The movie Saving Mr.Banks is a 2013 Disney studios production featuring Tom Hanks and Emma Thomspon. It follows the story of the author PL.Travers and her experience giving the movie rights of her infamous book Mary Poppins over to Disney to be made into the 1964 film.
The movie, labeled a comedy, begins in Travers’ home in London where she speaks with her agent regarding her reluctance to turn her book into a Disney film all in the name of money. When she begrudgingly agrees, stating that she wants to keep her house the next scene begins as she boards a plane to Los Angeles, California.
From there Travers goes through the motions of working with Walt Disney, opposing most if not all of his suggestions to adapt the book to movie. During this Travers experiences multiple flashbacks to her life when she was growing up, specifically regarding her father and his dependence on alcohol.
The plot of the movie hangs on whether or not Travers will overcome her past and the emotions surrounding her late father, connecting her deeply with her book Mary Poppins, and finally sign over the rights to Disney.
The cast of actors who worked on Saving Mr.Banks were talented enough to truly bring the story to life. Both the filming, choosing of curtain scenes over others and believable acting made the picture a vibrant one. However, as with anything, there is criticism of Disney’s choice of storytelling in this film.
As one reviewer states, on rotten tomatoes, “The movie is charming and Emma Thompson, per usual, makes for an utterly endearing misanthrope. However, I have to question the decision to gloss over Travers’ queer identity.”
Another says, “As a movie, it was brilliant. As a historical recollection of the actual events that brought Mary Poppins to live, it was far off.”
It is undeniable the choices that Disney made to twist the story and create their own version of what they perceived to have been going on in Travers’ life and why she was so reluctant to work on the movie adaptation. While the film is great as fiction based loosely off of real events it is in no way something to look to to discover the truth behind the real PL.Travers and her motivation for writing and helping create the book and movie, Mary Poppins.
I personally love this film, it is in fact my favorite. But I do agree with most of the criticism present online that the movie can not act as an autobiography of Travers life but is instead Disney Studios interpretation of her life having worked with her one on one. I think it is well worth watching and truly a touching film but if the viewer keeps in mind that it stands as a mostly fictional piece of art.
