Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks Comes to Blu Ray and DVD

25 March 2014 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Saving Mr. Banks has warmed the hearts of most who have seen it in theatres, and now it’s available on Blu Ray and DVD. I had not previously written about Saving Mr. Banks, mostly because I had very mixed feelings about it. Taking away the idea that this was “based on facts” or historically true, it was a beautiful movie. The problems come in when you think Tom Hanks on screen is Walt Disney…and that’s simply not the case.

There are certainly parts of the movie based on ideas or issues encountered during the acquisition and screenwriting process, but many of the things portrayed tend to twist the truth for the story that Saving Mr. Banks wants to tell. If you go into the film thinking it’s just an interesting story, funny in parts, then it is enjoyable.

The music, the Richard Sherman parts, and even most of the flashback scenes, were lovely. Emma Thompson’s acting was very fun to watch, even if what little I know about the real P.L. Travers made it seem completely unbelievable. Paul Giamatti as the limo driver was another fun subplot, completely made up for the film, but well done nonetheless. Thinking about Walt Disney saying “Get on the damn horse, Pam!” makes a Walt Disney fan’s skin crawl…and that’s one of several moments where I just have to think it’s a fictional film about people that sometimes resemble Walt Disney and those who made Mary Poppins come to life on film. And again, it was enjoyable for me, but I don’t look at it as factual or the way things happened. That said, I’m happy to own it on dvd and be able to watch it again because the music alone and funny parts are great. Here are the bonus features you’ll find on the Blu-ray:

· The Walt Disney Studios: From Poppins to Present (Blu-ray & Digital HD) – Join Director John Lee Hancock on a tour of the Disney Studios lot, reflect on studio life during the making ofMary Poppins, and discover how Walt’s creative spirit still flourishes today.

· Let’s Go Fly a Kite (Blu-ray & Digital HD) – Cast and crew sing break out in a rousing, heartfelt tribute to Composer Richard Sherman on the last day of filming.

· Deleted Scenes

Stargaze (Blu-ray & Digital HD) – A picture on Walt’s desk leads to a flashback of Pamela’s childhood.
Nanny Song (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD) – The Sherman Brothers perform a song for Pamela that she is less than thrilled with.
Pam Leaves (Blu-ray & Digital HD) – After yet another disagreement with Walt, Pamela leaves his office and heads for the airport.

*Digital HD bonus offerings vary by digital retailer

Disclaimer: I was sent a complimentary copy of Saving Mr. Banks for the purposes of review. My opinions are my own. Retail link is an affiliate link, which takes you to Amazon.com but any purchases send a small amount back to Zannaland. Thanks for reading!

NEW: Official Poster for Saving Mr. Banks

25 July 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

Piggybacking off the excitement from the first official Saving Mr. Banks movie trailer a few weeks back, Disney Studios has now released the first teaser poster for the upcoming film. It is perfect!

And if you happen not to know what Saving Mr. Banks is all about, here is the official synopsis:

Two-time Academy Award®–winner Emma Thompson and fellow double Oscar®-winner Tom Hanks topline Disney’s “Saving Mr. Banks,” inspired by the extraordinary, untold backstory of how Disney’s classic “Mary Poppins” made it to the screen.

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation.

For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp.

It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

Disney presents “Saving Mr. Banks,” directed by John Lee Hancock, produced by Alison Owen, Ian Collie and Philip Steuer, and written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Executive producers are Paul Trijbits, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum and Christine Langan. The film will release in U.S. theaters onDecember 13, 2013, limited, and open wide on December 20, 2013.

First Official Trailer Plus Photos and Thoughts on Saving Mr. Banks!

11 July 2013 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

I cannot properly put into words how excited I am for Saving Mr. Banks. I have been saying, wishing, hoping for years that a movie about the behind-the-scenes-history of the Walt Disney Company. I have been fascinated since I was a small child with the man himself, Walt Disney, and since learning more and more as I grew up (well, physically anyway, mentally I’m probably still about 11 when it comes to Disney), I yearned for more and more knowledge about how things were done back then. It is rare that an empire is built who’s beginnings intrigue us so. I’m sure the first years of Coca-cola and Pepsi, and certainly Apple are interesting as well, but Walt Disney’s singular determination and devotion to making people happy and his never-ending drive to create new and never-been-experienced things is just a part of what makes him so well-loved.

