a dance number of his own that he seems to perform with ease.
Though more of a remake than a sequel, Mary Poppins Returns contains the same magic of the original film and is an enjoyable experience. The film is rated PG for “some mild thematic elements and brief action.” Mary Poppins Returns also stars Julie Walters as Ellen, Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady, David Warner as the eccentric Admiral Boom and features a cameo from original Jane Banks actress Karen Dotrice, credited as “Elegant Woman.”
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