By Emily Sullivan
Associate Editor
“Winds from the east, mist coming in, like something is brewing, about to begin. Can’t put my finger on what lies in store, but I feel what’s to happen all happened before.”
If you’re an enthusiastic Disney fan you know that those words are some of the first ones sung in the hit 1964 Disney film “Mary Poppins.” On Dec. 13, Walt Disney Motion Pictures released “Saving Mr. Banks,” and gave all “Mary Poppins” fans a glimpse into the woman behind the practically perfect nanny, P.L. Travers. A little over a month after its United States release, the movie has finally made its way to Olean.
The film follows Travers, played masterfully by Emma Thompson, as she travels to Los Angeles to meet the one and only Walt Disney. Disney, portrayed by Tom Hanks, had been trying to get the rights to “Mary Poppins” for 20 years because of a promise he made to his daughters. But the stubborn Travers is nervous about signing over her beloved characters to a man who is known for making silly cartoons with magic and pixie dust.
As the movie goes on, we learn about Travers’ childhood. As a child, she was lovingly called Ginty (Annie Rose Buckley) by her charismatic father Travers Robert Goff (Colin Farrell). As her story unfolds, we learn that the character of Mr. Banks in “Mary Poppins” is loosely based on her own father.
Throughout the film, it is revealed that Goff is fighting a losing battle with alcoholism. As Travers begins to go through the original script of “Mary Poppins” with co-writer Don DaGradi (Bradley Whitford) and composers Richard (Jason Schwartzman) and Robert Sherman (B. J. Novak), she is constantly reminded of moments she had with her father and is upset they are making Mr. Banks so cruel.
After an argument about the animation Disney planned to include in the film, Travers flies home to London without signing the rights agreement. After learning about her back story and her real name, Helen Goff, Disney flies out to London to make one last attempt to win over Travers.
“George Banks will be honored. George Banks will be redeemed. George Banks and all he stands for will be saved. Maybe not in life, but in imagination,” Disney promises.
Travers finally puts her trust in Disney and signs over the rights allowing “Mary Poppins” to be made.
The movie takes you through the entire creative process behind the magic that it is “Mary Poppins” and allows audiences to see just how much these characters meant to Travers. While at first, she seems like a stubborn cranky old woman, the story behind the books allows fans everywhere to understand there is more to the story than a magical nanny with a talking umbrella.
This movie is a must see for any Disney fan. Hanks does a brilliant job in his role as Walt Disney; it’s almost as if it’s actually Walt on the screen. Buckley did a fabulous job playing young Helen Goff, and the on-screen relationship between her and Farrell was amazing. Even though Goff wasn’t the best man, Farrell acted with emotion that portrayed him as a loving father instead of just a tragic alcoholic.
Go see “Saving Mr. Banks.” You won’t need a spoonful of sugar to sit through this absolutely amazing film, but you might need some tissues.
