As a Mary Poppins fangirl from way back, there was no way I was missing her return.
When I was about seven years old and we finally got a VCR at home, Mary Poppins was the first thing we ever recorded off TV and I watched it over, and over, and over again. Mary quickly became my hero with her practically perfect mix of sass and good manners.
So when Emily Blunt took on the iconic role for Mary Poppins Returns, I was all in. And sitting in the cinema with my mum next to me (because good old times, kids), I quickly realised that this is a film to be truly enjoyed with others.
There were smiles from ear-to-ear across every row of seats. Clapping, cheering, and rather loud squeals of joy. It’s a film that reminds you how much fun going to the cinema can be.
And the cameos. Oh the cameos! So spit pot and off we go.
P.L. Travers (titles)
Lin-Manuel Miranda dancing up a storm on PL Travers titles in Mary Poppins Returns.
So the books Lin-Manuel Miranda is trotting on in the hand-drawn song-and-dance scene are actually titles by Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers.
To be fair, this is a very niche cameo that I didn’t even learn about until after the film and I’d fallen down a rabbit hole of hot takes on the Internet. And I’ll admit I shed quite a few tears while watching Saving Mr Banks, so no disrespect to P.L. Travers at all.
Grown-up Jane
On set with the original Jane Banks, Karen Dotrice, watch for her surprise cameo…#MaryPoppinsDay pic.twitter.com/1CP5GuiYhw
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) December 19, 2018
She makes a very brief appearance in Cherry Tree Lane. And to be honest, Graham Norton and his Mary Poppins-filled couch spilled the beans on this one for me. Afterwards I thought, “oh, that’s pretty cool”.
The Dancing Penguins
Iconic, always.
As a kid, I couldn’t get over the park scene with Mary and Bert and those hand-drawn dancing penguins. HOW ARE THEY DANCING WITH PENGUINS?!
And when those penguins poked their heads through the curtains in Mary Poppins Returns I felt like I was seven years old all over again. Pure joy.
Colin Firth
Mr Darcy in Mary Poppins.
Look, I was in a cinema pretty much filled with women who had watched Pride and Prejudice more than once (guilty as charged).
We don’t even care that he’s a massive bully to the Banks family. He is Mr Darcy. Always.
Meryl Streep
It’s a topsy turvy world when Meryl’s mending china.
Topsy’s workshop is pretty much a replica of the tea-party-on-the-roof scene from 1964, but it had us all wishing we had a broken ceramic bowl just so we could knock on Meryl’s door.
Dick Van Dyke
The very real Dick Van Dyke, not CGI, for the record.
The guy is 93 and dancing up a storm on a desk. For real. People were actually cheering. I was quietly waiting for him to float up, up and away like old man Mr Dawes.
He was such a big part (or rather parts) of the original Poppins, we’d all have felt cheated if he wasn’t in Returns at all. Even with the dodgy Cockney accent.
Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury owns the audience as the marvellous, magical balloon lady,
IT’S MRS POTTS!
Mate, if you don’t even crack a smile when she’s revealed as the balloon lady, and breaks into song, then you are a broken soul.