[wpdevart_youtube]3jsfXDZLIY[/wpdevart_youtube]MARY POPPINS RETURNS ***
Dir: Rob Marshall (PG, 114 mins)
The practically perfect nanny is back, as Disney shamelessly continues to rummage through its back catalogue. Here she’s summoned back to deal with a new generation of Banks’ children. Ben Whishaw’s Michael is a widower who needs a helping hand in raising them whilst recovering from his own grief. Sister Emily Mortimer is on hand to help, as is Emily Blunt, stepping into the heftily sensible shoes of Julie Andrews. A whole series of books were written by PL Travers about Poppins, so it’s odd that Disney have only just returned to this spoonful of sugar. The film is loaded with talent: Julie Walters, Colin Firth, David Warner, Angela Lansbury and Meryl Streep, alongside a return by Dick Van Dyke himself, hopefully without THAT cockernee accent. Cheeky chappie duties have fallen to Lin-Manuel Miranda, the prolific creator of smash musical Hamilton as lamp lighter Jack, complete with, erm, cockernee accent. This could be a joy, but the shadow of the original looms large, so it will have to be pretty special to succeed. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, in fact. Opens Dec 21
