In 2018, ten years after the original Mamma Mia!, Universal released the long-awaited follow-up film. This time, Meryl Streep would only appear in flashbacks as Donna Sheridan had inexplicably passed away, and the film mostly took place in 1979 when Donna meets Sophie’s three potential fathers and gets pregnant. Many disliked the plot and wished they’d never killed Donna off. Some have even suggested that for the rumored third Mamma Mia! the writers should forget the second film ever happened and bring Donna back to life.
To many’s confusion, I thought the second film was excellent. I saw it twice in theaters, and even with Meryl Streep mostly absent, I find it equally as appealing as the first. There was something so lovable about young Donna, her free-spirited personality, and her style. Plus, the addition of Cher as Sophie’s self-centered grandmother was divine. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was my movie of the summer back in 2018, which is why it’s the first film I’m covering for my summer series this year.
Young Donna
Back when I wrote for a publication called The Daily Fandom, I did a deep dive into Donna Sheridan and why we all admire her so much. For me, my admiration is even stronger in the second film because we get to see Donna as a young adult with hopes and dreams and her whole life ahead of her. Every outfit she wore in the film looked like she'd just stepped out of Free People or a really cool '70s vintage store. Needless to say, the Mamma Mia casting directors knew what they were doing when they chose Lily James to play young Donna.
While the Downtown Abbey actress is stunning on her own, her beauty is brought to life through Donna's personality. I always believed and will continue to believe that it is people's energy and personality that make them beautiful (if you're watching the latest seasons of Love Island and Love Island USA, you will understand how quickly people go from attractive to ugly based on their actions.) For me, Donna's adventurous spirit, kindness, confidence, and outgoing nature make her so beautiful.
“It’s not easy being a mother. If it was, fathers would do it,”-Donna Sheridan, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
And it's not just me who sees this. Young Sam, Bill, and Harry instantly fall in love with Donna, and each one of them comes back for her a second time, with only Bill succeeding, because her energy is that magnetic. From young Donna's screen debut at her college graduation, which she turns into a Donna and the Dynamos performance, we know Donna is a rule breaker who loves having all eyes on her, but not in a conceited attention-seeking way. More like in the way that Taylor Swift loves having all eyes on her at the eras tour, she simply shines in the spotlight because her aura is radiant.
I remember leaving the theater both times after watching Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again wanting to be just like young Donna: carefree, adventurous, and so comfortable in her own skin that it makes everyone want to be a part of her life. There was a Tweet I saw a few years ago that I referenced in my article for The Daily Fandom (I'll include a screenshot somewhere in this newsletter!) Basically, it said if you ever admire or connect with a movie character, it's because those qualities are within you, too, and they're "dying to come out and play." If anyone loves Donna as much as I do, let this be a reminder to all of us to set our inner Donna free!
Mamma Mia, Here I Go Again
While 1728's The Beggar's Opera is often credited as the first jukebox musical, Mamma Mia! has undeniably redefined the genre. Its unique blend of a captivating plot and the timeless music of ABBA has left an indelible mark on society and pop culture. The film's success, with a Broadway run of nearly 14 years, is a testament to its originality and the enduring appeal of ABBA's music. The first film was a treasure trove of ABBA's greatest hits. What more could filmmakers develop when all the classics were already used to tell the original story?
While a few classics were understandably reused, like "Mamma Mia," "Dancing Queen," and "Super Trouper," filmmakers looked to the stage musical for some songs that had been cut from the original film. They also tapped into some ABBA hits that did not make the cut for the stage production or the first film, like "Angel Eyes" and "Why Did It Have To Be Me?" Sure, ABBA's music is catchy, but each song also conveys a story, which is why the music is so easily translated into storylines for both films. One of the most fun moments comes when we first meet young Donna at her college graduation. In a very Donna fashion, she performs "When I Kissed The Teacher" instead of giving her valedictorian speech.
Here, we see a silly ABBA hit come to life as Donna sings to her college professors and even kisses her female teacher on the cheek before leading her graduating class out into the English countryside, where they ride bikes and finish the performance in front of cheering graduates. It further proves how well ABBA's music can fit into a story. However, my favorite performance of the whole film comes right before the credits, in the same way, the first Mamma Mia! concluded with a cast performance of "Waterloo," the sequel ends with "Super Trouper," with Cher opening the song wearing a big, curly white wig. I love ABBA's original version, I love the version Donna and the Dynamos perform in the first film, but this version of "Super Trouper" is incomparable, an absolute masterpiece.
The Mother-Daughter Storyline
At its heart, Mamma Mia! has always been an emotional story about a mother and her daughter. In the sequel, we only get a glimpse of Sophie and Donna together in the present day in a christening sequence in which Donna seems to be watching over her daughter and grandson. However, the film is still an exploration of their relationship. We get to meet Donna as a 20-something college graduate going out into the world and finding herself and where she belongs. However, along the way, she becomes pregnant, and we learn that this free-spirited woman actually wants to be a mother, too.
As we saw in the original film, Donna sacrificed so much to raise Sophie as a single mother, and in the second film, Sophie repays her by building up Villa Donna (now called Hotel Bella Donna) to make it the villa of her mother’s dreams, which she, unfortunately, didn’t accomplish when she was alive. We see how hard Sophie is on herself over perfecting the renovations and making sure the grand opening runs smoothly. Meanwhile, Sophie’s relationship with Sky isn’t going well, and she soon finds out she’s pregnant. Luckily, she and Sky are able to work things out, but it isn’t lost on Sophie that her mother didn’t get so lucky as to have a partner who would stand by her and help her raise a baby. Sophie realizes she has nothing to fear in terms of raising a child and running the hotel because if Donna was brave enough to ride the waves of every storm that came her way, Sophie can too.
“She wasn't scared. She could do it because she wasn't alone, she had me,”-Sophie, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.
Even after her passing, Donna is with Sophie everywhere she goes; I think this was the significance of Donna appearing at the christening; her spirit truly lives on at the island of Kalokairi. I’m not sure what direction the filmmakers are planning on going in for Mamma Mia 3, though I once read a tweet where someone suggested they take us back to Donna’s mother’s youth and have Lady Gaga star as a young Cher to tell the story of how Ruby and Fernando fell in love. I would be so down for this. However, I do believe that wherever we end up in the Mamma Mia! universe, the core mother-daughter story will live on.