Saving Mr. Banks: Movie Review

Mickey and Mary: Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers

There is always something interesting when it comes to back stories (or origin stories) if you will :P 

Oftentimes we don't really wonder, or get to think about how a certain story (book/play or movie) came to be but there really is a lot to wonder about. 

Paul and I are such History buffs (The History Channel is a regular on the TV) so it was no surprise that I was excited about Disney's Saving Mr. Banks - which is the back story of how the classic novel- P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins (published in 1934) made it's transition from book to a Disney classic. 

Apparently, Walt Disney's daughters asked him to make a movie version of the book which they loved so much and Disney did promise them but he had no idea it would take twenty years for him to fulfill that promise.

I vaguely remember Mrs. Poppins except of course for the catchy songs like "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (of course I had to Google that one) and the fact that the Nanny flies out the window. I was not even aware that it was a series of Children's Books and now after watching Saving Mr. Banks I want to read the book and re-watch Mary Poppins. Don't judge me by wanting to read a children's book since The Hobbit is actually a children's book but it's a darn good one and a lot of adults are still reading it. (I still have a pending book review for that one - I hope I get around to doing it). 

(L) Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins in the 1964 Disney adaptation and (R)Illustrator Mary Shepard's take on the super nanny in the books. 

  

Before we continue on with the movie review, let me just say that I caught the blocked screening thanks to Sky Cable :) and was made possible through Carbtrim (got to try a cup and it's pretty good, you feel a warm sensation in your stomach, I guess that's where the 'magic' happens. It's good to know that I have that option especially since summer is just around the corner ;)) 

RCBC, Alveo, Maxvit which had interesting games before the movie started, I loved how they celebrated marriages and gave prizes to sweet husbands in the audience who in a Bring Me game brought to the front, a photo of their wife, the last text from their wife and their wedding ring. A special gentleman in the audience was even given prizes for being the longest one married! How sweet right? :) 

The blocked screening was at Greenbelt and was also also made possible through Ayala Malls :)   

Actually I had no date for this movie, since Paul had to be at work early, so I was really happy when I ran into my fellow Young Blood (Fall Out Boy fan) -Dom! She was literally the girl in front of me in the line. So it wasn't a lonely experience since I had her company, along with her brother's :)  

       

So now - let's dive right back in the movie review shall we? 

While the whole movie was a beautiful story telling of how Mary Poppins made her way from the pages of a book to a Disney classic. Now you might be wondering how come it took twenty years for this to happen. Well unlike this generation where book-to-screen adaptations happen in the blink of an eye; P.L. Travers loved her characters so much, "They're family to me." she says. That's why she gave Walt Disney such a hard time before she finally agreed. 

One tough cookie: Two-time Academy award winner Emma Thompson as the uncompromising P.L Travers - author of the Mary Poppins children books. 

After her books stopped selling and royalties have dried up, P.L Travers is forced to go on a two-week trip to Los Angeles to meet with the all too casual and equally stubborn Walt Disney. The animation mogul pulls out all the stops to gain the rights from Mrs. Travers (she insists on being addressed as such) to make the movie version of her beloved book. But Mrs. Travers is keeping her grip on her characters as she is afraid that they will be destroyed by the Mouse Mogul by turning them into an animated atrocity. (She really has something against anything animated.) 

Disney tries his best to convince Mrs. Travers through catchy and infectious songs from the talented Sherman brothers (played by Jason Schwartzman and B.J Novak) you know, the guys behind "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" but Mrs. Travers won't budge and Walt Disney finds himself in a loosing battle to get the flying Nanny to the screen. 

As we watch the movie we get glimpses of her (Mrs.Travers) childhood in Australia and get an idea as to just why this story and these characters mean so much to her.

Dynamic Duo: Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson won the Best-on-screen Duo at the UK Regional Critic's Film Awards

The film has won a lot of awards during this Award season, including a Best Actress award for Emma Thompson and Best Family Film from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society. 

Origins. A surprise performance from Collin Farrel in the movie, my lips are sealed as to the character that he's playing :P

I really enjoyed the movie, it was a beautiful period piece where there was no Internet, no Facebook and Twitter (yes - kids there was such a time) and where ladies wore gloves and recording a conversation meant bringing a big ass machine out. The acting was superb not only from Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson but as well as from Paul Giamatti who plays Mrs. Travers two-week driver and a surprise performance from Collin Farrel. 

There was a lot of ugly crying and sobbing from me (sorry Dom) since the movie hit a lot of nerves and tugged on a lot of heart strings. All I can say is, it's surprising that a seemingly cheery Children's book could have such painful origins. 

I just have to say though that I just found the movie a bit too long it was around a good two hours long. Make sure you get all your business done before getting in the movie house ;)  Aside from that it is a beautiful movie to catch with friends and families. You should leave the kids at home for this one, even if it is a Disney movie. 

Will definitely watch this again once it's out on Cable or maybe DVD but for now I'll be on the look out for a Mary Poppins DVD or a book. 

Thank you again Sky Cable for having me! :D  

Saving Mr. Banks is now exclusively showing in Ayala Malls check out the trailer below! :D