“Saving Mr. Banks” is one of my favorite Disney movies because it shows what it was like to work with Walt Disney, the creator himself.
The plot of the film revolves around Walt Disney trying to get the rights to the book, “Mary Poppins” by author P.L. Travers, so that he can make it into a film. P.L. Travers is a very stubborn older woman who does not want to hand the rights over to Mr. Disney. After 20 years of Walt Disney begging for the rights, Pamela Travers agrees to work on the creation of the film because she needs money. However, she does not give him the rights, so that she can have a say in each step of the movie production. Walt Disney listens to Mrs. Travers’ requests because he wants to keep the promise he made to his daughters to make one of their favorite stories into a film.
The plot shows the process of Travers making the script, setting character details and songs with the Sherman brothers and Don DaGradi. The story also shows Travers’ childhood in Australia.
There are several funny moments in “Saving Mr. Banks,” but, as in any good biopic, there are some sad ones as well. One of my favorite moments is when Walt Disney gets Pamela Travers to ride the carousel in Disneyland. He then goes on to tell her that he just made $20 because he got her on the ride.
Another comical moment is when Disney filled Mrs. travers’ hotel room in California with stuffed animals. She shoves all of them into a closet only to go into her bedroom to find a huge Mickey Mouse sitting on her bed. Later in the film, she cuddles the Mickey plush in bed, and she takes it home with her to London where she sits with it at her kitchen table. 
A relationship I love in the film is the one Mrs. Travers has with Ralph, her driver, while in California. Ralph is always pleasant to her even when she is quite unpleasant to him. Their relationship grows throughout the film, especially when Ralph opens up about his disabled daughter. Near the end, she signs a copy of “Mary Poppins” for his daughter, and she hands him a list of famous people including Albert Einstein and Walt Disney. She further explains that the names on that list all had or have difficulties, and that his daughter can do anything. She also shares that Walt Disney has ADHD, which she believes explains his behaviors.
Another entertaining relationship is between Mrs. Travers and Robert Sherman, the one person who yells at her when she is being difficult, and in return she tells him to get out of the room like a scolded child.
“Saving Mr. Banks” has ups and downs. Viewers learn that Mrs. Travers’ childhood had struggles that are part of her attachment to keeping the rights to “Mary Poppins.” In flashback scenes of her childhood, the audience learns about the playfulness of her father who is also an alcoholic who makes a fool of himself at work. Her father plays imaginary games with her one second and chugs a bottle of alcohol the next. Pamela’s mother is overwhelmed with caring for the children and worrying about her husband. One night, her mother decides to leave the house and walk into a freezing pond, but she stops her mother from drowning herself. Then the foreshadowing: Pamela’s Aunt comes to the house to save the family carrying a bag filled with many objects just as the character, Mary Poppins, does.
Walt Disney makes the mistake of telling P.L. Travers that the character, Mary Poppins, came to save the children. He later shares with her that Mary Poppins came to save the father, which is actually what Travers intended.
Walt Disney must convince Pamela to keep making the movie after he loses her trust by wanting to put animated penguins into the film. He flies all the way to her home in London to persuade her to give him the rights to make the film. Mr. Disney shares his struggles with his father, and she is convinced to hand over the permission.
Walt Disney is played by Tom Hanks who is also well known in “Forrest Gump,” “Turner & Hooch,” “Big,” “Pinocchio,” and other films. He also is the voice of Woody in “Toy Story.” Hanks plays the captivating presence of Walt Disney wonderfully.
Pamela Travers is played by actress Emma Thompson who is also in “Cruella,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Brave,” and many other films. Emma Thompson plays the stubborn and blunt author comically well.
Ralph is played by actor Paul Giamatti who plays the heartwarming Ralph and whose credits include “The Holdovers,” “Lady in the Water,” “Fred Claus,” “Turbo,” and more.
“Saving Mr. Banks” has a 79% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it is certified fresh. The Rotten Tomatoes audience rating is 84%. The film has a 7.5/10 IMDb rating.
Overall, in my opinion, “Saving Mr. Banks” is a great movie with a detailed plot and creative filming style with the switch from past to present scenes. The magic of Disney and the importance of family are the heartfelt messages. I believe “Saving Mr. Banks” is an overlooked Disney film that should get more recognition, and hopefully after this review it will.
“Saving Mr. Banks” is a PG-13 family comedy movie released in Dec. 2023. It is two hours and five minutes long. The film can be watched for free on Disney+. It can also be viewed on YouTube, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play Movies, and Amazon Prime Video for $3.99. According to The Numbers, it made $114.9 million globally.