Based on the original screen play of 1964, its sequel continues with the same style, but goes beyond the animation, imagination, and magical wonders that these characters provide. It continues where we left off back in the day and goes even further into the character’s lives with an amazing musical adventure. Mary Poppins Returns is perfect for families and those who remember seeing the film when they were young. Now available on Blu-ray, DVD, 4K and Ultra Blu-ray.
The Banks children have now grown up and Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) has three children of his own, Anabel (Pixie Davies), George (Joel Dawson), and John (Nathanael Saleh). After the death of his wife his sister Jane Banks (Emily Mortimer), an activist for workers’ rights, moves in with Michael to help with the children. She has been helping him out as much as she can along with Ellen (Julie Walters) the housekeeper, and things seem to be going well except for the mortgage payment that has been late.
When the money situation starts to get tough for the Banks family, help comes when Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) shows up to lend her services. With the help of Mary’s friends Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), a lamplighter and former apprentice of Bert, Topsy her eccentric cousin (Meryl Streep), and The Balloon Lady (Angela Lansbury), things start looking up for the Banks.
With special appearances from Dick Van Dyke (Mr. Dawes Jr), Angela Lansbury, Meryl Streep, and Colin Firth (William “Weatherall” Willins) the story brings more to the table. The sequel gives the feel of the first blending the two with the old style movie making that made the original fun to watch. There’s a special very heartwarming performance by Dick Van Dyke who plays the Chairman of Fidelity Fiduciary Bank in the movie. Even though it’s just a small part, I enjoyed seeing the actor once again as will those who remember his fine acting. And he does his own dancing at the age of 93.
Director Rob Marshall moves his film along as if it was part of the first making his audience comfortable with the storyline. He finds a way to present this film so well, that it could be watched in conjunction with the original smash hit as if they were produced in the same era. The acting is superb and brings back memories of the original story we once loved. Marshall does a wonderful job staying authentic to the time period and the special effects animation take you back into time to a place we once knew and should win hearts all over again.
BONUS FEATURES:
Over 1 hour of special extras on the Blu-ray disc including:
“Back to Cherry Tree Lane: Dick Van Dyke Returns” a nicely produced extra that honors Van Dyke including reminiscent from the past
“Practically Perfect Bloopers” some amusing mistakes and miscues that include some funny extra lines from Dick Van Dyke and a lot of apologies.
“Seeing Things from a Different Point of View” The musical numbers of Mary Poppins Returns, including ‘Trip the Little Light Fantastic’ ‘The Royal Doulton Music Hall’, ‘A Cover is Not the Book’, ‘Turning Turtle’, ‘Can You Imagine That?’
“The Anthropomorphic Zoo” Deleted song
“The Practically Perfect Making of Mary Poppins Returns”
“Deleted Scenes” ‘Leaving Topsy’s’, ‘Trip a Little Light Fantastic’
“Sneak Peaks” ‘The Little Mermaid’ anniversary edition, ‘Toy Story 4’, and ‘Aladdin’ live action.
Final Comment: Mary Poppins Returns is a sure hit for everyone, the music, the acting, and the complete wonder of it all will win everyone over. This enjoyable continuing adventure definitely makes it a film worth seeing at home over and over again. I like the imaginative storyline, fine special effects and the remarkable performances.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Nice sequel filled with good family values and a lot of adventure. (4 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast: Emily Blunt, Dick Van Dyke, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Emily Mortimer, Colin Firth, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Julie Walters, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, and Nathanael Saleh.
Directed and written by: Rob Marshall
Genre: Animated, Drama, Family, Fantasy, and Musical.
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for some mild thematic elements and brief action.
Running Time: 2 hours and 10 minutes
Video Release Date: March 19, 2019
Original Theatrical Release Date: December 19, 2018
Language: English (changeable to English descriptive audio, Spanish or French)
Reviewed Format: Blu-ray
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Video: 1080p Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2.38:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Number of Discs: 2 disc box set includes Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Code
Distributed by: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Released in: 4K/Ultra Blu-ray, also Blu-ray/DVD, both with Digital Code
Most of the content was contributed by John M. Delia, Jr.
