Mary Poppins Returns Soundtrack Sarah Berry

In just two short weeks, will return to the big screen over fifty years after her dazzling debut in 1964. Having grown up watching Mary Poppins, I’m excited to see how the sequel, , carves out its own place in Disney history.

The soundtrack of Mary Poppins is perhaps once of the most defining and memorable parts of the film; it’s safe to say that most people have broken out into their own version of “A Spoonful of Sugar” or “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” at least once in their life. I was thrilled then when I had the chance to hear from Mitchell S Leib, President of Music & Soundtracks for The Studios, and learn more about the inspiration and process behind creating the Mary Poppins Returns Soundtrack.

“Rob Marshall’s vision of Mary Poppins Returns was to be original while also walking in the footsteps of Walt Disney’s original film,” Mitchell began. “He called upon two highly regarded experts with incredible pedigree and track records: Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. For Marc, this was a dream come true because the original Mary Poppins film inspired him to get into music—everything in his career led him to this moment and this project. Marc dug deep into the Disney archives while doing his research for the film.”

“With every film,” Mitchel said, “the process starts with the script. The vision was to seamlessly interweave the music into the story. The music would be part of the fiber of the film and help move the story along. Thus, each song needed to not only be entertaining but also serve a purpose. Marc and Scott collaborated for weeks with Rob Marshall, producer John DeLuca, and writer David Magee.”

The song “Can You Imagine That?” is the first time we get to hear Mary Poppins sing in the new film. As Mitchell explained, “it was incredibly important because this is the first time we hear Mary Poppins sing since 1964. It was important to strike the right tonality. The song has brilliant lyrics that gives Mary Poppins the license to create magic.” The magic continues in “A Cover Is Not The Book,” a lively song that “that is performed when Mary, Jack, and the children have entered the cartoon world,” Mitchell said. “Much like the original film, the cartoon world is hand-drawn, 2-D animation but with a modern twist. This is also the number that gives Lin-Manuel Miranda a chance to perform his signature rap. Yet, the number stays true to tone of the music in the film.”

Mary Poppins Returns also features “a mega-choreographed ‘leerie’ musical number ‘Trip A Little Light,’ which is a fantastic performance by Lin Manuel Miranda,” a musical number performed by Meryl Streeps’s character, Topsy-Turvy, and the lovely ballad “The Place Where the Lost Things Go” sung by Mary Poppins to the children. "Throughout the film,” Mitchell said, “listen for musical ‘Easter Eggs’ of the original film’s score and songs. These moments are delicately woven into the musical tapestry of the film.”

“As you can see, Marc and Scott had to write an incredible soundtrack that included romping musical moments as well as poignant, touching ballads,” Mitchell explained. “We hope you’ll agree that this movie is ‘practically perfect in every way’ and an experience families can enjoy (and sing along to) together.” I’m extremely excited to hear the wonderful soundtrack that Marc and Scott have created and can’t wait to relive the magic and take another trip down Cherry Tree Lane.

The Mary Poppins Returns Soundtrack features 27 tracks, nine of which are original songs, and is available for purchase today.