Review of Mary Poppins Returns- 4*

Directed and produced by Rob Marshall, "Mary Poppins Returns" also stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer and Julie Walters with Colin Firth and Meryl Streep. The film, which introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and newcomer Joel Dawson, also features Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury. The film is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers' additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep). The film is produced by Marshall, John DeLuca and Marc Platt. The screenplay is by David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman writing all new songs and Shaiman composing an original score.

Rating: PG (for some mild thematic elements and brief action)

Genre: Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Rob Marshall

Written By: David Magee

In Theaters: Dec 19, 2018  Wide

Runtime: 130 minutes

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

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While I loved Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, Joel Dawson as Georgie Banks stole the show. He was so adorable. 
I probably have not seen the orginal Mary Poppins in 30 years so I'd probably forgotten more than I remembered. This wasn't a bad thing as I wasn't constantly comparing the two movies. I was able to just sit back and enjoy Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins and the fabulous musical numbers. So grap a big bag of popcorn, a cold drink, and sit back and enjoy.