Entertainment

The ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Soundtrack Lives Up To The Original

Walt Disney Pictures

In producing a sequel to Mary Poppins 54 years after the original, Disney really has their work cut out for them. The original film is regarded as an all-time classic, and is one of the most-awarded films in Disney's vast library, so when it comes to a sequel, the pressure is on to make everything perfect. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack. Like the original, the new film (out Dec. 19) is a musical, and it was certainly a challenge to craft songs as instantly unforgettable as "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Chim Chim Cheree," and "Super‐cali‐fragil‐istic‐expi‐ali‐docious."

All of the new film's music was composed by Tony Winner Marc Shaiman, who previously composed the music for the Broadway musical Hairspray. Shaiman also co-wrote the songs' lyrics with his longtime collaborator and fellow Tony Winner Scott Wittman, who also worked with Shaiman on Hairspray. Between the original songs performed by members of the film's cast — like Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda — and the score, the soundtrack album consists of 27 total tracks, all of which are listed below.

  1. "(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky" - Lin-Manuel Miranda
  2. "Overture" (Score)
  3. "A Conversation" - Ben Whishaw
  4. "Can You Imagine That?" - Emily Blunt, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, and Nathanael Saleh
  5. "The Royal Doulton Music Hall" - Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, and Nathanael Saleh
  6. "Introducing Mary Poppins" - Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emily Blunt
  7. "A Cover Is Not the Book" - Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda and Company
  8. "The Place Where Lost Things Go" - Emily Blunt
  9. "Turning Turtle" - Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, and Nathanael Saleh
  10. "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" - Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Blunt, Tarik Frimpong, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, Nathanael Saleh, and Leeries
  11. "The Place Where Lost Things Go (Reprise)" - Joel Dawson, Nathanael Saleh, and Pixie Davies
  12. "Trip a Little Light Fantastic (Reprise)" - Dick Van Dyke, Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, and Nathanael Saleh
  13. "Nowhere to Go But Up" - Angela Lansbury, Ben Whishaw, Pixie Davies, Joel Dawson, Nathanael Saleh, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters and Company
  14. "(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky (Reprise)" - Lin-Manuel Miranda
  15. "Theme from Mary Poppins Returns" (Score)
  16. "Kite Takes Off" (Score)
  17. "Mary Poppins Arrives" (Score)
  18. "Magic Papers" (Score)
  19. "Banks in the Bank" (Score)
  20. "Into the Royal Doulton Bowl" (Score)
  21. "Rescuing Georgie" (Score)
  22. "Off to Topsy's" (Score)
  23. "Chase Through the Bank" (Score)
  24. "Lost in a Fog" (Score)
  25. "Goodbye Old Friend" (Score)
  26. "Race to Big Ben" (Score)
  27. "End Title Suite" (Score)

The original Mary Poppins' songs were composed by Disney Legends the Sherman Brothers, who also wrote songs for The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, and the song "It's a Small World" for the Disneyland ride. Robert B. Sherman passed away in 2012, but Richard M. Sherman, 90, is still active and worked as a consultant on the sequel's music. "He was part of the process," Wittman told Deadline. The Sherman Brothers' effect can be felt in several of the film's songs, like "Nowhere to Go But Up" and "(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky," that reference some of the siblings' classic songs from the original.

The Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack is available now at all the usual places to buy music (Amazon, iTunes, etc.), and if you're a fan of the original film's catchy and peppy songs, then this is the soundtrack you've been waiting for.