Poppins Trilogy: A Spiritual View

When Walt Disney made "Mary Poppins", combining real actors with animated ones, he created an iconic film, despite the opposition of the author of the book, P.L.Travers. It also catapulted Julie Andrews playing the titular character to super stardom, not to mention the "Best Actress Oscar" in her first film, taking the sting out of not being selected for the film version of "My Fair Lady", despite playing it successfully on stage. The magical nanny, combining strict discipline with a narcissistic vanity, won over not only the children, but a universal audience. She showed how even children considered difficult could be managed.

The 20 years struggle by Disney to make Travers agree was the subject of the second film, "Saving Mr. Banks" The devoted father, calling his favourite daughter"Ginty" lovingly, but an improvident provider, succumbs to drink as a way out of his financial ineptness. His sister-in-law, who arrives at the end of his life (but too late to put right matters) was the inspiration for Mary Poppins, as she says "spit spot" on arrival. The evocation of the idyllic days of "Ginty" P.L.Travers with her adoring father, are the magical moments of this film.

The third film, "Mary Poppins Returns" deals with the personal & financial crisis of Michael Banks, who was a child in the first film. In the first film also, even though his mother was there, she was busy in the suffragette movement. So Mary Poppins was a surrogate mother/deity with magical powers arriving to put things right & leaving after the crisis. In the third film, Michael having lost his wife, is about to lose his job & house, when Mary Poppins returns to help him & his loyal loving sister Jane put back their lives on an even keel. In this film also, Mary Poppins allows Michael, Jane & the children to make most of the decisions concerning their lives, only stepping in when it is critical, like the deity. So Mary Poppins can be considered a God-like figure, who steps in only occasionally in our lives. This is also emphasised by her saying of herself "Practically Perfect." Mention can be made of Emily Blunt being a fitting successor to Julie Andrews.