22 Academy Awards (more than anyone in history), 7 Emmy Awards, 5 theme parks, hundreds of cartoons, dozens of movies. Walt Disney left a lasting legacy, and an empire that continues to this day that shows no signs of slowing down. But no matter how much the man influenced so many lives, he was not perfect. No one is. That was my concern. How honest could his story be when it is being told by the very studio he created? Simple answer: It's not his story.
Saving Mr. Banks is the story behind the making of Mary Poppins. In 1961 left with no other financial resources, author P.L. Travers travels to Southern California to sell the film rights to her books to Walt Disney. However, she won't just sign the papers, she wants final say about what goes into the film, going against the grain of what the writers have in mind. Throughout the film, we see into Travers' childhood and view the inspiration for the the Mary Poppins story.
If you've seen Mary Poppins, you'll appreciate the story that much more, but it's not necessary. Arguably, the film could be seen as an apology to Travers from Disney for the way that they tarnished the story in her eyes. But above all, it's a story about a woman looking to preserve the memory of her father. Travers could be viewed as a buzzkill to the trademark spirit of joy that Walt Disney represented in the 1960s. Yet, it is her touching sentimentality that she thrusts upon her fathers memory that makes her so resistant to see it turned into another cartoon. It's a touching look at what the heart is unwilling to let go of in order to settle debts.
The flashbacks show us a family story, remarkably similar to what we viewed in Mary Poppins, but what changes is the characters and the tone. Rather than a watered down version of Travers' childhood, what we get is unrepentantly real. The film is not afraid to show the bottles, the blood, the tension. This made me a little teary eyed at how beautiful it all really is.
What I found the most fascinating is how honest and self-deprecating the studio allowed the film to be towards their fearless leader and their own legacy. The little jabs at the over marketing use of Mickey Mouse and pals are sure to make anyone who has ever been to Walt Disney World laugh hysterically. They aren't afraid to show that they didn't exactly give Mrs. Travers the input she deserved. They aren't even afraid to show that Walt was a smoker, though if you're aware of how he died, it shouldn't be much of a secret.
Make no mistake, this film belongs to Emma Thompson. She plays Mrs. Travers with a misanthropic coldness with a hint of sensitivity that doesn't show until she's alone. She doesn't merely deserve respect, she commands it. She's unapologetically honest towards everyone, even an infant on a plane. But she has a touching amount of heart that keeps us from calling her a shrew. It's a wondrous blend of emotion.
If there is anyone to counter Emma's icy sheltered attitude, it's Tom Hanks and his welcoming warmth as Walt Disney. The brilliance of Hank's performance is how close to the real thing it really comes. Sure, he doesn't have that much of a resemblance to Walt, but he hammers the mannerisms and personality down with the finest of hammers. The subtle cough before he enters a room, the childlike whimsy, and the lengths he goes to in order to make his employees feel like family. But most of all, he lets us see Walt's frustration, his honesty, and his heart.
Despite how brilliant the two leads are, Andrew's Standout for the film is Colin Farrell. He does a fantastic job as Travers' father in the flashback scenes. He is such a beautiful portrait of what the real "Mr Banks" was. He loves his children more than anything, and he has the whimsy to prove it. But underneath his playful facade is a dark alcoholism that threatens to cause trouble. Farrell plays it off with his loving demeanor and calls it his medicine. The struggle to give it up fuels his performance, and it's so magnificently tender. Easily one of Farrell's better performances in recent history.
Also included are wonderful turns by B.J. Novak, Paul Giamatti, and Jason Schwartzman who all give their own trademark styles to Disney's employees and never feel overshadowed.
Give this movie a look. It's a tender, yet honest look at the untold story behind Mary Poppins, and it's one of the best live-action Disney films to come out in recent years.
A-
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