'Mary Poppins Returns'

The mission seems impossible: To take a beloved movie that is, to borrow its own words, practically perfect in every way, and make a sequel 54 years later that’s bracingly fresh while staying true to the spirit of the original.

In the case of “Mary Poppins Returns,” the sprightly and charming follow-up to Disney’s 1964 classic “Mary Poppins,” it takes a lot of musical-theater savvy, a few well-placed cameos and a star, Emily Blunt, who inhabits the title role as confidently as Julie Andrews did back in the day.

Read the full review at sltrib.com.