It doesn't seem two years since this was THE Christmas movie release that everyone was flocking to see at their local cinemas here in the UK – those same cinemas that this Christmas are for the most part locked down, about to be locked down, or permanently closed down, due to an invisible yet highly inimical invader that continues to threaten so much that our species has held dear for countless ages. Let us hope that 2021 will herald an eventual end to our trials at its heinous hands – or, to be virologically precise, its spikes – and that we can finally return, with much gratitude and new appreciation, to the life and freedoms that for so very long we had all taken so very much for granted.
Throughout his life, Walt Disney was well known for vehemently refusing to produce sequels to any of his classic movies, and by and large his reluctance to do so has been fully vindicated. Many such sequels have been produced by the Disney Studio since Walt's passing in December 1966, but ALMOST without exception they have been only pale shadows and empty imitations of their timeless originals.
Note, however, that I stress the word 'almost' – because after deciding to wait out Christmas 2018 due to the huge demand to see it, on 11 January 2019 I was finally fortunate enough to view on the big screen a glorious, truly exceptional exception to that trend. In fact, to quote a very appropriate aphorism - it was practically perfect in every way.
I refer, of course, to Mary Poppins Returns, directed by Rob Marshall, with Emily Blunt taking on the title role of P.L. Travers's magical nanny originally played so memorably by Julie Andrews over 55 years ago now, way back in 1964, but executing it with entirely comparable panache and verve. Instead of Bert the friendly chimney-sweep and pavement artist played by one of the world's greatest comedians but worst Cockney speakers Dick Van Dyke, we now have Jack the lamplighter, played by American actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, also famous as the creator and star of the hit musical Hamilton.
And not only actors and actresses but time too has moved on in Cherry Tree Lane, because the Banks children, Jane and Michael, are all grown up now. Moreover, Michael (Ben Whishaw) is recently widowed, and despite the best attempts of his caring sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) to help him, he is seriously struggling to look after his three children and keep their home from the clutches of the bank, which in the form of corrupt chairman William 'Weatherall' Wilkins (Colin Firth) is only too eager to repossess it during the Great Slump. Consequently, when Mary Poppins makes her very unexpected but most welcome return into the lives of Michael and Jane, and informs them that she is here to look after the children, don't necessarily assume that the children she is alluding to are those of Michael...
Although it is technically a sequel, Mary Poppins Returns is much more of a homage to the original classic. For although the storylines in the two films are different, many of the original's most beloved musical/animated set pieces are reimagined in the new film, in the form of a series of very entertaining pastiches, containing new songs by Marc Shaiman (music) and Scott Whittman (lyrics) that I feel hold their own even against the immortal classics penned by the Sherman Brothers (Richard and Robert) for the original.
So: instead of 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' and dancing chimney-sweeps, we have 'Trip A Little Light Fantastic' and dancing lamplighters. Instead of Mary and Bert dancing with cartoon penguins and other animals in 'Jolly Holiday', we have Mary and Jack dancing with cartoon penguins and other animals in 'The Royal Doulton Music Hall'. Instead of 'I Love To Laugh' while floating beneath the ceiling, we have 'Turning Turtle' while inside a shop where everything is upside-down. And instead of the comforting 'Stay Awake' lullaby and the affecting 'Feed the Birds', we have those two different but equally atmospheric scenes and songs deftly blended to inspire those containing the deeply moving song 'The Place Where Lost Things Go' (which was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar at the 2019 Academy Awards ceremony, one of four Oscars for which Mary Poppins Returns was nominated). However, these new scenes and songs stand on their own merits too; they are far more than merely derivatives of their original inspirations.
Last but certainly not least, very substantial support for this movie's afore-mentioned main stars is provided by the eminent likes of Meryl Streep (as Topsy, Mary Poppins's decidedly eccentric East European cousin), Angela Lansbury (the Balloon Lady, serving as a counterpart of sorts to the original movie's Bird Woman), Julie Walters (Ellen, the Banks family's longstanding – and long-suffering – housekeeper, played in the original by Hermione Baddeley), Lin-Manuel Miranda of Hamilton fame (as Bert the pavement artist and chimney sweep, played in the original by Dick Van Dyke), and a returning, extraordinarily sprightly 93-year-old Dick Van Dyke himself no less, this time playing Mr Dawes Jr, the retired but still all-powerful (and desktop-dancing!) bank supremo who puts a very decisive stop to his nasty nephew Weatherall's nefarious schemes against the beleaguered Michael and family. There is also a brief cameo from Karen Dotrice, who played Jane as a child in the original.
Filling the screen with vibrant colour, a splendiferous mix of traditional but first-rate 2-D and current state-of-the-art CGI special effects, instantly hummable songs, breathtaking dance sequences, and a veritable galaxy of big-name stars, Mary Poppins Returns is in my opinion one of the best and most enchanting Disney films of all time - and bearing in mind this studio's glittering catalogue of all-time classics, that is no mean feat.
In other words, Mary Poppins Returns is an absolute joy in every sense, as well as for everyone who still retains the magic of childhood and the power of dreams in their heart – something that we all need more than ever right now, to see us through our current troubled times. So please click here to view a dazzling official trailer for this delightful movie, and allow yourself to be transported into the wonderful world of imagination that Walt Disney Studios' incomparable output has so profoundly and positively influenced for almost a century. Long may it continue to do so.
And to view a complete listing of all of my Shuker In MovieLand blog's other film reviews and articles (each one instantly accessible via a direct clickable link), please click HERE!
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