54 years after Mary Poppins, Disney finally get around to giving us a sequel. Thank God they didn't go for a reboot, although it replicates the flavour of the original so closely, from the plot to the songs and the hand-drawn animation in the cartoon sequences (in stark contrast to the sterile CGI of most modern Disney productions), that it hardly differs from one.
As before, Mary Poppins is summoned to guide the Banks family out of choppy waters when they face eviction from their house. She takes charge of the children through the tried and tested combination of a firm hand and leading them on fantastical adventures, and naturally a happy end is never in doubt. The performances by the children, thankfully never quite too cloyingly winsome, Emily Blunt as the titular nanny, ably channelling Julie Andrews, though with steelier undertones and Lin-Manuel Miranda as their Cockney jack-of-all-trades helper, managing the accent a whole lot more convicningly than Dick Van Dyke's legendary mangling of it in the original film, are an obvious strong suit. Spotting cameos from a panoply of veteran stars is also pleasingly diverting.
But a musical will ultimately stand or fall by its songs, so while Mary Poppins Returns is unable to provide any that will linger in the memory as its predecessor did, the choreography of the dance numbers is perky and the sheer wit of the lyrics is a pleasure too.
In short, not a disappointment or defilement by any means.
6/10
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