Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Director: John Lee Hancock

Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley

P. L. Travers, a London author who is financially broke, visits Los Angeles to meet Walt Disney, who is keen to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the cinema. However, his methods do not meet her approval.

I absolutely loved ‘Mary Poppins’, so I was very curious to see ‘Saving Mr. Banks’, which revolves around discussing the making of the movie.

Near penniless, Pamela Travers – or Mrs. Travers as she insists on being called – agrees to meet with Walt Disney to discuss adapting her book to a screenplay, on the condition that she has the final say. Disney has tried for nearly 20 years to obtain the rights, but Pamela (as I will call her) refused.

From the very beginning their contradicting ideas caused tension, and there was a constant uneasy atmosphere between the characters. Honestly, I found Pamela to be a stuck-up, self-centered, pretentious, and truly annoying person. (She is very well portrayed by Emma Thompson, though). I didn’t like Pamela one bit. The non-linear narration tells us her back story, so we follow two stories for the price of one.

Paul Giamatti stars as limo driver Ralph, who transported Pamela between the hotel and the Disney Studios. He is by far the most likeable character, and I also rooted for him due to his back story. Tom Hanks also did a good job portraying Walt Disney.

Possible spoiler: During the film’s final moments, Pamela watches the film, and smiles seemingly approvingly. However, history tells us different. Apparently, Pamela disliked the film and regretted having sold the rights. The film therefore has a false ending for the sake of a happy ending, and unfortunately I can’t disregard the facts when watching the movie.

‘Saving Mr. Banks’ was a huge financial success, earning nearly $118 million on a budget of $35 million. It received 87 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.

Would I watch it again? No. Pamela is far too annoying.