Mary Poppins Returns (2018)

Not really considering myself a fan of merging animation with live-action, I found it delightfully surprising to catch myself fully-immersed within this film. Prior to watching it, I knew briefly of Emily Blunt & Lin Manuel-Miranda, two of the featured stars; however, they each brought a new energy to the movie that I believe couldn’t by any means be emmulated by any other duo. The charisma between them seemed to seep from the screen itself when I went to view it in cinema with friends (& was certainly not limited in the DVD release either!)

Aside from the casting choices, there was also a wider variety of features deserving an equal amount of praise. Amongst these being more prominently the musical cameos. With the original Mary Poppins becoming something of a legend with its catchy melodies & memorable lyrics - the return had big shoes to fill. And I’m pleased to say that I believe they filled them entirely. The songs were appealing to children, the intended audience, without being too tacky & insincere that older members grew uninterested.

Following on, the split between animation & CGI & real scenes was also quite the challenge to master. The transitions between both worlds was very smooth & the scenes within the animated world itself were very clean around the edges & left little room for critisism. The bright colours seemed to burst out in striking beams of tones, yet weren’t headache-inducing. The characters weren’t sloppy or ill-lined. It was very well done.

Penultimately, the plot itself contained a grand number of turns, featuring around a heart-warming continuation of a classic. The characters were very well-portrayed, aided by casting choices that did justice to the originals.

The only complaint I have is the simplicity, admittedly it is a production for children, however, bearing in mind how many went for the nostalgia, I believe they could have developed more on the core story. The dilemmas were easily overcome & felt repetative towards the end. This is partially redeemed by the duration spent establishing characters & outstanding effects; but for such a long screen-time, it could have been implicated without much of a struggle.

Overall, a good picture for those seeking a new adventure, alongside those who grew-up with the film trying to find closure at the newest installment of a dearly-held cinematic universe.