Disclosure: I was invited to attend an advanced screening of this film.
“We’re on the brink of an adventure children. Don’t spoil it with too many questions.”
– Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins may look different but the feelings are all the same. I mean those uplifting, warm, anything-is-possible feelings only this flying nanny can leave you with. Poppins is still an onscreen treasure all these years later. You can’t recreate a classic and I’m glad Disney didn’t try to with Mary Poppins Returns. Instead, the optimistic, robust world of Mary Poppins lives on in a familiar but all new moving adventure.
“So when life’s a real pea-souper, you must choose to be a trooper.”
– Mr. Dawes Jr., Mary Poppins Returns
We meet the Banks kids again at Cherry Tree Lane but this time they are adults with very real problems. Nothing Mary Poppins can’t assist with, of course, and if she’s not fixing things she’s at least there to make everything delightfully bearable. As I’ve gotten older I’ve learned you have to find a way to enjoy life when things are the worst. Mary Poppins is a gem at inspiring that and helping you look at things from a different perspective. Lin-Manuel Miranda gives a beautiful performance as Jack. He was everything I wanted and more and just as inspiring as Mary.
“There’s nowhere to go but up!”
– Balloon Lady, Mary Poppins Returns
Such wonderfully orchestrated music is rare and I’m cherishing the precious notes. Even the sillier songs that didn’t win my heart with enchanting sound have a message worth studying. The dancing and visuals are such a delight on the screen in Mary Poppins Returns. This is one I’ll watch again and again. I think you and the fam will just fall in love with it. If you want to be uplifted and inspired, Mary Poppins Returns will have you floating away from the theater this holiday season. No umbrella necessary.