Mary Poppins Returns Our Wonderment
Pearl of the film: Everything is Possible
"Everything is Possible, even the Impossible" is a pearl Mary Poppins imparts upon the next generation of Banks children.
I've always loved the positive possibility of this pearl as a contrast to our cold hard world of the one percent.
Mary Poppins Returns is the sequel to the 1964 classic movie based upon the novels by PL Travers. Almost 60 years in real life and 20 in Mary Poppins chronological times.
The lead actors had some seriously iconic shoes to fill to make us re-fall in love with Mary Poppins and buy into her whimsical reality of the imagination.
Lin-Manuel Miranda - may just be the modern day Dick Van Dyke or at least the closest one can get to a breed that's no longer bred.
Emily Blunt flies into the role of Mary Poppins with authority and poise bringing back the ghosts of Disney's past.
Mary Poppins returns to look after the new Banks children and feed them spoonfuls of sugar as their father is swallowing the hard pill threatening to repossess the Banks family home.
I find myself obsessing more with the actor's performances and music than the overall story as testament of the challenges audiences will need to overcome to get washed up in the story.
The film is filled with big musical production numbers which they turn into a spectator sport.
They mimic a child's view taking you from the animated to the inanimate worlds - aka - reality vs. fantasy. Time will tell if any of the songs are as iconic and stick as well as the original songs but the filmmakers and Disney do seem bent on ensuring they stick.
The music follows in the spirit and style of the tracks laid by the first.
Odes to the Chimney Sweepers are now carried by London's Lamplighters known as the Leeries with "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" are one of many new songs sung "Underneath the Lovely London Sky." Trip a Little Light Fantastic is the song that's been sticking with me.
One of my favorite scenes was with Mary Poppin's aunt, Topsy Turvey who is played to the quirk by Meryl Streep. Seeing the word from ones head will certainly change your perspective and they all follow Meryl with singing "Turning Turtle."
So while the Banks kids are distracted by Mary Poppins, their dad Michael and his sister Jane, (who were the original Banks kids) are struggling to find the key to keeping the family home from being repossessed by the bank which brings us to the eleventh hour.
I'm not sure when I last saw the original Mary Poppins movie and find myself searching for the movie and remembrance to layer it atop of this film, especially to spot and name the cameo appearances in the new film.
One thing is for certain, Mary Poppins Returns will sweep through and shine a light onto the holiday season and families everywhere.
About the Film
Mary Poppins Returns, PG 2hr 11min, Directed by Rob Marshall
In Disney’s MARY POPPINS RETURNS, an all-new original musical and sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.
MARY POPPINS RETURNS is directed by Rob Marshall. The screenplay is by David Magee and the screen story is by Magee & Rob Marshall & John DeLuca based upon the Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers. The producers are John DeLuca, p.g.a., Rob Marshall, p.g.a. and Marc Platt, p.g.a. with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer. The music score is by Marc Shaiman and the film features all new original songs with music by Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman. The film also stars Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks; Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks; Julie Walters as the Banks’ housekeeper Ellen; Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and introducing Joel Dawson as the Banks’ children, with Colin Firth as Fidelity Fiduciary Bank’s William Weatherall Wilkins; and Meryl Streep as Mary’s eccentric cousin, Topsy. Angela Lansbury appears as the Balloon Lady, a treasured character from the PL Travers books and Dick Van Dyke is Mr. Dawes, Jr., the retired chairman of the bank now run by Firth’s character.
Thank you Disney for the advance screening passes to see the film!
Images courtesy of Disney
(c) 2018 Cynthia Litman. All Rights Reserved.
