Mary Poppins has always been a household name in my family. I grew up watching the 1964 version with the original Banks children and Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins. No one wants a childhood classic to be ruined because someone in Hollywood thought it would be a good idea to remake it, and many people thought that Mary Poppins Returns would be a pointless sequel. Boy, were they wrong!

Many of the recent reboots or add-ons to our favorite childhood movies have all been duds, whether it be because a director had a certain angle they wanted to achieve, or plain old casting screw ups got in the way. This film was different. Although I was one of the skeptics, I was quickly drawn into the movie during the introduction of the characters. The casting director did a wonderful job picking Ms. Emily Blunt to play our beloved Mary Poppins, and the lovable Banks children were perfectly cast for their roles. The feisty Ms. Anabel Banks played by Pixie Davies, the business-minded Mr. John Banks played by Nathanael Saleh, and the enjoyable Mr. Georgie Banks played by the adorable Joel Dawson were all wonderful to watch. The addition of Dick Van Dyke was a incredible little surprise as well!

As far as the storyline goes, in my opinion, it was well written and stuck to the original concept perfectly without drifting to far off, and the singing was extraordinary! There was no excessive use of auto-tune, unlike some movies we’ve seen before; everything sounded and looked very natural. Well, everything besides the CGI, which was unbelievably great. The special effects were very vivid and lacked any error. It displayed mind-blowing scenes in such a way that you wouldn’t ask yourself if it was real or fake. It found a way to bring our childhood daydreams of having our very own Mary Poppins to life. Even in some scenes I questioned myself: did that painting in my room have its own world inside of it? I mean, that would explain the puppy’s eyes following me around my room. You may think I’m crazy, but this movie brought the kid out of me as I watched it. It knew how to pull me in as a 16 year old, who knows Santa Claus is fake, and made me believe that certain things were possible and could happen with my own Mary Poppins!

All in all, the movie was a hit from casting all the way to the special effects! It was a much needed sequel that no one knew they needed, and it supplied the audience with the follow-up everyone asked for on the original Banks children. It wasn’t released to replace the original, but to provide the younger generation a new perspective on a old classic. This movie has become an instant classic, and will be played for many years to come. My rating for this would be a strong 10/10, taking into account the singing, directing, and acting! If you have any free time, sit down with some popcorn and friends and enjoy the film!