On December 19, 2018, movie history was changed. A classic Disney character was brought back to the big screen. After 54 years of the original movie been released, Disney productions has reinvented everything we thought we knew about Mary Poppins and the Banks children. How did Emily Blunt compare to the original beauty of Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins? How did the plot match up to the original movie? Was the soundtrack just as dazzling as it was in 1954? I will give you my opinion and thoughts on everything you need to know about this new and breathtaking film.

When the cast for this movie was released, I had a bit of a saddened heart to see that Julie Andrews had no part in this movie. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins. I thought she did a terrific job of portraying the classic and timeless character. Another thing I was concerned about going into the movie was if the plot was going to match up to the characters and story of the original movie. I was also pleasantly surprised by how much sense this movie made in comparison to the first one.

The story begins with the Banks brother and sister, Jane and Michael, having financial struggles to keep their old mother and fathers house theirs. Mary Poppins returns to the Banks house to make sure that Johns three children are in tip-top shape while Jane and Michael take care of these problems. The children are not amused with their new caretaker and her strange tactics. The first magical encounter we have with Mary Poppins and the children is when they are told to take a bath and refuse. Mary Poppins ends up turning the bath into an underwater ocean dreamland that they could never imagine. The children–John, George, and Annabel–start to fall in love with Mary Poppins, just as Jane and Michael did many years ago. The next big and memorable adventure Mary Poppins takes the children on is into a painting on a bowl. Inside, the children, Mary Poppins, and Jack (the local lamplighter and friend of Mary Poppins) take a carriage ride to the Royal Doulton Music Hall. At the hall, Jack and Mary Poppins put on a magical show that blew my socks off. This scene really took the magic of the movie to heights unimaginable.

After hard work and the help of Mary Poppins, the Banks family is able to save their house and save the sweet memories of Jane and Michaels childhood with Mary Poppins. The film ends with a scene at a carnival where the children pick balloons that make them fly to the sky. Everyone in the town ends up joining and finding the balloon that makes them fly. I think this scene was an ode to the ending of the original movie where the final scene is the town flying kites. I think that was an excellent touch that really connected the two movies.

One thing I was wishing this movie would have was some of the original and classic songs from the first movie. I was hoping “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” or “A Spoonful of Sugar” would have made its way into the soundtrack. But I was very happy with some of the new playful songs such as “Can You Imagine That?” and “A Cover is Not the Book.” I am very pleased that Disney is remaking so many timeless films so that children today can see these motion pictures in a new light. I cannot wait to see what else Disney has up its sleeve.