There may be no Star Wars movie this Christmas season (try not to cry, fanboys) but one very welcome sequel is coming to make it a very jolly ’oliday indeed. A full 54 years after her last appearance, Disney’s Mary Poppins is descending through the clouds of 1920s London to whip the now grown-up Banks children into shape, raise their spirits with a few catchy songs and take everyone back to their childhoods delightfully.
For Mary Poppins Returns, Emily Blunt takes over the role of the practically perfect nanny from Julie Andrews, but dear old Dick Van Dyke, 92, is returning – not as Bert the chimney sweep (thankfully we won’t have to suffer his appalling cockney accent), but as Mr Dawes Jr. The cast also features Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury and Meryl Streep, and the film, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods), promises to be faithful to the spirit of the 1964 original.
To celebrate the new film, Disney is holding a very special gala preview screening on Thursday December 20 in the glorious surrounds of the Regent Theatre. The ticket price will include a gift bag to the value of $50 and pre-movie entertainment (we hope it’s tap-dancing penguins). The evening will be a welcome throwback to the 1960s, when Melbourne had dozens of beautiful old cinemas similar to the Regent.
Tickets go on sale on Friday October 26, so make a withdrawal from the Fidelity Fiduciary Bank and get ready to return to Cherry Tree Lane.
Further screenings will take place at the theatre December 26-30, and the film goes into general release on New Year’s Day.
Check out our picks of the best films screening in Melbourne during spring.