Arts & Life, Film & Television

“Saving Mr. Banks” is a crossover hit

Minus the usual faith, trust and pixie dust, Walt Disney Studios does it again with “Saving Mr. Banks.”

Featuring an all-star cast starring actors like Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, the movie captures some of Disney’s timeless and heartfelt sentiments.

Based on a true story, the film recreates Walt Disney’s (Hanks) relentless pursuit to persuade British-Australian writer P.L. Travers (Thompson) to turn her iconic novel of “Mary Poppins” into a blockbuster hit.

From her no-nonsense attitude to her adamant demands, Thompson successfully portrays author Pamela, or “Mrs.” Travers, juxtaposed against Hanks’ character of down-to-earth and nonchalant Disney. Throughout the film, the duo battles it out as Travers tenaciously demands the film rights for her book, refusing to budge on any detail in the original story of Mary Poppins.

The film begins with the story of a young girl named Helen and the close bond she shares with her father as their family transitions into new life in rural Allora, Australia. Jumping back and forth between Helen’s story and Travers’ journey to Los Angeles for the making of Mary Poppins, the audience is able to slowly draw connections between the two accounts, adding a different light to the popular Disney film that we repeatedly popped into the VCR as children.

It is evident throughout the film as to why each of the actors was cast for their individual roles, and the actors’ characters remind the audience why people fell in love with them in the first place. Tom Hanks’ usual charm complements Colin Farrell’s intensity while funny men Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom) and B.J Novak (Inglorious Bastards) played the renowned Sherman Brothers.

In the early stages of development for “Saving Mr. Banks,” it was rumored that legendary actress Meryl Streep was the ideal candidate for Pamela Travers. Despite leaving big shoes to fill, Thompson exceeds expectations with her performance as the fundamentally inconsolable author.

Between Disney’s unrelenting persistence and Travers’ hard-headedness, audiences will fall in love with Saving Mr. Banks. The movie’s release in the U.S. is scheduled for Dec. 13.

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