Since no one is tackling his complete life story in movie-form, Saving Mr. Banks is the next best thing and when I first heard of its production, I believe tiny hearts formed in my eyes. I will admit I was a bit skeptical about Tom Hanks being able to step outside himself and become Walt Disney, and after seeing the trailer below, I kind of feel the same way, but I am still okay with it as I love Tom Hanks as he is. So if anyone was to portray the beloved Uncle Walt, I feel it is him. And after seeing Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak as the Sherman brothers, I am head over heels in love. Emma Thompson of course does an amazing job of the not-so-jolly P.L. Travers and I think is another perfect fit. Let’s watch the trailer below and let me know in the comments what you think!

Trailer: Saving Mr. Banks on Disney Video
Thoughts? Here are some more official photos released from the movie studio as well. It was fun to hear that many of the extras cast in the film are actual Disneyland cast members. A lovely touch. More than just excitement for the actors and the film itself, the story of Saving Mr. Banks seems to be a wonderfully heartwarming look at the inner workings of P.L. Travers resistance and final agreement to give over the rights for Mary Poppins. It’s such a wonderful look behind the scenes at a film beloved by all. It’s hard to imagine it almost never was, and knowing that only because of Walt Disney’s persistence and creativity in persuasion do we have such a classic, is a wonderful monument to the man he was. Saving Mr. Banks is set to release on December 20, 2013. See you at the movies!

P.L. Travers Saving Mr. Banks — This photo seems to be from the filming of the iconic Mary Poppins movie premier, with actors to the left and right of Emma Thompson representing Dick Van Dyke and Jule Andrews. (source: imdb.com)

Production Begins on Saving Mr. Banks-Story of Walt Disney Making Mary Poppins

20 September 2012 by Suzannah Otis 1 Comment

Walt-Disney-P.L.-Travers — Walt Disney with P.L. Travers and some little friends

When I first heard rumors of a film being made based on the arduous twenty-year attempt of Walt Disney to obtain the film rights and subsequently produce the Mary Poppins story, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. It is a well-known bit of history that author P.L. Travers was not too keen on signing over her rights, and quite picky about filming and production. Now that this rumor is a reality, I am beyond excited and thrilled!

While I have always had an extreme interest in all things Disney, it’s really only been since I was an adult, and really the past few years, that I developed a love of anything Disney history-related. After attending several Disney D23 fan events and hearing original Imagineers and animators speak, I have longed for a behind-the-scenes story of the Walt Disney Company’s early history and the personalities that made it what it was.

I will still hope for that Walt Disney bio pic, but understand with the restraints on the company today, we may never get an accurate film with all the juicy details Disney nerds live for. The next best thing would be a film covering a certain aspect of company history, and Saving Mr. Banks seems to fit that bill. Tom Hanks will be a perfect Walt Disney and I cannot wait to see how he does Uncle Walt justice. The film is shooting in Los Angeles and at the actual locations of much of the original history, which also makes me ridiculously excited.

Here is the official press release detailing the production and those behind it:

Two-time Academy Award®-winner Tom Hanks (“Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump”) will essay the role of the legendary Disney (the first time the entrepreneur has ever been depicted in a dramatic film) alongside fellow double Oscar®-winner Emma Thompson (“Howard’s End,” “Sense and Sensibility”) in the role of the prickly novelist. Before actually signing away the book’s rights, Travers’ demands for contractual script and character control circumvent not only Disney’s vision for the film adaptation, but also those of the creative team of screenwriter Don DaGradi and sibling composers Richard and Robert Sherman, whose original score and song (Chim-Chim-Cher-ee) would go on to win Oscars® at the 1965 ceremonies (the film won five awards of its thirteen nominations).

