Mary Poppins Returns: a hit and miss return for a beloved character

When the Walt Disney Company announced the sequel to the classic film Mary Poppins (1964), I thought there is no way a new film could compare. Even though there are multiple Mary Poppins books, why bother with a sequel film? Emily Blunt was casted as Mary Poppins and Lin-Manuel Miranda as Jack, the lamplighter who was an apprentice to Bert. Mary Poppins Returns (2018) opened on December 19, 2018 to positive reviews. I didn’t have the desire to watch it until recently when I saw it available on Netflix. So, I decided to give it a chance. Unfortunately, the film tried to be it’s own film while trying to pay homage to the original film.

The film opens in London during the Great Depression. Michael Banks (played by Ben Whishaw) lives in his childhood home on Cherry Tree Lane with his three children, Annabel, John and Georgie. The previous year, his wife died, leading his sister, Jane (played by Emily Mortimer) to move in. Michael had taken a loan from his employer, the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, and is three months behind on the payments. William “Weatherall” Wilkins (played by Colin Firth) is the new corrupt chairman of the bank and Michael’s boss, sent lawyers to warm him that his house will be repossessed if the loan is not repaid in full by the end of the week. Michael and Jane frantically searched the house for the share certificates that their father left them that should be able to cover the loan. During the search, Michael finds the kite that was flown at the end of the original movie. In his frustration, he throws it out the window. Later the children visit a local park and George finds the kite and flies it when a strong wind rips it from the sky. Mary Poppins descends from the sky with the kite in her hand. She takes the children home, becomes their new nanny and their adventures begin.

What I first liked about the film are the nods to the original film. Some were obvious like the kite that brings Mary Poppins back but also the Easter Eggs featured in the background. For example, the blocks that spell out Poppins can be seen in the attic. Also, if you listen closely, you can hear the melodies from “Let’s Go Fly A Kite,” “Spoonful of Sugar”, and other songs from the original film in the background. There are a couple of cameos made by original cast members. Blink and you might miss it. Second, Emily Blunt did a wonderful job as Mary Poppins. I think she captured Mary Poppins’ personality as the firm but magical nanny. She didn’t try to duplicate Julie Andrews but made the role her own. Third, Lin-Manuel Miranda as the lamplighter Jack. Most people are familiar with Miranda as the songwriter of the hit musical Hamilton (2015) and well as the music and lyrics from Moana (2016). Miranda takes his cues from Dick Van Dyke’s Bert from the original film; however, like Ms. Blunt, takes his role and makes it his own. The big song and dance number in the film, “Trip a Little Light Fantastic," is impressive and highlights Miranda’s talents.

The main disappointment about this film is that the songs aren’t as memorable as one would expect from a Disney film. And it is difficult not to compare the songs to the original movie. Despite my best efforts, I found myself doing comparisons. For instance, “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” (which is a song I loved the most in the movie) to “Step in Time” which is an amazing feat of dancing and my favorite song from the original film. The former pales in comparison. One particular song, “A Cover Is Not The Book,” was creepy and, as one article describes it, “ode to literature and non-judgementalism with a slyly naughty list of did-they-say-that double entendres” (Cava, 2018). For example, in the song, they refer to the story of Lady Hyacinth Macaw, the last part of the lyrics say “So no one tried to rob her/'Cause she barely wore a stitch/For when you're in your birthday suit/There ain't much there to show you're rich!” By the end of this song, I felt creeped out. I’m sure the children in the audience would not have picked up on it but as a parent watching this, I was thinking, “Wait? Come again?” Did they really say that? What does even mean?

In conclusion, Mary Poppins Returns is a disjointed, nod to the original while trying hard to be its own film. While I enjoyed the performances from Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songs were not as enjoyable. Even with the nods and Easter Eggs to the original films, some were bluntly obvious and even eyerolling, “Okay we get it!” If the original 1964 Mary Poppins film is a beloved favorite of yours, I recommend you skip Mary Poppins Returns. However, if you can separate the two films, without comparisons, you may find yourself enjoying Mary Poppins Returns.

References

Cava, Dan. (December 24, 2018).’Mary Poppins Returns’ is not a jolly holiday with Mary.  https://clture.org/mary-poppins-returns/. Retrieved July 30, 2020.