By Taylor Breckles (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: January 29, 2014
Mary Poppins has been revisited, though not in the way you’d think, with the release of Saving Mr. Banks.
In this film, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) tries to persuade P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the author of Mary Poppins, to release the book’s rights in order to make the beloved character and her story into a movie.
The film bounces between the present and the past, providing a backstory for Travers. When a film relies so heavily on flashbacks, it can either be a great success or a horrendous failure. Personally, I think that the flashbacks were nicely timed in order to foreshadow present events. Certain flashbacks also tie into the film Mary Poppins, which is a nice touch. These hints are subtle; touches that only a fan would particularly notice, but they also add to the story. When “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” is sung, for instance, the camera focuses on Travers’ foot as it’s tapping along to the beat, the same way that Mary taps hers during “Step in Time” in Mary Poppins.
As far as casting goes, I was wary of Tom Hanks portraying Walt Disney. Don’t get me wrong, Hanks is a great actor with many talents, but anyone who dares to play such an iconic figure had better do a bloody fantastic job. I was impressed. Now, anyone who knows me knows I know my Disney, so you can trust that he did a good job if even I’m impressed. Hanks is able to capture the humour, kindness, and evidently persuasive nature of the character.
One thing that surprised me was the lack of Walt Disney in the film. He is there, naturally, but the majority of the movie was focused on Travers and her life. I completely understand why they made that choice — because of her original complete disdain for a movie portrayal of her characters. But I thought that Disney would have been featured at least a little more.
Even so, the gradual reveal of the true character of Travers, with nudges from Disney, makes the story captivating. You will fall in love with the author just like you fell in love with Disney’s Poppins.
Everything about Mary Poppins is explored in this movie, from the songs to the cinematography. Even the choice of actor is brought up. The audience gets a new way of understanding the meaning behind the songs and their inspiration. This peek into the development of a beloved classic provides a lot of insight into how much detail and how many small touches were added in the final film. Now I know that Travers absolutely hated the idea of animation being featured in the movie, yet the dancing penguins in the final version are animated. How did Disney manage that? Watch and find out.
Saving Mr. Banks is filled with humour, sadness, longing, and — to quote the meme — “feels.” It’s amazing how a movie can make you want to both cry and smile at the same time. Just remember to stick around once the credits start rolling if you want to hear a clip of the real Travers hashing out details during one of the production meetings for Mary Poppins, a seemingly small touch that held the entire audience in their seats.
