Jenny Morrissey, Managing Editor
The 1964 classic, Mary Poppins, has enchanted families over the past half century; however the recently released Saving Mr. Banks, directed by John Lee Hancock, tells the story of how the magic behind the elaborate production process of the film began.
The film outlines the struggles of Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks, encountered while trying to persuade Pamela Travers played by Emma Thompson, the author of Mary Poppins, to grant him the rights to produce the film. Disney sees the world through animated glasses and is able to see the potential of the film, yet Travers, due to childhood experiences, is far too knowledgeable of the harsher realities of life and wants to eliminate any magic surprises that Disney has in store for the film.
Hancock incorporated Travers’ childhood flashbacks, which inspired many aspects of Mary Poppins, with Disney’s attempts of winning her over. The snippets of Travers’ childhood reveal that the Banks’ family in Mary Poppins is based off of Travers’ own childhood.
Disney’s obsession with creating Mary Poppins a movie began twenty years earlier after he promised his two daughters he would make their favorite childhood book a reality.
Upon originally failing to bring the children's story to life, Disney reaches out to Travers once again. Since, Travers has become short on money after sales of her book come to a halt, and, although she does not want to, she is willing to see Disney’s plans. Unable to imagine the book as another Disney animation, Travers has surpassed inflexible and declares her story is far too meaningful to be a cartoon. The film illuminates Travers’ struggles with giving up the rights to her beloved Mary Poppins who she claims to be “like family” to her.
Disney tries to keep up with Travers’ wishes despite the difficulties he encountered with the author, such as the ridiculous request of eliminating any traces of red from the film. He soon learns that it will take far more than a spoonful of sugar to get along with Travers, and he learns to gain an understanding behind her book and characters.
The film was far more emotional than expected, as it had incorporated far more back stories than initially imagined; however this allowed for the actors to shine in their roles. The dedication surpassed memorizing lines and went a step further especially with Thompson. Despite how unappealing Travers’ character was, Thompson was able to take her rather irritating personality and make the audience connect with her while her past family problems are revealed.
What originally appeared to be another Disney family film turned out to be an emotional uprising that brought out the audience’s inner child as they experienced the magic that created Mary Poppins. Saving Mr. Banks is a film for all ages and has earned itself 4.5 out of 5 stars as it touched the audience’s hearts and left the theater in a state of childhood and amazement.
Photo credit to www.forcesofgeek.com.
