Saving Mr Banks (***½)

Directed by: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman, B.J. Novak, Kathy Baker, Melanie Paxson, Rachel Griffiths, Ronan Vibert

Seen: February 24^th 2014

***½ Out of ****

Saving Mr Banks is closely, but not 100% faithfully, based on true events that in themselves concern a book based on true events with a bit of fanciful embellishment. This is the story of Walt Disney (Hanks) and P.L. Travers’ (Thompson) showdown during the creative process of writing the script for the Disney classic Mary Poppins. Travers wrote the book, but had numerous reservations in actually allowing Disney to make the movie, and while real life events were more ‘difficult’, the story told in Saving Mr Banks is infused with an entertaining lightness and an effervescent sense of humour.

In 1961, P.L. Travers travelled from London to Los Angeles to meet with Walt Disney regarding Mary Poppins, a book she had published in 1934. Walt Disney had, on his daughters’ insistence, decided to make the movie from their favourite book, and for 20 years he hounded P.L. Travers to get her to give him the rights to the book. P.L. Travers avidly hated animation though, and since Disney was primarily known for making animated movies, she had refused for many years. She was however financially in quite a bad place, and her agent, Diarmuid Russell (Vibert), convinced her to meet with Disney.

In Los Angeles, there was already a creative team assigned to Mary Poppins, and having already written quite a few songs to accompany the movie, more tension arose with Travers as she was also against musicals, or at least against Mary Poppins being turned into a circus sideshow musical. This was serious to her, and she would prove quite difficult to the Disney team, led by Disney Legend Don DaGradi (Whitford), and including the legendary Disney songwriters Richard M. Sherman (Schwartzman) and Robert B. Sherman (Novak). The creative differences made things difficult for the team as Travers nearly left before handing over the rights to Disney as she felt he did not completely understand Mary Poppins (this is fictionalised, as in real life Travers had given Disney rights to film Mary Poppins before she started consulting on the film). Disney delves for understanding while more and more of Travers’ inspiration for Mary Poppins is revealed in flashbacks featuring George Banks (Farrell), the one who needs saving, and the one Travers feels most strongly the creative team doesn’t quite capture truthfully.

Saving Mr Banks is a beautiful movie with great humour and a heartfelt story. Emma Thompson delivers a sweet and affecting performance as P.L. Travers, and Tom Hanks is magnetic yet slightly demanding as Walt Disney. Paul Giamatti as Ralph, Travers’ chauffeur, is delightful, and the creative team as portrayed by Whitford, Schwartzman, and Novak is another successfully integrated bit of light entertainment; it all works together beautifully.

Even though there are differences between the truth and what is portrayed in some instances, I greatly enjoyed Saving Mr Banks as its own story, its own movie. Saving Mr Banks is a truly entertaining throwback to earlier times, to more innocent times, and I can recommend it to anyone who has a heart, as well as anyone who still fondly remembers Mary Poppins.