Mary Poppins Returns

In December of 2013, I flew with Don to California for the press screening of Saving Mr. Banks. To this day, it is still my all-time favorite movie and I can’t get enough of anything Mary Poppins. There’s so much about the story of how the movie came to be and what Mary represents that really speaks to my heart. When I heard that “Mary Poppins Returns” was in the works … you can imagine my excitement. I can’t wait until December 19. I know right where I will be!!!

In Disney’s  €œMary 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 ( €œA Quiet Place, €  €œThe Girl on the Train €) 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 ( €œHamilton, €  €œMoana €) plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light €”and life €”to the streets of London.

 €œMary Poppins Returns € is directed by Rob Marshall ( €œInto the Woods, €  €œChicago €). The screenplay is by David Magee ( €œLife of Pi €) and the screen story is by Magee & Rob Marshall & John DeLuca ( €œInto the Woods €) based upon the Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers. The producers are John DeLuca, Rob Marshall, and Marc Platt ( €œLa La Land €) with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer. The music score is by Marc Shaiman ( €œHairspray €) and the film features all new original songs with music by Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman ( €œSmash €) and Shaiman. The film also stars Ben Whishaw ( €œSpectre €) as Michael Banks; Emily Mortimer ( €œHugo €) as Jane Banks; Julie Walters ( €œHarry Potter € films) as the Banks’ housekeeper Ellen; Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and introducing Joel Dawson as the Banks’ children, with Colin Firth ( €œThe King’s Speech €) as Fidelity Fiduciary Bank’s William Weatherall Wilkins; and Meryl Streep ( €œFlorence Foster Jenkins €) 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.

PL Travers first introduced the world to the no-nonsense nanny in her 1934 children’s book  €œMary Poppins. € However, the subsequent adventures of Mary Poppins remained only on the pages of the seven other PL Travers’ books €¦until now.  €œMary Poppins Returns € is drawn from the wealth of material in these additional books. The film takes place in 1930s Depression-era London 24 years after the first film was set. Michael Banks works for the same financial institution that employed his father and still lives at 17 Cherry Tree Lane with his three children, Annabel, John and Georgie and their housekeeper Ellen.

Carrying on in her mother’s tradition, Jane Banks campaigns for workers’ rights and provides a helping hand to Michael’s family. When the family suffers a personal loss, Mary Poppins magically re-enters their lives and with Jack’s help, brings joy and wonder back into their home.

 €œMary Poppins Returns € will be released in U.S. theaters on December 19, 2018.

 

 

(Images and press materials provided by Disney Studios and used with permission.)
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