'Mary Poppins Returns' Featurette: The Story Continues For The Magical Nanny

How do you recapture the magic of a classic movie like Mary Poppins? By casting a lead actress who is practically perfect in every way. Emily Blunt gets the spotlight in the latest Mary Poppins Returns  featurette released by Disney, which delves into how the story continues for the magical nanny and the Banks children.

No one can replace the unmatchable Julie Andrews, but Blunt is a worthy successor. Taking on the role of the magical nanny that Andrews won an Oscar for playing in 1964, Blunt infuses the role with comic timing and a spoonful of sugar. And Blunt is not the only one paying respectful homage to the original, the entire production is a recreation of the scope and the wonder that first enchanted us all those years ago.

"This film is not a remake of Mary Poppins, which I think is an impossible thing," says Lin-Manuel Miranda, who plays the lamplighter Jack.

Miranda and Blunt are joined in the featurette by director Rob Marshall and Meryl Streep (Topsy, Mary's quirky cousin), the latter of whom isn't afraid to gush about her former Devil Wears Prada co-star. "It is a part she's born to play," Streep says. "She's just practically perfect in every way."

Mary Poppins Returns also stars Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, and Colin Firth.

Here is the official synopsis for Mary Poppins Returns:

In Disney's "Mary Poppins Returns," an all new original musical and sequel, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure and Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.

Mary Poppins Returns opens in theaters on December 19, 2018.