“Nothing is gone forever,” sings Emily Blunt in the new trailer for “Mary Poppins Returns”. In fact, the sequel seems poised to capture the supercalifragilistic, expialidocial magic of the original as it combines colorful, old-fashioned animation with happy live-action musical numbers.
Ms. Blunt slips into Julie Andrews’ timeless role as the eponymous nanny, who of course plunges into the lives of the children of the now grown-up Michael and Jane Banks (Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer) via a dragon. Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Jack, a lantern character reminiscent of Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweep Bert, but based on the footage shown so far, the British accent of the “Hamilton” mastermind seems a little more believable.
Mr. Van Dyke can also be seen defying his age in a dance number and playing a different role as the son of a banker. Other notable faces featured in the trailer include Angela Lansbury, a veteran of the Disney musicals “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and “Beauty and the Beast”; and Meryl Streep, who plays Mary Poppins’ quirky cousin Topsy.
Directed by Rob Marshall, director of the Oscar-winning musical “Chicago”, “Mary Poppins Returns” will hit theaters on December 19th.
