Saving Mr. Banks

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+)

Scotty M Watching Saving Mr. Banks reminded me in the best possible ways of the classic Disney movies I grew up watching. It is comical, emotional, and suited for just about any audience, although it may not be enjoyable for young children with its serious, and sometimes melancholy, content. This exciting film pays incredible respect to the enchanting story of Mary Poppins. Taking place in the 1960s, Pamela “P.L.” Travers, Australian-English-American author of a series of children’s novels involving the magical English nanny Mary Poppins, is struggling financially and has no choice but to sell the rights to her stories to filmmaker Walt Disney. Travers is immediately put off by the idea of turning her stories into one of Disney’s fun, animated musicals, and we soon find out that there is a personal meaning and deeper, not-so-cheerful inspiration for the light and enjoyable Mary Poppins we know today from the Disney film. Slowly and surely, Walt Disney and a group of comical and idiosyncratic writers and composers translate the story into a movie with strict help from Travers and a lot of creativity! From her first step into Hollywood, Travers is taken aback by the theatrics and is extremely sceptical about selling her story to Disney. Throughout the film, we learn that the character of Mary Poppins and related material are more to Travers than just a story; they were produced from memories of her somewhat difficult childhood. Living in a completely different lifestyle than shown in the film Mary Poppins, Travers’ family is having major problems, and her Aunt Ellie comes to help. The audience cannot help but notice the similarities of Mary Poppins arriving to save the day, and as Travers early years unfold, we see some of the history and meaning behind the creation of Mary Poppins and the Banks family. At the same time, we see the pain and scars that Travers carries, the cause behind the creation of these iconic characters, and reason why Travers feels the need to protect them. The film goes back and forth between the 1960s with Travers making the film with Disney and Travers’ childhood playing out as she explains her reasoning for being so reserved with the story. There is much that is moving throughout the film, but it does a great job of creating parallels between the film Mary Poppins, paying homage to adored characters, and developing a more in-depth, engaging back story into the creation of a likable Disney classic. One of the best things of this movie is the music and dialogue straight from the Mary Poppins movie. Emma Thompson is a proper, sarcastically funny, comparable version of Mary Poppins herself, and I couldn't have picked a better person to play Walt Disney, as Tom Hanks portrays a charming, lovable, and superb character that offers inspiration, guidance and a kind heart. Saving Mr. Banks is filled with other entertaining, eccentric, and endearing performances that support the film perfectly. The leads me into my favourite character, performance and part within the movie. Colin Farrell plays Travers Goff, the father of "Ginty". His vital role in the movie shows just how much of an important impact a father is. His imagination is what really leaves an imprint on Ginty (Emma Thompson herself). In my opinion he steals the movie and plays the most important role and influence within the story. His inspiration and imagination really inspired me. I see myself in his character so much as he truly believe that if you chase your dreams, then there are endless possibilities. There's a scene in which Ginty is pretending to lay eggs because she wants to be a hen for the day. Her father gets super defensive at the thought and idea of anything getting in the way of his daughters imagination. This scene really stood out to me and made me realize the importance of a father figure such as this. This film really stood out to me as one of the best Disney movies. It wasn't your typical Disney movie because it really took you into the life of one of the most enjoyable stories that Walt ever brought to life. Once you watch this, you'll never look at Mary Poppins the same. You'll realize just how much more iconic the story is after you've witnessed the past that lead up to the story being bought. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/26/25 Full Review Audience Member This is such an underrated film. The acting, the editing, all so good. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/09/25 Full Review Molly P This movie comes very close to capturing the magic of the Mary Poppins movie. I know it was not completely true to real events, but I loved the premise of it and I feel like it explained the moral of the Mary Poppins movie extremely well. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/03/25 Full Review Bobby B A charming little film with Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson as standout performamces. I'm just sad they skipped the real life bit at the premieres after party where Travers stands up and demands they remove the dancing penguins. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review Henrik S Excellent cast, moving story. And the music, of course, is beyond brilliant. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/31/24 Full Review Audience Member Lack of character depth becomes a huge problem despite the good performances of Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks is the major problem. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/20/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Saving Mr. Banks

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Most Popular at Home Now