Saving Mr. Banks is one of my favorite films in recent memory. Everything from the story, the acting and the character relationships all come together in a magical package. Of course, the fact that it is the story of how one of the most beloved Disney classics was made makes Saving Mr. Banks all the more special.
Saving Mr. Banks is the story of P.L. Travers' meeting with Walt Disney to discuss the adaptation of Mary Poppins for the big screen. What I love so much about this film is seeing how the story unfolds. We see from the very beginning that P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) is conflicted about collaborating with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) because on one hand Travers is afraid of what Disney will do to Mary Poppins, but at the same time she is completely broke and needs money, which she will get if she grants Disney the rights to Mary Poppins. This leads to some uncomfortable, and sometimes hilarious, meetings with Disney in which Travers insists on having her way. The scene where Travers goes off on Disney about using animation in the film is considerably tense to watch given the nature of the scene, and also because of the immense talent that spews from Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. Finally, in an emotional scene where both Disney and Travers forgive the ghosts of their pasts, Travers realizes that Disney knows what he is doing. Saving Mr. Banks is a remarkable film filled with emotion and brilliant performances. It is an instant classic.
Emma Thompson plays P.L. Travers, and I daresay it is one of the best performances of her entire career. What is so brilliant about the way Thompson plays her character is that even though she is rather pessimistic about meeting Walt Disney, and downright rude to many people on multiple occasions, you can almost forgive it all because of how much her past haunts her. Also, just by Thompsons' body language and the way she expresses herself, you can tell that Travers is uncomfortable being in Los Angeles. The climactic scene where Travers sees Mary Poppins at the premiere is particularly emotional to watch because Travers knows that her past does not haunt her anymore. Thompson displays a wide array of emotions that make you feel for her character that will make you feel her characters' conflict right up until the end of the film.
Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney. What is truly wonderful about Hanks' performance is that he portrays Disney as a man who gets irritated by Travers, but never angry. Disney is a man who is willing to do whatever it takes to make Travers happy, so that even when he demands, "Get on the horse, Pamela!", he does so in the nicest possible way. There is a beautiful scene where Disney reminisces about giving up the rights to Mickey Mouse, and it is in this scene where he finally realizes the kind of struggle that Travers is going through. This is another landmark performance by Hanks that will go down as one of his best.
John Lee Hancock is the director of Saving Mr. Banks. What Hancock does so well is re-create 1960's Los Angeles as well as Disneyland. Everything looks completely authentic, right down to the premiere of Mary Poppins. I also love the way the flashbacks are used in this film. For me personally, flashbacks in movies can be annoying. However, in this film there are certain things that remind Travers of her tragic past, and then she snaps back to reality. These sequences not only suggest that Travers has not mentally dealt with the ghosts of her past but, from a creative standpoint, they also are done in an original way. I also want to point out that the characters of Travers Goff (Colin Farrell -- in a role that I believe he should have gotten an Oscar nomination for) and Ralph (Paul Giamatti). Ralph is much like Travers Goff in that he sees the good in everything, and does not let anything get him down. I believe this is why P.L. Travers gets along with Ralph so well, and I think this was a brilliant move by Hancock as a filmmaker to make these characters similar in nature.
Even though I have never seen Mary Poppins, Saving Mr. Banks makes me want to see it. This is a wonderful movie that has an extremely emotional core. This is a film that is for everybody, and I highly recommend it.
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