Saving Mr. Banks

2013

Directed by John Lee Hancock

Quick synopsis… Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold story behind Walt Disney’s 20-year effort to transform the beloved book “Mary Poppins” into one of the most treasured movie classics of all time.

• This really is an interesting movie for me.
• There’s so much about it that I want to take at face value, considering I never had any idea how much difficulty Walt Disney had in bringing Mary Poppins to life on the big screen.
• So it kind of feels like this is the story that we have to accept because this is the story that we’re given.
• But, since it’s being told by the people at Disney, I have no doubt that we’re given this story through Disney-colored glasses.
• As it is, P.L. Travers, the creator of Mary Poppins, is depicted as a rigid and generally unpleasant woman to be around, making the production of the film as difficult as possible.
• The flashbacks peppered throughout the film give us glimpses at Travers’ childhood and the many difficulties that she faced growing up in Australia.
• These difficulties are what inspired her stories featuring Mary Poppins.
• Understandably, Mary Poppins and the Banks family are very personal for her.
• This is an entertaining fictionalized account of the making of Mary Poppins.
• I think that the acting is stellar.
• I just don’t buy that this is how it all went down.
• Of course, I believe that Mrs. Travers was very difficult to work with and that the final product was nowhere near what she envisioned.
• But I also believe that the good people at Disney may not have been as amicable to Travers’ requests demands as shown in the movie.
• I know… I just made a minor disparaging remark at the expense of the Walt Disney Company.
• They’ll probably cancel my Disney+ account now.

Thanks for stopping in while I participate in this year’s A to Z Challenge. I’m gonna keep on hitting these Disney movies each day, except Sunday. You’re welcome to come back for more if that’s the kind of thing you’re into.

Tomorrow’s Disney movie begins with a T and we’re back to an animated musical. I’m confident in saying that this one is my favorite 21st century Disney animated film, not counting Pixar collaborations. And saying that it has something to do with hair is probably a dead giveaway. Any guesses?