The mission seems impossible: To take a beloved movie that is, to borrow its own words, practically perfect in every way, and make a sequel 54 years later that’s bracingly fresh while staying true to the spirit of the original.
In the case of “Mary Poppins Returns,” the sprightly and charming follow-up to Disney’s 1964 classic “Mary Poppins,” it takes a lot of musical-theater savvy, a few well-placed cameos, and a star, Emily Blunt, who inhabits the title role as confidently as Julie Andrews did back in the day.
Director Rob Marshall (“Chicago,” “Into the Woods”) and screenwriter David Magee (“Life of Pi,” “Finding Neverland”) begin by reintroducing us to Jane and Michael Banks, the children whose letter brought Mary to turn-of-the-century London.