April 9, 2014

By Singe Trewyn

As a Disney movie lover by nature, I was thrilled to watch “Saving Mr. Banks” for the first time.

Emma Thompson played the author P.L. Travers, and her life seemed to mirror that of the characters in “Mary Poppins” since it was in disarray and her aunt took care of her since her parents were dysfunctional. It seemed ironic that in her adulthood she was given the job of writing the movie “Mary Poppins.” Travers (Thompson) ended up flying to Los Angeles to work with Walt Disney (Tom

Throughout the film, Thompson has flashbacks to her life with her father. She lived with her mother and father in the West with a horse, and suddenly he fell ill and it was difficult for her mother to keep the family going since the father could not keep the family together. She could eventually be seen frolicking and chasing chickens and talking privately with her father in the prairie.  He eventually died and then her mother attempted suicide since she did not know what else to do. That is why she did not want the movie to be childish since her childhood was quite serious due to the circumstances she experienced with her family. Disney wanted the whole thing to be childish because that is what Disney was all about, and he wanted it to be animated, which Travers did not want.

I thought it was clever that the director of this movie used the flashbacks in this movie since they explained why Travers did not want anything to be childish. It helped me understand what was going on in the film and why Travers did what she did.

At the end of the movie, the characters finally went to the theater to see the movie itself once it was finished. It was the original film itself with the animated penguins and the distinctive music that could only belong to the movie itself. Travers did not seem like she liked the movie much, and she could even be seen crying while watching it in the theater. I believe there are many Disney movie lovers out there who will relish this flim just as much as the original “Mary Poppins,” if not more.

5 stars out 5.