Starring Emily Blunt, Ben Wishaw, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pixie Davies, Colin Firth

Directed by Rob Marshall

Disney, out now

When recently widowed Michael Banks finds his family home at risk of repossession it’s up to flying super-nanny Mary Poppins to help those in need.

A sequel to a bona fide beloved Oscar-winning classic, 54 years after the event, is on the face of it a really bad idea – at best it will be OK, at worst a disaster. And that was the prognosis being thrown at Rob (Chicago/ Into the Woods) Marshall’s 21st century follow-up, but how wrong the naysayers were. Quite simply, this is an absolute delight from start to finish, devoid of cynicism, and existing purely to entertain and enchant.

On every level, the movie is a success. Emily Blunt is (practically) perfect (in every way) as governess Poppins, commanding respect with her no-nonsense attitude and withering put-downs. Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is also fun as lamplighter Bert, complete with knowing cockerny accent, but the real joy comes from the three young Banks children, led by Humans’ Pixie Davies and her siblings Nathanael Salah and Joel Dawson. Lacking in any stagey precociousness, they are the new generation of Banks children that are the emotional core of the movie.

When the children and Mary enter fantasy realms (per the original) the animation is beautifully old school, as are the songs by Mark Shaiman and Scott Wittman. It may be a half-century later (though probably meant to be around 30 years) but the movie feels like it could have been made in the late 60s. Shoutouts also to Ben Whishaw as grownup Michael and Colin Firth as a bank manager of questionable morals, rounding off a top British cast.

Verdict: Far far better than any of us could have hoped for, only those with the blackest of hearts will be unmoved by this delightful slice of feelgood fun. Much like the Paddington movies, this is an optimistic vision of a happy London that we’d all live to visit, and God knows we’d all need a happy place in troubled times. 9/10

Nick Joy