Mary Poppins Returns review: Disney sequel a magical, musical, nostalgic high

The Disney version of Mary Poppins was never meant to be a modern tale, nor a particularly realistic one. Set in Edwardian London, the first movie from 1964 gave the tale an austere air of seriousness in both adults and children alike. So when Mary Poppins blows in on a wind from the east, she brings not only happiness, imagination, and frivolity, but also modernity. And now, with a perfect blend of nostalgia and reinvention, Mary Poppins has returned to the big screens again.

Emily Blunt stars as the eponymous nanny and while Julie Andrews’ version may have been more saccharine sweet, Blunt takes Mary in a more serious direction.

The cast is rounded out by Ben Wishaw and Emily Mortimer as the Banks’ children Michael and Jane all grown up.

Lin Manuel Miranda stars as lamp-lighter Jack, and Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson, the new generation of Banks’ children.

Julie Walters plays the housekeeper, with Colin Firth renouncing his charm for dastardliness as William Weatherall Wilkins: the current president of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank and the main villain of the sequel.

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As an ensemble, the cast interacts as if they’ve known each other their whole lives, and the world of Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane is brought to life with earnestness.

The original Mary Poppins film felt groundbreaking for its use of animation side-by-side with its human actors.

In Mary Poppins Returns, this same hybrid is used to deft effect, despite the proliferation of this kind of human/animation duality in modern movie making.

And of course, there is the music.

Classic Disney movies are known for their soundtracks and Mary Poppins Returns is no exception.

Many movie-musicals make use of dubbing for their songs (a production technique eschewed by many) which, in its perfection, can shatter the suspension of disbelief required by films like Mary Poppins, which rely so heavily on an audience’s ability to imagine.

With Mary Poppins Returns, the lip-syncing does remind older audience-goers that they are in a cinema, watching a film, and the whole thing is a fantasy.

However, the audio and visual quality from Dolby, compounded by the acting (of Lin Manuel Miranda in particular) help to edge you back into the wonderful world of imagination.

The plot of Mary Poppins Returns feels strangely modern day – the big bad bank manager set to repossess a house, delighting in the downfall of the ‘little man’ Michael Banks (played with deep sympathy by Ben Wishaw).

But for its timely story, Mary Poppins Returns is solidly removed from the political divisiveness of the 21st century.

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And that is what makes it a classic Disney tale – one which is both instructive and entertaining.

Mary Poppins Returns also benefits exponentially from Dick Van Dyke’s return cameo as Mr Dawes Jr, the chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank.

In the original film, Van Dyke played both Cockney chimney sweep Bert and Mr Dawes Sr, and in the sequel, he took up the Dawes name once again.

His cameo is exclusively a nod to the older generations watching the sequel, but will undoubtedly delight first-time viewers, too.

And Mary Poppins Returns is a movie worth seeing in the cinema for its sheer spectacle, impeccable choreography, and heartwarming songs.

Mary Poppins Returns it out in UK cinemas on December 21, 2018.