Mary Poppins is Back – A Return Worth Waiting For!

Mary Poppins is back! And she brought A. Ham./Lin-Manuel Miranda with her this time (swoon!)!  Having just returned from an advanced screening of Mary Poppins Returns, I feel like it’s my duty to dish. I’d sing about it, but I can’t carry a tune in the shower.  In short, it’s practically perfect… you know how it goes…  First, please understand that I’m a Mary Poppins super-fan.  As if going to a prerelease event wasn’t enough, I’ve been known to stalk the ever-elusive (some might say aloof) Mary Poppins at both Disneyland and Disney World, and I always go with Mary Poppins when it’s my turn to choose our family movie.  Once as obscure as the Cheshire Cat (my second favorite Disney character), I loved Mary Poppins before loving Mary Poppins was cool.  So to say I was excited for this movie is a gross understatement – I was preparing for a religious experience.    

Regardless of my shameless fandom, Mary Poppins Returns delivers in every way.  54 years was worth the wait (yep, it’s been THAT long, Mary Poppins was originally released in 1964).  And it’s a marvel from start to finish.  A musical serenade sandwich that starts and ends with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Jack” gently guiding us back into Mary’s magical world as we quickly realize that the Banks children have grown up in a generally unchanged milieu. Set 25 years after the original, we find Michael Banks and his three precocious children in desperate need of a spoonful of sugar.  There are cleverly placed references to the original movie throughout Returns, and they help enhance the story that’s being woven in this continuation (the kids call these ‘Easter eggs’).  Emily Blunt’s “Mary” is as enchanting as ever and plays the character best in her nods and glances.  Julie Andrews isn’t an easy act to follow, but Blunt’s personification makes us believe in the modern incarnation of our beloved character.  

The song and dance numbers are perfectly themed and imaginative and inject just enough wonder to make us forget the silliness that got us there in the first place.  Instead of jumping into artfully drawn sidewalks, we slide into bathtubs and spin into lovely decorative dishware. My absolute favorite, “A Cover is Not a Book,” combines the clever lyrics and (literal) performance we’d expect from Lin-Manuel Miranda, but, even more delightful, Mary shines in her simultaneous coyness and bravado on stage.  I double-dog dare you to try to sit still.  

A note of caution though – and something we have to remember about our dear Mary Poppins – she likes to float in when the wind comes in from the east and things start brewin’.  Needless to say, things have begun to ‘turn turtle’ (a phrase you’ll understand more when you see the incomparable Meryl Streep sing about it in Returns…) in the Banks’ world. We’ve come to expect heavy plot lines from Disney — what with Bambi and Dumbo and Frozen (and, well, all of the Disney movies I can think of…), on-screen parents don’t have much of a chance to live to see the end of most of our favorite childhood movies.  And Mary Poppins Returns is no different.  Be prepared for some doozies including intense scenes with endangered kids as well as themes of grief and financial hardship.  They certainly don’t overshadow the amazing spectacle of musical performances and the pure joy of this movie, but I was a bit surprised by the underlying sadness throughout.  Frankly, I was glad I saw it before taking my kids so I could be proactive and prepared for questions and content.  Plus, I needed to experience this spiritual serenade without fear of a potty interruption.

Nevertheless, Mary Poppins Returns is a must see, two-thumbs-up, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (I couldn’t help myself…) cinematic experience that reminds us of the merriment of childhood and the inimitable charm of heroines like Mary.  So run, walk, fly by kite, gallop on a carousel horse, do whatever you can to see this movie on the big screen!  Because we may not be around to see Mary Poppins return again.

“First of all, I would like to make one thing clear: I never explain anything.”  -Mary Poppins