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Hold Onto Your Umbrellas, Because The 'Mary Poppins' Trailer Is An Absolute DELIGHT — VIDEO
Hold on to your bird umbrellas. Disney's live-action musical coming to theaters in 2018 is not a remake, but a sequel, and it didn't take much to get fans pumped. A teaser trailer for Mary Poppins Returns debuted during the Oscars and, honestly, it looks delightful. While the trailer didn't include any singing or dancing, there is so much to look forward to this Christmas.
Just a portion of the trailer for the film, which will be in theaters December 2018, aired during the commercials. A longer tease is available online. In it, two children wrestle with a kite that Mary Poppins fans will certainly recognize. Lin-Manuel Miranda's character, Jack, can be seen riding a bike and helping the kids with the kite. He's not playing Bert, but he is essentially the Bert of this film. Then, as majestically as you might expect, Mary flies in.
In the longer version of the trailer, which you can watch below, you can see Mary doing magic in the mirror and catch a glimpse of Ben Whishaw — Paddington himself — and Emily Mortimer as a grown up version of the kids from the first movie. Again, it's a sequel, not a remake.
According to IMDb, the official plot description of Mary Poppins Returns promises drama as well as whimsy:
"In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael's three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives."
Here is the teaser trailer.
There aren't a lot of clues in the new footage, mostly just windy vibes and magic. Cherry Tree Lane looks about the same. Maybe a little more blue and grey than before, but that's to be expected from the Great Depression — right?
Here's a closer look at those grown up kids, who (promise) are expressing excitement and gratitude at seeing Mary Poppins again in this moment. "It's wonderful to see you," Michael says, and Mary agrees. How cute is that little mustache?
The film also stars Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Angela Lansbury, and Dick Van Dyke. Directed by Rob Marshall, Mary Poppins Returns actually does not include music from Miranda. He's just a performer this time around. The music and lyrics comes courtesy of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who are most famous for the musical Hairspray.
“No one can out-Julie Julie Andrews," said titular actor Emily Blunt in an interview with SyFy, describing her Mary as “a bit more eccentric and frickin’ weird. She is incredibly rude, vain, and batty. She really made me laugh.”
Blunt and Miranda presented together at the Academy Awards, giving a statue to fellow Disney employees Kristen Anderson and Robert Lopez for their song "Remember Me" from Coco. One day soon, Miranda will complete that EGOT and get an Oscar of his own. One day.
“Michael and Jane Banks have grown up," Miranda said in an interview with Variety, calling the film "straight up" a sequel and explaining the plot in his own words, "and they find themselves in their own spot. Mary Poppins comes back to take care of Michael’s kids. I play a lamplighter named Jack who sort of grew up apprenticing to Bert. So I know if Mary Poppins shows up, it’s gonna get awesome. I perform that function in the movie, of saying: ‘Y’all don’t know about Mary Poppins. When Mary’s around, cool sh*t happens.’"
Isn't that adorable, to think about Bert telling his apprentice all these stories about Mary Poppins long after she leaves London? Hopefully more details, and a little glimpse of the music, will be revealed soon.