The original Mary Poppins movie starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke has introduced so many children to the wonders of using your imagination over the 54 years since it came out. And it's been far too long since the world first heard Mary Poppins' joyful songs about "teachable moments," so it's perfect then that the new sequel is coming out Dec. 19. And based on the song teased in new trailer for Mary Poppins Returns, the movie will have just as many sing-songy lessons as the original movie that's so deeply beloved.
In Mary Poppins Returns, Emily Blunt takes the umbrella from Andrews to play the titular nanny, with Lin-Manuel Miranda taking over the broom from Van Dyke. Considering that Miranda is the celebrated songwriter behind Broadway's smash sensation, Hamilton, it's only right that Mary Poppins Returns should feature an exciting soundtrack. It turns out that Miranda didn't write the music for Mary Poppins Returns, but that doesn't mean the new soundtrack won't be a hit.
In the new trailer for the film, you hear Blunt's voice singing a song which champions taking time to enjoy life. "Perhaps we’ve learnt when day is done/ Some stuff and nonsense could be fun," Blunt (as Mary Poppins) sings. Then the kids' voices join Blunt's to sing, "Can you imagine that?," which happens to be the song's title, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Blunt sounds like she captures the enchantment of Mary Poppins in the tiny hint of the song featured in the new trailer, but that likely won't come to a surprise for anyone who saw her star in the 2014 musical Into the Woods. In Into the Woods, Blunt played the Baker's Wife, and she proved that she has the vocal talents to follow in Julie Andrews' footsteps and play Mary Poppins .
As much raw talent as Blunt has, the actor told Bustle and other reporters that she had an especially effortless time singing for Mary Poppins Returns while on the movie's set last month. Blunt explained, "I feel I had a great practice run with Into The Woods. In this case, the songs were tailor made for me and my own abilities! So that was fabulous, frankly." It sounds like Blunt's vocal talents will only continue to nail the uplifting spirit of Mary Poppins beyond the short clip that plays from "Can You Imagine That?"
If you're feeling apprehensive about a new version of Mary Poppins being made, it sounds like you don't have anything to worry about, especially because the new movie seems to include so many references to the original. If you look closely at the trailer, you can see the leeries, or lamplighters, dance — no doubt as a nod to the original's beloved "Step In Time." Furthermore, during Bustle's set visit, Lin-Manuel Miranda praised songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who were tasked with writing original songs for Mary Poppins Returns. "This score is such a love letter to that Sherman Brothers score and to the original," Miranda told reporters. "It's a joy to be a part of it."
Well, if Miranda approves, then who are we to doubt him? And, all in all, this promising new trailer is so good that it might just make you believe in the impossible.
