The Balloon Lady is a minor character in Mary Poppins Returns and a balloon vendor in the park. Her balloons seem to have a magical quality as the name of whoever buys them appears on them.
Background
Just as Jack is intended to be a spiritual successor to Bert from the first film, the Balloon Lady has been described as the sequel's version of the Bird Woman. Angela Lansbury has had an impressive acting career spanning eight decades, but Disney fans may know her best as the voice of Mrs. Potts in 1991's Beauty and the Beast.
Role in the film
The Balloon Lady plays an important role during the end of the film aside from only being seen in the background at the beginning. During the carnival, the Banks family encounters her who gives balloons to which they all have fun with, followed by Admiral Boom and Mr. Binnacle who are all having fun with theirs, followed by Mary Poppins receiving one which she lets go.
Trivia
- Angela Lansbury, who portrayed the Balloon Lady, portrayed Miss Eglantine Price in the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Ironically, she was considered to play Mary Poppins in the first film before Julie Andrews was cast.
- Julie Andrews, who played Mary in the first film, was originally offered to do a cameo in Mary Poppins Returns but turned it down so it could be "Emily Blunt's show". Though her planned cameo hasn't been revealed, it's assumed that the Balloon Lady would have been her part due her prominence at the film's end and her relationship with Mary.
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