Mary Poppins Sequel in the works

TheOriginalTiki

Well-Known Member
I think the point of the Shermans having really simplistic, repeating lyrics is spot on. Returns songs are far more non-linear and almost none of them rely on a traditional "verse/chorus" structure. The original songs might be more classic, but I also think the original had more filler in its soundtrack...specifically the three songs introducing us to the Banks family. The two "terrible parents" songs and the "we want a perfect nanny" song are both fine but really slow the pace of the first film to a crawl. The themes of the first film creep up on you, the themes of Returns are loud and in your face for all to see. It's an interesting crossroads. The songs in Returns are where most of the depth comes in, not in the subtlety of the storytelling which I admit there's not much of.

Step in Time is obviously a far more iconic sequence than "Trip a Little Light", but if I'm being honest I think I like the song even more from a sheer creative writing point of view. Step in Time is literally just "do something...step in time!" over and over again. Trip a Little Light has highs, lows, really fun wordplay, and some fantastic choreography and set piece moments in its own right.

Lin Manuel Miranda is freaking adorable and I love his bad accent. It's a total throwback to the Bert performance and was a bold choice. I can see how it can rub people the wrong way, but I personally think the inclusion of the bad cockney made the film feel even more authentic to the original.

There's definitely a few sequences that don't hold up that well. I'm not a big fan of "Can You Imagine That". It's a bit of a CG overload and oddly more of a send up of Bedknobs and Broomsticks than Poppins. Streep is by far my least favorite part of the film. That whole scene feels like a total diversion and the weird translvanian accent feels oddly out of place.

The animated sequence also doesn't hold a candle to the chalk drawing scenes in the original. Nice to see 2D animation in a Disney movie again but I'll agree that it's the one moment in the film where Blunt's cockney goes a bit overboard. It's not a bad sequence by any means, but goes on too long especially with the action scene at the end. That being said as a huge Hamilton fan Lin's "Dirty Rascal" rap was a highlight.

The stuff with the bank is also very much not on point with the original. Colin Firth is another part of the movie that doesn't feel needed. I think the film would have played better if he wasn't inherently a villain character but more in line with the original film's bankers as well meaning but cold. That being said...when the Feed the Birds story gets brought up...INSTANT tears on my end haha. ;)

One of the things I find delightful about the movie that no one's talking about are the bit part characters from the original who get expanded on. Specifically Ellen the housekeeper and Admirable Boom. Boom's arc with Big Ben in particular felt really special and in line with the spirit of Travers and the original film. Loved the magical realism of the "turn back time" sequence. I also thought Ben Whipshaw was a particular highlight as Michael. He showed a wide range of emotions and in some shots looks almost uncanny to the original kid, just grown up. Love, love, LOVE all his interactions with Mary. His song in the attic early on is one of my favorites. It's like a better, more fully fleshed out version of Maurice's song from Beauty and the Beast 2016.

Blunt herself is simply fantastic. What a great combination of the writing for a character being spot on and an actress coming along to make said writing absolutely leap off the page. Overall it's definitely not a perfect film, but at the very least I think it's FAR AND AWAY the best of the post-Alice in Wonderland remake/sequel trend Disney has been on. At its core, I think it's basically "The Force Awakens" but for Poppins. A new story that takes an almost beat-by-beat approach to recreating the original. On that level I think it's just as much a successful piece of pure escapism entertainment as that was for Star Wars fans.
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
I had the chance to see MPR yesterday. As a fan of the original, I enjoyed this film. There were several moments that struck me emotionally even if I can't tell you why, but the lump in the throat and the swollen eyes did appear. I am in agreement with most that the music was much less memorable and vocally, Emily Blunt is no Julie Andrews (not really close). But the songs did have some "heft" to them and helped serve as part of the narrative.

Visually, the film was spectacular - even the scene with Meryl Streep (by far the worst and unnecessary) was at least interesting to look at. The animation, perhaps because we've been saturated with so much CGI over the last 10 years, seems fresh and new and leaped off the screen.

I didn't like Ben Whishaw's portrayal of Michael. It seemed very one dimensional and I found it hard to connect with him; certainly harder than I should have. Same with Jane, who basically just smiled through the entire movie. Manuel did I fine job with selling Jack and Emily Blunt owned the screen when ever she appeared. I thought the children actors did an especially fine job.

The ending got a bit clunky but seeing Van D-yke brought a smile to my face.

Overall, I'm glad I went to view MPR on the big screen and would give it a thumbs up.
 
