DVDizzy Forum

They could've given the job to the remaining 2D artists at Disney, given that they don't know what to do with them. Besides, they're some of the best in their field.

RyGuy wrote:I did not make it to the Live Action panel at D23 (the queue closed at 4am and I'm too old/high maintenance to sleep on the ground).

I believe they showed tiny bits of song sequences including something with the penguins in it. Has anyone seen any sort of review of the panel that indicates whether they will be 2D or 3D (or even 3D that looks like 2D along the lines of Paperman)?

As for the footage from the film (which just finished principal photography a few weeks ago), Marshall showed a brief clip from the film — “a little something,” really, which even Blunt hadn’t seen — set to live music from the score, played by co-composer Marc Shaiman and the Disney orchestra.

The footage revealed the morose state of Cherry Tree Lane in London’s slump era, where the Banks family is distraught following the death of Michael’s wife. His youngest son, Georgie, flies an errant kite that gets caught in the clouds, and with the help of Jack, they pull the kite and reveal…Mary Poppins, holding the kite and descending from the clouds! Mary proceeds to bring her brand of magic—including her winking parrot umbrella and magic carpet bag—into the Banks home.

The rest of the footage showed a slew of musical moments, including an undersea bathtub adventure, a musical number where Mary and Jack hop inside a Royal Doulton bowl and transform for a pastel-painted animated performance (featuring those penguins!), Topsy’s upside-down home, and Jack and his fellow lamplighters’ wild ride through London.

We also glimpsed a vibrant 2D animation/live-action hybrid sequence, a tap dancing set piece, and plenty of gorgeous costume work from the inimitable Sandy Powell.

If anyone was concerned about Mary Poppins Returns not being able to live up to the sequel, I don’t think there’s any reason to worry. It looks faithful as heck, with a whole lot of nods to the original, while seemingly including a whole bunch of new antics and adventures. There are kites, chimney sweeps, addled admirals, dancing on desks, and yes, 2-D animation.

There were plenty of familiar moments with a new twist: Lin Manuel Miranda's lamp lighter, jack, goes flying a kite and then reels in Mary Poppins; there will be an animated sequence (with what looked like a carousel just like in the first film); the children flew up to the ceilings; there was dancing with chimney sweeps on the rooftops, and Mary Poppins pulled an extremely long feather duster out of the bathroom sink.

The teaser featured a montage of Mary Poppins transforming the Banks home, a song and dance on the ceiling, and a shot of Mary Poppins and Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) riding in a car with an animated background and a bird passing by.

At one point in the teaser, we see the film's stars acting in front of a cartoon background, as in the original, as well as a look at a big chimney sweep dance number. And most impressively: Original star Dick Van Dyke even had a little dancing to do.

Other nods to the original included Blunt playing with cartoon birds in her hand and synchronized dancing in the streets of London a la Dick Van Dyke’s original chimneysweep number. Van Dyke himself also made an appearance in the trailer, along with Colin Firth, who plays heartless bank manager Mr Wilkins.

It introduces the house and the adult children. Then we see Lightning Jack flying a kite on a cloudy day. The clouds part and he pulls the string in, revealing that it's connected to Mary Poppins, once again flying in from above! There's lots of quick shots of dance numbers, including a massive chimney sweep sequence with more than a dozen dancers. It ends with Jane asking Michael, 'Those things that happened when we were kids? They didn't really happen, right?' But behind them, we see Mary sliding up the stairwell.

The footage also included glimpses at Julie Walters as the Banks’ housekeeper Ellen, Meryl Streep as Mary’s eccentric cousin Topsy, Angela Lansbury as the Balloon Lady, and Dick Van Dyke (sho starred in the original film in a different role) as Mr. Dawes Jr., the retired chairman of the bank now run by Firth’s character.

RyGuy wrote:Thanks, D82!

Emily Blunt acknowledges that it’s hard to put in words what it’s like to play author P.L. Travers’ iconic nanny, though “joyful” and “utterly magical” do come up in conversation. Julie Andrews played the role in 1964 and the flying umbrella passes to Blunt for a sequel set in 1930s Depression-era London, where Poppins revisits a now-grown Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane Banks (Emily Mortimer) when their family needs her again. Back in the day, a spoonful of sugar helped the medicine go down, but Blunt’s Poppins hews more to Travers’ literary character. “I just loved how eccentric and wacky she is in the books — incredibly vain and rude to the children,” Blunt says. “As a British person, I really responded to that lack of saccharine relationships. I find it comforting the idea of someone just sweeping in who’s no-nonsense and cleaning everything up and making everything right again in a magical way that's not sentimental.”

Disney's Divinity wrote:When I saw this still, I wondered if Julie Walters was playing Mrs. Banks (Glynis Johns/"Sister Suffragette"), but looking via Wikipedia (which may not be accurate), that's not the case. Which made me realize if Jane/Michael are Wishaw's age, why aren't Mr. and Mrs. Banks still around as grandparents? They weren't that old.

Twenty-five years is a long time for things to change on Cherry Tree Lane, but Number 17 still stands — and the home that once belonged to mean banker Mr. Banks is now inhabited by his son, sensitive banker Michael Banks.

They had a test screening in Thousand Oaks, CA. this past Tuesday. It did not get a good reception. LMM rapping did not go over well. Music was forgettable. I will post more as I hear more.