When Travers travels from London to Hollywood in 1961 to finally discuss Disney’s desire to bring her beloved character to the motion picture screen (a quest he began in the 1940s as a promise to his two daughters), Disney meets a prim, uncompromising sexagenarian not only suspect of the impresario’s concept for the film, but a woman struggling with her own past. During her stay in California, Travers’ reflects back on her childhood in 1906 Australia, a trying time for her family which not only molded her aspirations to write, but one that also inspired the characters in her 1934 book.

None more so than the one person whom she loved and admired more than any other—her caring father, Travers Goff, a tormented banker who, before his untimely death that same year, instills the youngster with both affection and enlightenment (and would be the muse for the story’s patriarch, Mr. Banks, the sole character that the famous nanny comes to aide). While reluctant to grant Disney the film rights, Travers comes to realize that the acclaimed Hollywood storyteller has his own motives for wanting to make the film—which, like the author, hints at the relationship he shared with his own father in the early 20th Century Midwest.

Colin Farrell (“Minority Report,” “Total Recall”) co-stars as Travers’ doting dad, Goff, along with British actress Ruth Wilson (the forthcoming films “The Lone Ranger” and “Anna Karenina”) as his long-suffering wife, Margaret; Oscar® and Emmy® nominee Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under,” “Hilary and Jackie,” “The Rookie”) as Margaret’s sister, Aunt Ellie (who inspired the title character of Travers’ novel); and a screen newcomer—11-year-old Aussie native Annie Buckley as the young, blossoming writer, nicknamed “Ginty” in the flashback sequences.

The cast also includes Emmy® winner Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing,” “The Cabin in the Woods”) as screenwriter Don DaGradi; Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore,” “Moonrise Kingdom”) and B.J. Novak (“NBC’s “The Office,” “Inglourious Basterds”) as the songwriting Sherman Brothers (Richard and Robert, respectively); Oscar® nominee and Emmy winner Paul Giamatti (“Sideways,” “Cinderella Man,” HBO’s “John Adams”) as Ralph, the kindly limousine driver who escorts Travers during her two-week stay in Hollywood; and multi-Emmy winner Kathy Baker (“Picket Fences,” “Edward Scissorhands”) as Tommie, one of Disney’s trusted studio associates.

“Saving Mr. Banks” will be directed by John Lee Hancock (“The Blind Side,” “The Rookie”) based on a screenplay by Kelly Marcel (creator of FOX-TV’s “Terra Nova”), from a story by Sue Smith (“Brides of Christ,” “Bastard Boys”) and Kelly Marcel. The film is being produced by Alison Owen of Ruby Films (the Oscar®-nominated “Elizabeth,” HBO’s Emmy®-winning “Temple Grandin”), Ian Collie of Essential Media (the Aussie TV documentary “The Shadow of Mary Poppins,” DirecTV’s “Rake”) and longtime Hancock collaborator Philip Steuer (“The Rookie,” “The Chronicles of Narnia” trilogy). The film’s executive producers are Ruby Films’ Paul Trijbits (“Lay the Favorite,” “Jane Eyre”), Hopscotch Features’ Andrew Mason (“The Matrix” trilogy, “Dark City”) and Troy Lum (“Mao’s Last Dancer,” “I, Frankenstein”) and BBC Films’ Christine Langan (Oscar® nominee for “The Queen,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin”).

Hancock’s filmmaking team includes a trio of artists with whom he worked on his 2009 Best Picture Oscar® nominee, “The Blind Side”—two-time Oscar® nominated production designer Michael Corenblith (“How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Apollo 13”), Emmy®-winning costume designer Daniel Orlandi (HBO’s “Game Change,” “Frost/Nixon”) and film editor Mark Livolsi, A.C.E. (“Wedding Crashers” “The Devil Wears Prada”). Hancock also reunites with Academy Award®-nominated cinematographer John Schwartzman (“Seabiscuit,” “Pearl Harbor”), with whom he first worked on his inspiring 2002 sports drama, “The Rookie.”

“Saving Mr. Banks” will film entirely in the Los Angeles area, with key locations to include Disneyland in Anaheim and the Disney Studios in Burbank. Filming will conclude around Thanksgiving, 2012, with no specific 2013 release date yet set.

What do you think of Saving Mr. Banks? Will you be first in line with a spoonful of sugar when it’s released?