Mary Poppins comes back to Cherry Tree Lane in Mary Poppins Returns, now available on Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital, and 4K Ultra-HD. The long awaited sequel to Walt Disney’s crowning achievement took 54 years to produce and was absolutely worth the wait. It was my favorite film of 2018 and I saw it four times in theaters, something I hadn’t done since I was a child.
Grown up Michael Banks is having a hard time making ends meet after the loss of his wife and he is about to lose his childhood home. Enter Mary Poppins, who teaches his children to not grow up too fast while also laying the seeds for Jane and Michael to reconnect with the youthful spirit that they’ve lose touch with. As before, the wisdom and lessons that Mary Poppins imparts on the family are done through magical adventures that only she can arrange.
It’s true that this sequel very much stays within the framework established by the original film, including an animated excursion and a splashy nighttime musical number. But the themes and messages are different and for all the sameness, Mary Poppins Returns stands apart as its own original film.
The music of Mary Poppins Returns is another highlight, with new songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, including the Oscar nominated “The Place Where Lost Things Go.” But my personal favorites are the opening and closing numbers, “Underneath the Lovely London Sky” and “Nowhere to Go but Up.” Other standouts include the animated “A Cover is Not the Book,” the “Step in Time” tribute “Trip a Little Light Fantastic,” and Mary Poppins’ theme in this film, “Can You Imagine That?.” This home video release includes a Sing-Along viewing mode with stylized on-screen lyrics.
Now you can return to Cherry Tree Lane anytime you’d like with this release of Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Angela Lansbury, Dick Van Dyke, Julie Walters, and Colin Firth. Best of all, this release includes behind-the-scenes bonus features that reveal many of the movie magic secrets.
Bonus Features
- Back to Cherry Tree Lane: Dick Van Dyke Returns (5:22) – Director Rob Marshall and the cast talk about how much it meant to have Dick Van Dyke join them for a scene.
- Practically Perfect Bloopers (1:57) – A short reel of the cast having a lot of fun behind the scenes.
- “Seeing Things from a Different Point of View”: The Musical Numbers of Mary Poppins Returns – A behind-the scenes look at the filming of several musical numbers in the film, including rehearsals and a look at how the special effects were created.
- “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” (3:56)
- “The Royal Doulton Music Hall”/”A Cover is Not the Book” (7:05)
- “Turning Turtle” (3:01)
- “Can You Imagine That?” (4:03)
- Deleted Song: “The Anthropomorphic Zoo” (5:04) – Marc Shaiman’s demo for a song that was replaced by “The Royal Doulton Music Hall” is presented with storyboard artwork.
- The Practically Perfect Making of Mary Poppins Returns (23:38) – This behind-the-scenes documentary covers all aspects of bringing Mary Poppins back to the screen including pre-production, casting, rehearsals, and filming. Among the highlights are the scenes with Richard Sherman and Dick Van Dyke.
- Deleted Scenes
- “Leaving Topsy’s” (0:55) – An extended scene where Mary Poppins, Jack, and the Banks children get back on the bike after leaving Cousin Topsy’s.
- “Trip a Little Light Fantastic” (0:48) – A briefly extended dance number that made the instrumental part of the song run a little too long.
Digital Exclusives (available with the included digital copy)
- Magical Memories (5:21) – The cast and creative team share some of their favorite memories from the production.
- Image Galleries – A mix of production still, behind the scenes photos, theatrical posters, and images from the premiere.
- Fun Facts – A gallery of images with text revealing some behind-the-scenes secrets not shared through other bonus features.
- Song Selection – Jump to any song from the film
- Audio Commentary (2:10:28) – Director Rob Marshall and Producer John DeLuca lead a commentary track that reveals behind-the-scenes secrets and memories, including why it was such an important film for each of them.
Video
The Blu-Ray presentation of Mary Poppins Returns looks “Practically perfect” with clear details and a broad color spectrum. Scenes with darker colors, such as “Trip a Little Light Fantastic,” look dark and inky while brighter sequences like “Can You Imagine That?” look vivid and bold.
Audio
The primary audio track on Blu-Ray is a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio mix. Music and sound effects primarily fill the rear channels, placing you in the center of the action. Other audio options include English 2.0 Descriptive Audio, plus 5.1 French and Spanish tracks.
Packaging & Design
Mary Poppins Returns comes in a standard blu-ray case with disc holders on each side of the interior to hold the Blu-Ray and DVD copies. Inserts include a code redeemable for your Movies Anywhere digital copy, also redeemable for points through Disney Movie Rewards, and a flier for Disney Movie Club. The slipcover features a matte white background with glossy images and an embossed reflective title.
The main menu features score from the film set to concept artwork and relevant scenes. Both discs open with ads for Toy Story 4, Aladdin, and then a different trailer for Toy Story 4 (presumably a mistake). Selecting “Sneak Peeks” from the main menu plays an additional ad for The Little Mermaid (Walt Disney Signature Collection) before repeating the previous three.
Final Thoughts
Mary Poppins Returns is the kind of film that you can’t watch just once. With so many layers to the story, you’ll notice new reasons to love it with each viewing and the memorable songs will keep you coming back for more. This Blu-Ray release includes insightful bonus features and dazzling picture and sound. You can give your friends and family a magical springtime gift with a copy of Mary Poppins Returns.