WNY Family Magazine April 2019 | Page 27

— by Kristen Hawkes PARENT PREVIEWS – Making Media Entertainment An Easier Choice For Families Mary Poppins Returns PG OVERALL RATING: A- WALT DISNEY PICTURES Released on DVD: March 19, 2019 “ VIOLENCE: (B) Children argue and tussle over a china bowl, which they drop. A young boy is abducted by cartoon creatures. A chase scene follows and there are scenes of peril as his siblings try to rescue him. The vehicles fall into a void and the children wake up, unsure if the experience was real or a dream. There are moments of peril as men climb a clock tower. SEXUAL CONTENT: (A­) None noted. LANGUAGE: (A) None noted. ALCOHOL / DRUG USE: (A-) Song lyrics make a coded reference to someone being drunk. For additional information on this film’s content, visit www.parentpreviews.com I was flying a kite and it got caught on a nanny,” announces an excited Georgie Banks (Joel Dawson) to his father, Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Aunt Jane (Emily Mortimer), who are in the mid- dle of a discussion concerning Michael’s dire financial situation. Luckily for everyone, the nanny Georgie caught is none other than the inimitable Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt). Mary Poppins’ special talents are badly needed because the Banks family is facing a crisis. Michael, recently widowed after the premature death of his wife, is flounder- ing under the debts he assumed to cover the costs of her medical care. Jane is horrified to discover that unless Michael can pay back the loan — which is bigger than his annu- al income — he will lose the house in five days. Michael is an artist and part-time bank teller, and in Depression-era England, there is little chance of finding better employment. Their only hope is selling the bank shares bequeathed to them by their father, but nei- ther Jane nor Michael know where the share certificates are, so they undertake a frantic search of the house. In the meantime, Mary Poppins takes the children in hand. Unlike the original Mary Poppins movie, where Jane and Mi- chael had to be trained out of being lazy, selfish, and argumentative, the younger gen- eration of Banks children are generally ear- nest, helpful, responsible, and desperate to help their father and save their home. In this film, Mary Poppins is much less didactic and teaches the children gentle lessons, almost entirely through song. “A Cover Is Not the Book” warns the kids against judging based on appearances; “The Place Where Lost Things Go” comforts the mourning young- sters; “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” urges them to find light in dark places…. and so on. Audiences will not be surprised by the direction the plot takes. A happy ending is expected and is provided. But as with any Disney production, the joy is in the journey. Mary Poppins Returns dishes out a pleasant viewing experience, with top quality acting talent (Colin Firth, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Dick Van Dyke), catchy tunes, energetic choreography, cohesive visual design, an almost total lack of negative content, and outstanding CGI and animation. This is a good family movie and the audience at the screening I attended clapped and cheered at the end. I feel a little churlish at admitting to a touch of disappointment with this produc- tion. It may simply be that because the origi- nal Mary Poppins was my favorite childhood film, nothing else will measure up to a movie that is “practically perfect in every way.” Still, this sequel does come with a few flaws. The music is appealing but the soundtrack doesn’t measure up to the unforgettable songs from the original film. One of the mu- sical set pieces is centered around a china bowl, and the manufacturer’s name – Royal Doulton – is referred to so often in speech and song that it begins to feel like a product placement. And, finally and most seriously, the movie doesn’t draw viewers in. I felt like I was watching actors on a stage; not like I had been swept into another world, which is the hallmark of any great movie. Maybe the pixie dust was left out or maybe it just needed a “spoonful of sugar.” Whatever, the reason, Mary Poppins Returns will provide a pleasant viewing experience for families, but it likely won’t be “supercalifragilisticex- pialidocious.” TALK ABOUT THE MOVIE WITH YOUR FAMILY… Mary Poppins arranges to “turn back time” (change the clock) to give Michael more time to reach the bank. Do you think this is honest? The banker’s behavior is clearly unethical. Do two wrongs make a right? When Mary Poppins takes the kids to visit her cousin Topsy, on an upside-down day, they discover that changing your per- spective can change the way you feel about your situation. Have you ever discovered that changing your attitude can change the way you feel about a problem? How do you go about making an attitude change? WATCH AT HOME… This movie is a sequel to Disney’s Mary Poppins. The life of P.L. Travers, author of the Poppins’ franchise, is dramatized in the movie Saving Mr. Banks. LOVED THE MOVIE? TRY THESE BOOKS… P.L. Travers wrote four novels featuring Mary Poppins. If your child loves the movie, take a good look at the books. Christianna Brand wrote a classic series of novels about Nurse Matilda, another famous fictional nanny. In  The Adventures of Nanny Piggins, R.A. Spratt has created a modern classic about three children who are cared for by a pig. These rollicking stories are sure to enter- tain children looking for fun and adventure with a side order of laughter. 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