When Disney announced a sequel to Mary Poppins, I was so excited. I absolutely love the original and got even more excited when it was reported that Emily Blunt was taking over the role of Mary Poppins from Julie Andrews. I couldn't think of anyone more suited to take on the iconic character and seeing her in costume confirmed my thoughts. Blunt is definitely not the problem with Mary Poppins Returns. It's everything else.
In Mary Poppins Returns, it's been decades since her original visit to Cherry Tree Lane. The magical nanny returns to help the Banks siblings and Michael's children through a difficult time in their lives.
Mary Poppins Returns is the exact opposite of everything the original was. Now don't get me wrong, it looks great. The set pieces are glorious and the CGI and animation blend well with the live-action elements for the most part. Even the acting comes across as genuine and heartfelt and the cast seems to understand the responsibility they're taking on of following up a classic Disney masterpiece.
You know how you can hear "I Love to Laugh" or "Chim Chim Cher-ee" and you immediately start to either hum or sing in glee? Good luck with that happening with Mary Poppins Returns. There's barely a single memorable tune that anyone will remember from this a week after hearing it, let alone decades from now. Some of the musical numbers are painfully "modern" or just so out of place visually that you're taken out of the film and left shaking your head. One part has Mary Poppins and her gang of supporting singers and dancers performing freestyle tricks on their old antique bicycles. I just sat and stared at the screen thinking, "What?!?!"
The most exciting moment of Mary Poppins Returns is when Dick Van Dyke shows up for a cameo as the son of the old banker from the original film. His dance number and song are honestly the only thing anyone will probably remember from this mess of a movie. I know it's the only thing I WANT to remember.
The Digital HD download of Mary Poppins comes with quite a few making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. They cover everything from the cast and crew to the musical numbers. We also get deleted scenes, bloopers, and a deleted song. Audio commentary is provided for the movie and there's also a sing-along edition if you're so inclined to re-visit the movie with a focus on the music.
