Dick Van Dyke and Karen Dotrice’s cameos in Rob Marshall’s Mary Poppins Returns (2018) paid homage to the original Mary Poppins cast. The duo are the only cast members from Robert Stevenson’s acclaimed adaptation of P. L. Travers’ eponymous book series who appeared in the 2018 sequel. Released in 1964, the first film received 13 nominations for the Academy Awards, winning five among other coveted accolades.
The 2018 remake was a critical and commercial success like the first adaptation. It tells a sequel story to the 1964 movie, bagging multiple nominations for the Oscars and the Golden Globe. Mary Poppins Returns grossed over $349 million worldwide, shadowing the financial achievement of the original film which funded the construction of Walt Disney’s resort complex in Florida. The success of both projects can be attributed to the refined interpretation of the characters. Here’s a comparative look at the Mary Poppins cast.
Julie Andrews And Emily Blunt As Mary Poppins
While Julie Andrews played the magical nanny in the first movie, Emily Blunt embodied the character in the sequel. Both actors were lauded for their respective take on the character. Andrews’ performance won Oscar’s and Golden Globe’s Best Actress awards alongside BAFTA’s Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles.
Bulnt’s portrayal didn’t get a nod from the Academy Awards. It was, however, nominated for Golden Globe’s Best Actress, Screen Actor Guild’s Outstanding Actress in a Leading Role, and two Critics’ Choice Movie Awards (Best Actress and Best Actress in a Comedy). As the lead performers of the Mary Poppins cast, Andrews and Blunt’s depictions drove the narrative of both films, elevating their overall appeal.
Dick Van Dyke And Lin-Manuel Miranda As Bret And Jack
The American actors portrayed the secondary lead characters in the Mary Poppins films. Dick Van Dyke played Bert, Mary Poppins’ close friend in the first film. Lin-Manuel Miranda takes on the role in the sequel but as Jack, a former apprentice of Bert. “It’s really nice to play the Bert position in the film. You kind of get to go on all the fun adventures with the Banks family,” Miranda told Slashfilm in September 2018. Both actors received the Golden Globe’s Best Actor nominations for the roles. Dyke also played Mr. Dawes Sr. in the first film and made a guest appearance in Mary Poppins Returns.
The Banks Family In Mary Poppins and Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins Returns is set in 1935 London, 25 years after the events of the original. However, the premise of both films revolved around the title character’s assistance to the Banks Family. The first film stars David Tomlinson and Glynis Johns as George and Winifred Banks, the parents of Michael (Matthew Garber) and Jane Banks (Karen Dotrice). Johns won the now-defunct Laurel Awards for Female Supporting Performance and Dotrice cameoed in the second film, interacting with Jane, the character she portrayed in the original.
In the sequel, the story focused on Ben Whishaw and Emily Mortimer as the Banks siblings, Michael and Jane Banks. Now adults, Whishaw’s Michael Banks is a widower, struggling artist, and a father of three while his older sister Mortimer’s Jane Banks is a union organizer. The Mary Poppins cast for the Banks family in the sequel includes Nathanael Saleh, Pixie Davies, and Joel Dawson. Respectively, they are Michael’s three children, John, Annabel, and Georgie Banks.
Hermione Baddeley And Julie Walters As Ellen
Late English actress Hermione Baddeley plays the maid of the Banks family in the original Mary Poppins. The character returned in Mary Poppins Returns with Julie Walters as the new Ellen. Speaking about her role in the sequel, Walters told Flicks Clips that the character has always been a part of the Banks family.
“Ellen is the housekeeper in the Banks family in Cherry-Tree Lane and she’s been there since the first film,” said the English actress. “She was a housekeeper when they (Michael and Jane) were children growing up but now of course times are hard in the Bank’s household and she is finding it difficult because they’ve got very little money and so she’s finding it difficult to sort of deal with everything.”
Reginald Owen And David Warner As Admiral Boom
In Mary Poppins, the late British actor Reginald Owen portrayed the strange neighbor of the Banks family, a naval officer fond of firing a cannon from the roof of his home. Boom returned in the sequel retired and bound to a wheelchair. Late English actor David Warner played the character in Mary Poppins Returns. It was Warner’s last movie role before his death in July 2022. The character returned alongside his first mate Mr. Binnacle. While late American actor Don Barclay played the character in the first film, Irish actor Jim Norton takes it on in the sequel.
Ed Wynn And Meryl Streep As Uncle Albert And Topsy
Renowned American actress Meryl Streep took over from the late American actor Ed Wynn as Mary Poppins’ relative in Mary Poppins Returns. The original film starred Wynn as Mary Poppins’ uncle, Uncle Albert. Albert enjoys company and laughter which makes him float in the air. Although the character is absent in the sequel, Streep’s Topsy is based off Uncle Albert as Mary Poppins’ cousin. Check out the cast of Hulu’s hit comedy series PEN15.
Follow Us
