Film fans have been treated to their first burst of Emily Blunt singing in character as Mary Poppins, in a new trailer for the upcoming Disney sequel.
The ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ trailer debuted on US TV on Monday morning, during ‘Good Morning America’, introducing us to a now grown-up Jane and Michael Banks.
During the clip, it’s revealed that the kite that was so important in the original film is what brings Mary Poppins (whose accent, it must be noted, is sounding a little different to how we remember it...) back to the Banks family, to take care of his children following the death of Michael’s wife.
The trailer also introduces us to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s character, Jack, who will serve as a Bert-esque companion to Mary Poppins in the new film.
Lin-Manuel, best known as the creator and star of musical theatre smash ‘Hamilton’, has penned all of the original new songs for ‘Mary Poppins Returns’, snippets of which pepper the trailer.
In a nod to the original film, it reveals that a half-animated, half-live action sequence is to feature in the sequel.
Also in the trailer are first looks at Meryl Streep, Dame Julie Walters, Dame Angela Lansbury (who, criminally, doesn’t receive a credit like the rest of the cast at the end) and Ben Whishaw in character.
Dick Van Dyke, who portrayed Bert in the classic 1964 film, also features in the trailer as Mr Dawes Jr, and we’re pleased to note he’s still dancing away in his 90s.
The original ‘Mary Poppins’ film starred Dame Julie Andrews as the title character, and bagged a handful of Oscars, including Best Original Song for ‘Chim Chim Cher-ee’ and Best Actress for its leading lady.
‘Mary Poppins Returns’ is released in UK cinemas on 21 December 2018.