ABBA and the ‘Mamma Mia!’ Movies: A Combination Made in Heaven

Matthew Willar

News Editor

It has been seven years since ABBA music was last heard in theaters, but the timeless classics of the 70’s pop-group garnered new territory when they were brought to the screen in “Mamma Mia!” and “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” The films were released in 2008 and 2018 and are based on the Broadway show of the same name.

The mastermind behind the film pair, Judy Craymer, originally pitched the idea of “Mamma Mia!” to ABBA members Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaues in the 90’s, and once they were on board, Phyllida Lloyd was chosen to direct the production with Catherine Johnson as the writer. The success of the show led to the trio adapting the show into a film.

Centered around bride-to-be, Sophie Sheridan, who is living on the Greek island of Kalokairi with her mother, Donna, the film follows Sophie wanting to find her father, who has never been present in her life. She reads her mother’s diary to find that she has three possible fathers: Sam Carmichael, Bill Anderson, and Harry Bright. Sophie invites all three of them to her wedding, and addresses the invitations as coming from Donna.

The films feature an ensemble cast led by Meryl Streep as Donna and Amanda Seyfried as Sophie. Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, and Colin Firth play Sam, Bill, and Harry, respectively, with Christine Baranski and Julie Walters playing Tanya and Rosie, Donna’s best friends. Dominic Cooper plays Sky, Sophie’s fiance.

Being entirely centered on the music of ABBA, “Mamma Mia!” adapted the classics of “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Take a Chance on Me,” and ABBA’s catalog of hits to fit the film’s plot. Andersson and Ulvaues re-recorded all of the tracks with the actors.

The success of the first film and the reemergence of ABBA called for Craymer to make a second film. The star-studded ensemble cast couldn’t have been more eager to come back 10 years later to reprise their roles, but because of the first film’s success, Craymer needed to make the perfect story with a slew of different ABBA songs that weren’t featured in the first film.

After much fan anticipation, the sequel, “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!” was announced in 2017. Craymer recruited Ol Parker to create the perfect script to follow the beloved story of the first film.

Parker, who also directed the show, had the idea to make the film both a sequel and prequel, showing Donna’s journey to Kalokairi and her relationships with Sam, Bill, and Harry in what would lead to the birth of Sophie. The present shows Sophie preparing for the opening of the newly rebuilt and named “Hotel Bella Donna” while finding out she is pregnant.

The entire cast, known as the “legacy” cast in this film, returned, with the addition of Andy Garcia playing the new hotel manager, Fernando Cinfuegos, and award-winning singer and actress Cher playing Ruby Sheridan, Donna’s mother and Sophie’s grandmother. Lily James was cast to play the younger version of Donna alongside five young actors playing younger versions of Sam, Bill, Harry, Tanya, and Rosie.

It was no easy feat creating a story that consistently jumps timelines, which thus required Parker to make some risky decisions. At the beginning of the film, it is revealed that Donna passed away and that Sophie has rebuilt the hotel in her mother’s honor. Thus, Streep isn’t present in the film until the ending, where she shares a final moment with Sophie as she baptizes her newborn son, which is in the same chapel that Donna baptized Sophie. The film creates a full-circle moment with Sophie being pregnant in the same place as her mother and then baptizing her son with her late mother watching over her before fully passing away.

The soundtrack for the sequel featured some lesser-known ABBA songs as most of the songs featured in the first film wouldn’t fit the new script. The film includes performances of “When I Kissed the Teacher,” “Andante, Andante” by James, and tear-jerking scenes of “I’ve Been Waiting for You” and “My Love, My Life” by Seyfried, Baranski, and Walters, and James, Streep, and Seyfried. New versions of “Mamma Mia” and “Dancing Queen” are featured, and Cher performs “Fernando” with Andy Garcia. The film ultimately ends with both the legacy cast and the younger cast performing “Super Trouper.”

As we near ten years since the release of the second film, fan’s are begging for a third film to be announced. Craymer has publicly said she has been working on a story for a third film, but is waiting for Andersson and Ulvaues to get on board. Many cast members have expressed interest in a third film, with Seyfried recently saying that she would love to be in another “Mamma Mia!” film. She even hinted at the idea of Sabrina Carpenter playing her daughter.

Regardless, both “Mamma Mia!” and “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” created joyful and emotional stories and brought ABBA into the 20th century. The group released their final studio album, “Voyage” in 2021, their first in 40 years, with a virtual concert residency in London currently.

With this, it just may be perfect timing for a third and final installment to cap off the story of Donna and Sophie, and to officially send ABBA off as one of the most successful pop-groups in history.