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Princess Leia

Well-Known Member
Hoping to see this either next weekend or the weekend after that. It really looks magical, and I'm still holding out on listening to the soundtrack until I see the movie.
 

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
I think the point of the Shermans having really simplistic, repeating lyrics is spot on. Returns songs are far more non-linear and almost none of them rely on a traditional "verse/chorus" structure. The original songs might be more classic, but I also think the original had more filler in its soundtrack...specifically the three songs introducing us to the Banks family. The two "terrible parents" songs and the "we want a perfect nanny" song are both fine but really slow the pace of the first film to a crawl.

Uh, okay, gotta disagree here. HOW do they "slow the pace of the film to a crawl", exactly? They are vital. They help establish character. "The Life I Lead" tells us the mindset of Mr. Banks. "Sister Suffragette" tells us the mindset of Mrs. Banks. And "The Perfect Nanny" is the "I Want" song of the film. (As was "Over The Rainbow" for The Wizard of Oz and "I'm Wishing" for Snow White). I really doubt those songs made audiences squirm with impatience, except for those parts of the audience wearing diapers and those who need constant stimulation in order to pay attention (intellectual infants, as it were). Those songs are leitmotifs of superior quality. I cannot fathom why you find them tedious.

But I agree with you about the simplistic lyrics of the Sherman songs. They are clean, spare and to the point, yet full of imagery. That's good lyric writing. Poor lyric writing uses too many words to get the point across, and a lot of modern songs have this flaw. Which is why they suck.
 

Ripken10

Well-Known Member
Too early to "track" if Mary can overtake the #1 movie all time to never reach #1? Sing holds title at 270 million. After yesterday, it sits with 114 million after 14 days, which is already 95th all time (this of course assumes it never reaches #1 as it inches closer to aquaman each weekend, which I think is a safe bet?). It is still 73 million behind Sing after 14 days, but one would think it will make up ground. It is 7million ahead of A Star Is Born after 14 days, which made 201 million overall (currently 7th overall, only 1 million from 6th).

I expect Aquaman to keep the #1 this weekend, but could it get interesting next weekend? If Mary keeps the slow descent some project, it could be really close between the two for #1 next weekend, possibly ruining any chance at this record. Curious what some of the resident experts think (@WhatJaneSays)
 
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WhatJaneSays

Well-Known Member
Too early to "track" if Mary can overtake the #1 movie all time to never reach #1? Sing holds title at 270 million. After yesterday, it sits with 114 million after 14 days, which is already 95th all time (this of course assumes it never reaches #1 as it inches closer to aquaman each weekend, which I think is a safe bet?). It is still 73 million behind Sing after 14 days, but one would think it will make up ground. It is 7million ahead of A Star Is Born after 14 days, which made 201 million overall (currently 7th overall, only 1 million from 6th).

I expect Aquaman to keep the #1 this weekend, but could it get interesting next weekend? If Mary keeps the slow descent some project, it could be really close between the two for #1 next weekend, possibly ruining any chance at this record. Curious what some of the resident experts think (@WhatJaneSays)

You're right about it being to early for proper tracking. Late December releases are often the bane of box office statistics! You never know for sure how they shake out until a month later. This coming weekend and next week should be a better indicator of MPRs long term performance.

Sing is going to be hard record to break, but it is doable with the right combination of events. There is a lack of competition for either MPR or Aquaman for a nice long while; they are both likely to still drop in the rankings but stay more stable. If she breaks more on the The Greatest Showman (also never hit #1) side with low consistent drops, Disney might be more inclined to push for a rally around awards time to extend it's range of good legs. I still only rank it beating out Sing for that spot at 10-15%, provided MPR goes the most predictable drop %; could be a lot higher if the loss week-to-week stays really low.
 

Ripken10

Well-Known Member
You're right about it being to early for proper tracking. Late December releases are often the bane of box office statistics! You never know for sure how they shake out until a month later. This coming weekend and next week should be a better indicator of MPRs long term performance.

Sing is going to be hard record to break, but it is doable with the right combination of events. There is a lack of competition for either MPR or Aquaman for a nice long while; they are both likely to still drop in the rankings but stay more stable. If she breaks more on the The Greatest Showman (also never hit #1) side with low consistent drops, Disney might be more inclined to push for a rally around awards time to extend it's range of good legs. I still only rank it beating out Sing for that spot at 10-15%, provided MPR goes the most predictable drop %; could be a lot higher if the loss week-to-week stays really low.
Do you think it will remain behind Aquaman next weekend (1/11-1/13). I see it could be close which could make it a mute point. I don't see any newcomers challenging them for #1. If Aquaman drops similar to Wonderwoman the next two weekends, it would be looking at a 4th weekend of around 21 million. If Mary drops similar to Greatest showman the next two weekends, it would have a 4th weekend of around 22 million. I think both will drop a little harder, but do think it could get interesting. Greatest showman lost 400 theaters from weekend 2 to 4, Wonderwoman lost 200 theaters. not sure what Aquaman and Wonderwoman will project to, but neither has a big challenger that will steal a lot from them, next weekend having more new releases than this weekend.

