Mary Poppins returns!
"Mary Poppins" was one of the most successful films of the 1960s. Now, after 54 years, a sequel is out. Will "Marry Poppins Returns" manage to fulfill Disney's blockbuster expectations?
Walt Disney's second Mary Poppins
Rarely has it taken so long for a sequel to follow a hit movie. The world first discovered Disney's musical fantasy film in 1964, over half a century ago. Now the magical nanny is back, in "Mary Poppins Returns." This time around, Emily Blunt takes on the title role. Its release comes just before Christmas, in typical Hollywood style.
An iconic scene
It's one of Hollywood's most famous film scenes of the 1960s: Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins, floating over London's sky with her black umbrella and her handbag. While Andrews was already a prominent Broadway performer, her feature debut kick-started her film career. She immediately won an Oscar for the role and went on to star in various musicals, including "The Sound of Music" (1965).
A film for the entire family
English filmmaker Robert Stevenson moved to Hollywood in the 1940s. Among the 19 Disney movies he directed, "Mary Poppins" was by far the most successful one, offering details to please both children and adults. Not only was it a box office sensation, it was also nominated for 13 Oscars, winning five.
New stylistic forms
"Mary Poppins" was an aesthetically innovative work. By combining live action and animation, Disney's post-production work added swing to the catchy songs and dance performances of the legendary Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke duo, making the film supercalifragilisticexpialidocious like no other.
Messages with a spoonful of sugar
While Stevenson's movie, based on the stories written by Australian author P.L. Travers, is set in London in 1910, the aesthetics definitely reflect those of early 1960s' Hollywood. While the film evokes issues such as the power of banks and the suffragette movement, they are treated in typical Disney style: The film's happy end is accompanied by a good dose of conservative family values.
Refreshing Mary Poppins in 2018
The new Mary Poppins seamlessly carries on the tradition of its classic predecessor. While the set of characters is lightly modified, the general mood doesn't change. "Mary Poppins Returns" is pure family entertainment, packed with colorful scenes, songs and dance.
Banks in the bank
Set two decades later, the new Mary Poppins film has the nanny return to the grown-up Banks children, Jane (Emily Mortimer) and Michael (Ben Whishaw, right). As they face financial problems, they meet up with a banker (Colin Firth, left). Though he appears charming and fond of children, he is actually mean and greedy.
Mary and the children
As in the classic, animations are built into the live action film. And children are still at the center of the movie. The scenes showing how the unusual nanny (Emily Blunt) takes care of them turn "Mary Poppins Returns" into a charming film, evoking a mischievous and cheerful mood.