Is it wise to revisit or update a genuine cinematic classic?  Hollywood certainly thinks so, because the studios keep remaking old classics and are now creating sequels decades after the originals.  Now the Disney company has made a belated sequel to Walt Disney’s favorite movie.  Julie Andrews wanted no part of it, so that Emily Blunt could make the part her own; the good news is that Blunt succeeds.

Rob Marshall’s film is a mini-musical; stars Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Whishaw sing, as does guest star Meryl Streep, in a very fun sequence.  It also repeats the original’s inclusion of a sequence that blends the actors with animated settings and characters.  The bad news, for me, is that the new movie has multiple animated sequences that are extended to the point of irritation.  And Lin-Manuel Miranda is simply no substitute for Dick Van Dyke (who does appear late in the proceedings).

The story leaves a lot to be desired, but the music is nice, the performances are strong, and the film ends on a high note.  This is a movie that definitely did not need to be made, but it has charm and certainly does not shame its predecessor.  Kids may like it more than their parents who remember the original with the fondness that it deserves.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  14 March 2019.