海角大神

鈥淢ary Poppins鈥� was the first movie John Myhre saw in a theater. At Seattle鈥檚 Northgate Theatre in the 1960s his imagination was ignited by a Disney character come to life.

As the 6-year-old walked in, there was a full-size figure of Mary Poppins, complete with umbrella and carpetbag.聽

鈥淭his was the greatest thing in the entire world,鈥� Mr. Myhre remembers of his reaction. 鈥淪o maybe that鈥檚 what made me a designer. I was looking at that figure of Mary Poppins [and thinking], 鈥楢nything is possible.鈥� 鈥澛�

Five decades later, the Oscar-winning production designer got his childhood dream job: the chance to design a world for the magical nanny. As the production designer on 鈥淢ary Poppins Returns,鈥� which debuts Dec. 19, Myhre has had a hand in everything from the furniture in the children鈥檚 nursery to the use of real greenery on iconic Cherry Tree Lane.

For Myhre and those he collaborates with 鈥� including the animators, costumers, and director 鈥� the challenge with the sequel was to create visuals that connect to the Oscar-winning original, but that allow for a new adventure set some 20 years later.

鈥淚 really embraced 1934 in England,鈥� he says in a phone interview, noting that the first of the books by P.L. Travers about the British nanny was published in 1934. 鈥淚t was a really terrific, rich period that really suited our story, which is a completely different story from the first movie.鈥�

The original, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, is still beloved today. It won Oscars for editing, visual effects, score, song (鈥淐him Chim Cher-ee鈥�), and its star.

Ahead of the official opening, the sequel has scored 78 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, with some mixed reviews. But it also has four Golden Globe nominations, including best picture in its category of musical or comedy.聽

Myhre, a two-time Oscar winner for art direction (鈥淐hicago,鈥澛犫�淢emoirs of a Geisha鈥�), has seen the original 鈥淢ary Poppins鈥澛爉any times since that first theater visit as a kid, but says he referred to it less for the new film鈥檚 source material.聽Myhre notes that he and his collaborators based their vision on the new script,聽written by director Rob Marshall. 鈥淎s a designer, you鈥檙e not just designing pretty sets, you鈥檙e designing sets to help tell the story.鈥�

When we first reunite with the Banks family in 鈥淢ary Poppins Returns,鈥� Michael (Ben Whishaw) from the original is grown and has children of his own. He鈥檚 going through tough times after the death of his wife and subsequent financial struggles, troubles echoed throughout the country as 1934 England experiences 鈥渢he Great Slump.鈥�

Knowing what the Banks鈥檚 world really would have looked like is an important consideration of Myhre鈥檚. He says he immerses himself when creating a look for a movie. 鈥淚 always research what is absolutely correct and I share that with the director and the writers and the producers,鈥� he says.

That knowledge lets them then wander off in other directions. 鈥淚f we decide we want to bring in something that鈥檚 from a slightly different period,鈥� he explains, 鈥渨e know what was real and we can make those choices.鈥�

They did just that in an animated sequence聽in which聽Mary (Emily Blunt), lamplighter Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda), and the three Banks children (Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, and Joel Dawson) visit what appears to be a 鈥渢urn-of-the-century vaudeville hall,鈥澛爀xplains Myhre.聽

One of the most challenging sets for the design team was reportedly that of the home of Mary鈥檚 cousin Topsy (Meryl Streep), as everything 鈥� including the grand piano 鈥� had to be hung upside down.聽

鈥淚t鈥檚 two big hats, right?鈥� says David聽Christopher聽Krause, an聽assistant professor in the cinema and television arts department at Columbia College Chicago, where he also coordinates the production design curriculum.聽鈥淭he sort of imaginative and fun part of trying to dream up a world that meets a director鈥檚 vision and then at the same time figuring out how to make all that actually happen.鈥�

But 鈥淢ary Poppins Returns鈥� begins and ends on Cherry Tree Lane. When the movie opens, the scene is 鈥渧ery gray and gritty,鈥� Myhre explains. 鈥淚t was an uneasy world we come into, with the Slump.鈥�

It is only when happy times come again, that the street 鈥渂ursts into beautiful pink cherry blossoms,鈥� he says,聽adding jokingly,聽鈥淚鈥檓 not giving anything away by saying it has a happy ending.鈥�

His team used more than聽900,000 silk cherry blossoms on the trees, he estimates, but they also used real greenery to express the newfound happiness of the Banks family. 鈥淲e brought in grow lights just to kind of make the shrubs get a little more greener and happier,鈥� he says.

鈥淏ut in a real Mary Poppins, magical moment, a week after we put on grow lights, most of the bushes and shrubs started blooming.鈥�

鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e got the best job on the movie,鈥� Myhre says.