Saving Mr. Banks, coming to a theater near you in December, features Tom Hanks portraying Walt Disney’s struggles to make Mary Poppins (1964). The challenge for Disney, though, was convincing the book’s protective author P.L. Travers to trust the Disney empire to commercialize her book. In a recent interview, director John Lee Hancock explained that his movie does not “sugarcoat” the legendary Walt Disney. In the trailer, the interplay between Hanks and the wonderful Emma Thompson as Travers makes this one look worthwhile. Plus, you get to see Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak as the famous Sherman brothers who wrote so many Disney classics.
Bonus Trivia Question: Robert and Richard Sherman wrote what became Walt Disney’s favorite song for Mary Poppins. What song was it? Answer here. FYI, the “Mr. Banks” in the movie title is George Banks, the father who hired Mary Poppins.
Will you see Saving Mr. Banks? Leave your two cents in the comments.
(Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)
