Having only ever watched Mary Poppins once, I felt as if I didn't really have that much skin in the game when it came to Mary Poppins Returns. Even though I'd liked Mary Poppins I wasn't a massive fan by any stretch of the imagination. So I went into Mary Poppins Returns with pretty low expectations and I was absolutely blown away. 

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As this is a spoiler free review, as always I will be light on plot details. Suffice to say Michael, along with his three children and his sister Jane find themselves in a spot of bother and Mary Poppins returns to help them sort it all out. 

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From the very first frame till the credits rolled I had a silly smile on my face. The joy of childhood imagining bursts from the screen and smothers you in all of its giddy glow. There is an innocence to Mary Poppins Returns where you truly do believe that anything is possible. 

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That doesn't mean that it ignores the rough reality of life. Not in the slightest. There are some truly heartbreaking human moments in the film and the only time that I stopped smiling was when I was reaching for my tissues. 

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Emily Blunt is out of this world wonderful as Mary Poppins. She's a strict nanny on one hand and full of childlike imagination on the other. Blunt manages to capture the energetic and compassionate beauty that Julie Andrews infused into the character with ease. Expect her to get a truck load of nominations come award season. Lin Manuel Miranda as Jack the lamp lighter starts off the film with a terrific number and continues to be wonderful throughout. 

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The Banks' home, the costumes, the colour palette, and the dance and song numbers (you'll have to go and buy the soundtrack, its that good) all add to a tremendous film that is destined to become a Disney classic. 

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We have a new Disney classic on our hands. Blunt as Mary Poppins is practically perfect in every way just like the film itself.