[1] The songs feature vocal performances by the film's cast consisting of Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, and Meryl Streep.

Composer-songwriter Marc Shaiman and co-lyricist Scott Wittman began working on the score and songs in 2016.

[4] Richard M. Sherman served as music consultant,[5] with Shaiman stating that "if he had something that he thought should have been different or changed, he would have said so.

[7][8] As indicated in the liner notes, the track "Theme from Mary Poppins Returns" was not used in the final film; it was, however, featured in trailers for the movie.

One song deleted from the film before a cast recording was made, "The Anthropomorphic Zoo" - a song originally intended for the "Royal Doulton Bowl" sequence - is excluded from the soundtrack album, but a demo recording, illustrated with storyboard images, is included as a bonus feature on the home media release of the film.