Mary Poppins Returns

This enchanting, utterly delightful Disney sequel, set in 1930s London, takes place long after the 1964 original. Grown-up Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) is now a widower, and his labor-activist sister Jane (Emily Mortimer) has come to help him with her brother's three little children: Georgie (Joel Dawson), John (Nathanael Saleh), and Annabel (Pixie Davies). Their mother died a year ago, and grief-stricken Michael’s financial position is so precarious that the family is at risk of losing their beloved home on Cherry Tree Lane to villainous Fidelity Fiduciary banker William Weatherall Wilkins (Colin Firth)—unless Michael can repay a home equity loan in five days. That’s when Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt), the mysterious nanny, descends from the clouds, clutching her parrot-headed umbrella and a carpetbag full of surprises. Mary is snappy, strict, and extraordinarily vain, yet also warm and fun-loving, particularly when she makes magic with Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), the Cockney lamplighter, and her manic, directionally-challenged cousin Topsy (Meryl Streep). Plus, Dick Van Dyke dances and Angela Lansbury sings. The exuberant collaboration between screenwriter David Magee and director Rob Marshall (Chicago) results in an eye-popping, entertaining, yet also emotional film that deals with the deeper issues British author P.L. Travers explored in Mary Poppins Comes Back (1935) and Mary Poppins Opens the Door (1943). And while the Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman songs aren’t as memorable as the Sherman Brothers’ classics, they are toe-tapping and tuneful. Highly recommended. [Note: Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (24 min.), featurettes on the music (18 min.) and Dick Van Dyke (6 min.), the deleted song “The Anthropomorphic Zoo” (5 min.), deleted scenes (2 min.), bloopers (2 min.), a sing-along mode, and bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this entertaining sequel to a beloved family classic.] (S. Granger)