Mary Poppins Returns 2018

     The setting of the film is in London during the era of the depression.  Jane and Michael Banks along with Michael’s three children are in danger of losing their home to the bank.  Unfortunately, the children’s mother has also passed away.  Mary Poppins and her friend Jack visit the family.  Mary helps them all rediscover the joy and wonder that has been missing in their lives.

     I didn’t know what to expect from this new film but I enjoyed it very much!!  I would like to see the original film again to compare it with this new release.  I thought Emily Blunt was perfect at Mary Poppins.  This is a different role for Ben Whishaw since he is now acting as the new Q in the Bond films.  He is the head of Q Branch, the fictional research and development division of the British Secret Service.  Lin-Manuel Miranda played Alexander Hamilton in the very popular Hamilton play.  I thought it was a great idea to have Dick Van Dyke return in this film, he played Bert in the first film.  4* (I really liked this movie) 

    

130 min, Comedy directed by Rob Marshall with Emily Blunt, Ln-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Jeremy Swift, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Jim Norton, Noma Dumezweni.

Note:  Imdb 7 out of 10, 1 ½* Roger Ebert, 79% critic 68% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, RollingStone 3* out of 5* (too many spoonfuls of sugar), The Guardian 4* out of 5* Mark Kermode, Metacritic 66 out of 100 with 54 critics 6.8 out of 10 with 176 reviews, Amazon 3.7* out of 5* with 267 reviews.

Special Note:  The estimated budget was $130 million and the worldwide gross was $307,822,494 million.  Walt Disney offered the lead role to Julie Andrews.  She told him she was pregnant and the production was postponed until after the birth.  The same thing happened to Emily Blunt with this film.  Andrews was asked to appear at the balloon lady but she thought it would be too distracting.  Angela Lansbury accepted the role and she had been considered for the role of Mary Poppins in the original film.  Dick Van Dyke looks younger than his 93 years and makeup was used to make him look older.  Director Rob Marshall wanted to use hand-drawn animation but Disney wanted to use computer animation.  Rob argued for the hand-drawn and it was allowed.  The music in the background contains melodies from the original film.  The Perfect Nanny, Let’s Go Fly a Kite, Fidelity Fiduciary Bank, The Life I Lead and Spoonful of Sugar.  The Sherman Brothers wrote the music in 1963-64.  This film was released 54 years after the release of the first Mary Poppins in 1964.  This sets a new record as the longest gap between a live-action film and its sequel.