Sophia Loren Hosts Star-Studded Screening of Mary Poppins Returns in Hollywood

As the Oscars get closer and closer, Disney is making every effort to make sure Academy members see Mary Poppins Returns in every way possible. One of these ways is through screenings. This week, a screening was hosted by Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively for the film in New York. On the west coast, Sophia Loren hosted a reception and screening of Mary Poppins Returns in Hollywood.

Loren was joined by several crewmembers from the Mary Poppins Returns team. This included director Rob Marshall, producer John DeLuca, director of photography Dion Beebe, production designer John Myhre, composer, songwriter/co-lyricist Marc Shaiman and co-lyricist Scott Wittman.

This week the Academy is voting on nominations for the Academy Awards. Voting opened on Monday and continues to this coming Monday at 5:00 PM PT. The ramped up efforts are being made to help Academy members see the films before the nominations close. The final nominations will be announced on January 22, 2019, with the Oscars taking place on February 24, 2019.

Mary Poppins Returns Description

In Disney’s “Mary Poppins Returns,” an all new original musical, Mary Poppins is back to help the next generation of the Banks family find the joy and wonder missing in their lives following a personal loss. Emily Blunt stars as the practically-perfect nanny with unique magical skills who can turn any ordinary task into an unforgettable, fantastic adventure. Lin-Manuel Miranda plays her friend Jack, an optimistic street lamplighter who helps bring light—and life—to the streets of London.

“Mary Poppins Returns” is directed by Rob Marshall. The screenplay is by David Magee and the screen story is by Magee & Rob Marshall & John DeLuca based upon the Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers. The producers are John DeLuca, p.g.a., Rob Marshall, p.g.a. and Marc Platt, p.g.a. with Callum McDougall serving as executive producer. The music score is by Marc Shaiman and the film features all new original songs with music by Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman. The film also stars Ben Whishaw as Michael Banks; Emily Mortimer as Jane Banks; Julie Walters as the Banks’ housekeeper Ellen; Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and introducing Joel Dawson as the Banks’ children, with Colin Firth as Fidelity Fiduciary Bank’s William Weatherall Wilkins; and Meryl Streep as Mary’s eccentric cousin, Topsy. Angela Lansbury appears as the Balloon Lady, a treasured character from the PL Travers books and Dick Van Dyke is Mr. Dawes, Jr., the retired chairman of the bank now run by Firth’s character.