Lindsey Jenae

I never write reviews for movies, but I had to make a special exception for this one. When I heard that they were making this sequel, I was a bit skeptical. With all of the Disney sequels coming out recently doing well, but not giving full justice, I was afraid that this would ruin a movie that I had spent my whole childhood watching. When my family was finally able to go to see this, I was excited, but I wasn't prepared for how emotionally overwhelmed I would become. From the opening moments of the movie, I was reminded of the movie I had seen so many times before. The whimsical travels that the kids took throughout the movie stuck very close to the tone of the original, with everything looking more cartoon-like than realistic. The plot makes a better showing of how the world is more negative than the original shows. With Michael and his children facing the loss of his wife, then the threatening of the loss of the family house is absolutely heartbreaking. Mary Poppins comes in and brings the children to different places to show them that while a situation might seem dark, there is always light somewhere in the world. Meanwhile, the new bank owner is trying to give Michael as little time as possible to find the money to keep the house. I didn't like the music as much as the original, but there are still some pretty great and memorable songs that will get stuck in your head. Each cast member had a chance to sing different types of sings, specially with Lin-Manuel Miranda rapping a bit in a song. Emily Blunt's magical vocals carry a lot of the songs with the kids. Each song helps to teach a small lesson, such as not judging a book by its cover, or looking at things from a different perspective. The cast did a wonderful job in the roles that they were given. Emily Blunt, while not fully replacing Julie Andrews, stayed true to the character while making it her own. She helped to keep the kids in the reality of what was happening in the world during the Great Slump. Lin-Manuel Miranda was fantastic in this movie, despite an odd accent. I was interested to see how he was able to translate from the Broadway stage to a movie musical, which he did perfectly well. The kids did well, considering their young age. Colin Firth seemed like he was made to play the villain of the movie, and he did it so well. It was refreshing to see some small characters played by famous people, such as Julie Walters as Ellen, Meryl Streep as Topsy, Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady, and Dick Van Dyke as Mr. Dawes Junior. I'd say that this movie is definitely a must-watch if you loved the original!