Not only is Mary back, her
carpet bag and parrot-head
umbrella are too – squawk!
inds in the east, mist coming in.
Like somethin’ is brewing and
’bout to begin. Can’t put me finger
on what lies in store, but I feel
what’s to happen, all happened before...”
With these prophetic words, Dick Van Dyke’s
loveable cockney chimney sweep Bert set the
stage for one of the great cinematic icons of our
time: Mary Poppins. Floating, elegantly, into
cinemas in 1964, Disney’s magical nanny
transformed the unhappy Banks household into
a place of love and laughter with the help of such
iconic songs as ‘Feed the Birds’, ‘Chim Chim
Cher-ee’ and ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious’,
in the process winning the hearts and minds
of a generation of children (and their parents).
This Christmas, winds in the east once
more can mean only one thing: Mary Poppins
is returning for a long overdue visit to Number
17, Cherry Tree Lane. Excited? We’re practically
beside ourselves here at ODEON Magazine
with, we feel, very good reason. From the
incredible cast and fantastic new songs to the
24 odeon.co.uk
dazzling mix of live action and chalk-picture-
perfect retro animation, this sequel promises to
be every bit as magical as Mary’s first adventure.
New face, same Mary
With the passage of time ruling out original
star Julie Andrews, Mary Poppins Returns
sees Emily Blunt stepping into the shapely shoes
of the umbrella-powered au pair – and she
really is the perfect fit. English born and bred,
with significant acting chops, she brings the
necessary pomp and circumstance to Mary.
For the actress, the role is a dream come true,
“I don’t think you
can ever outshine
what Julie did”
Emily Blunt