If you have not seen “Mary Poppins Returns,” stop reading this article, skip all your classes and go see it right now.
I’m serious. It really is that good.
I saw the movie over Christmas break with my family, and I fell in love with it. Was it weird seeing Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins instead of Julie Andrews? Yeah, but it didn’t matter because this movie was a return to form for Disney, and it was amazing.
My problem with Disney is that in recent years, they seem to be focusing more on trying to relive their glory days than on creating new intellectual properties (IPs). Don’t misunderstand, I love a lot of the remakes, but they are just retelling stories we already know.
Mary Poppins isn’t a new IP, but it is a continuation of another IP with all new songs, new characters, new adventures and a really moving story. The same could be said of Disney’s recent movie, “Christopher Robin.” That movie too was not entirely new, but it was a continuation of Christopher Robin’s story after he grew up and had a family of his own.
These two movies show Disney is more than capable of creating new stories, but they are relying on nostalgia instead of the strength of their brand. There is, however, an answer to this. I believe that Disney should create all new characters and stories but should add in what gave them their golden age back in the ‘80s and ‘90s. They need really moving music, family appeal and moral lessons.
Disney is known for those things, and “Christopher Robin” and “Mary Poppins Returns” are chocked-full of them. Disney shouldn’t limit themselves to telling old stories. The movie “Moana” proves that. I would love to see Disney move beyond their crutch of nostalgia in names and embrace a new golden age of Disney films with the tools from their past keeping the older crowds coming.