The wait is almost over. “Mary Poppins Returns” is on general cinema release in the USA tomorrow (December 19) and in the UK on December 21.

Emily Blunt stars in the role that earned Dame Julie Andrews an Oscar as Mary Poppins returns to the big screen after more than fifty years. 

The film is set in 1930s London and is drawn from material in the books of P.L. Travers. Michael, played by Ben Wishaw, and Jane, portrayed by Emily Mortimer, are now adults. Michael, his three children and their housekeeper Ellen (the always brilliant Dame Julie Walters), live on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, magical nanny Mary Poppins re-enters the lives of the Banks family and uses her unique gifts to help the family rediscover joy. Mary Poppins also introduces us to her eccentric cousin Topsy, played by Meryl Streep.

This was originally slated for a Christmas Day release but Disney sensibly brought it forward. This should have been a pre-Christmas treat all along.