Too Early To Track Tracking for Mary: after 15 days = 119 million (84th now among those never #1, made almost 1 million more than Sing did on day 15, but still 71 million behind where Sing was on day 15)
 
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WhatJaneSays

Well-Known Member
Do you think it will remain behind Aquaman next weekend (1/11-1/13). I see it could be close which could make it a mute point. I don't see any newcomers challenging them for #1. If Aquaman drops similar to Wonderwoman the next two weekends, it would be looking at a 4th weekend of around 21 million. If Mary drops similar to Greatest showman the next two weekends, it would have a 4th weekend of around 22 million. I think both will drop a little harder, but do think it could get interesting. Greatest showman lost 400 theaters from weekend 2 to 4, Wonderwoman lost 200 theaters. not sure what Aquaman and Wonderwoman will project to, but neither has a big challenger that will steal a lot from them, next weekend having more new releases than this weekend.

Too Early To Track Tracking for Mary: after 15 days = 119 million (84th now among those never #1, made almost 1 million more than Sing did on day 15, but still 71 million behind where Sing was on day 15)

I think it's pretty likely that Aquaman will keep it's #1 spot for this coming weekend (unless Escape Room is a real sleeper hit). I feel that MPR will take more of a hit this particular weekend as the number of holiday watchers and larger family groups drop out and the re-watchers and the "we'll get around to it" crowd probably won't start until Tuesday or the weekend after.

For 1/11-1/13 it could pop above Aquaman to be #2 against A Dog’s Way Home ... but I feel that a family dog movie is going to pull more from the Disney crowd that the DC crowd. So for me it's even money which one actually comes out on top.
 

Ripken10

Well-Known Member
I think it's pretty likely that Aquaman will keep it's #1 spot for this coming weekend (unless Escape Room is a real sleeper hit). I feel that MPR will take more of a hit this particular weekend as the number of holiday watchers and larger family groups drop out and the re-watchers and the "we'll get around to it" crowd probably won't start until Tuesday or the weekend after.

For 1/11-1/13 it could pop above Aquaman to be #2 against A Dog’s Way Home ... but I feel that a family dog movie is going to pull more from the Disney crowd that the DC crowd. So for me it's even money which one actually comes out on top.
I didn't think A Dog's Way Home looked like a contender for #1 for the weekend, but you could be right. I only saw one number for A Dog's Way Home so far, and that was an approx. 13 million opening weekend. But I didn't look much into it. Box Office Pro does have it trending up right now though.

Not that this is a big deal, but according to Box Office Mojo, Mary is now the #10 musical already (https://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=musical.htm) Should easily get to #2, and no way it is getting to #1. I would have thought there was other musicals that existed between then #1 and #2 movie.

As of Thursday, Mary was up to #78 all time on movies not to hit #1. Made another 800,000 more than Sing did on day 16, but still 70 million behind Sing's pace. You are right, this weekend and next will be a huge sign of where it is going. Right now I see it challenging for #2 on that list unless it surprises the next two weekends.
 

Disneyfanman

Well-Known Member
I really liked all of the elements of this movie, but still ended up disappointed. It was almost a scene for scene reimagining of the original. I did love the soundtrack and the music felt more like a broadway play production. I loved the finale. DVD was amazing. If the original had never existed MPR would have blown me away. But................ It just didn’t feel like it should exist.
 

Fox&Hound

Well-Known Member
I'm going to get crucified for this...... I think it was better than the original.

I absolutely loved it. Few moments I teared up on. My foot was tapping to the songs and seeing **** Van **** again made me smile so much.

I completely agree, actually! I think the original is a classic but at the same time, overrated. I don't think it holds up as well as others claim.
 

mf1972

Well-Known Member
I'm going to get crucified for this...... I think it was better than the original.

I absolutely loved it. Few moments I teared up on. My foot was tapping to the songs and seeing **** Van **** again made me smile so much.
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kidding aside, no crucification here. everyone is entitled to their own opinion
 

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