I’m not sure what I expected when I finally got a chance to go see ‘Saving Mr. Banks’. Knowing it’s a Disney film portraying Walt Disney, I suppose my expectations were to see if Walt Disney was as wonderful as I imagine he was. Walt Disney is a hero of mine and I was not dissappointed at Tom Hanks portrayal.

Acting

I not much of a movie critic, but I was really amazed at the acting in this film. It’s easy why Emma Thompson is being praised by her performance. It’s stunning. Tom Hanks has elevated even further in my book of favorite actors and he was already high on the list. I joked earlier on Twitter that he doesn’t sound much like Walt but it doesn’t matter. His portrayal of Walt’s genius, committment and sincerity is priceless. Paul Giamatti is one of my favorites too and his role is small but awesome. It’s a side story that digs into the warmth of a simple driver who develops a relationship with Mrs. Travers. Finally, Colin Farrell does an amazing job portraying Mrs. Travers flawed father.

Sad

The backstory of Mrs. Travers childhood is really sad. I wasn’t really prepared for this and it hit me a little harder than I expected. I wasn’t teary eyed but it’s just a harsh story to see a childhood so rough.

Walt Disney

This film did not dissappoint my envy of Walt Disney. It just affirmed my love of the man. Tom Hanks does a marvelous job. Why was Walt Disney successful? One word, Committment. There are so many examples of Walt Disney’s committment. In this story, how many people would have told PL Travers to go to hell and take her book with her? Not Walt. He first committed to his daughters that he would make this movie over 20 years ago. Second, he loved the story and was committed to bringing it to film. Third, he got into the mind of Mrs. Travers and related to her as artists. They had to bring this story to film as an uplifting story in a tough world.

The Convincing Scene

The scene when Walt travels to London to make one last plea to Mrs. Travers is worth seeing the whole film. I’d really like to get a hold of the script and read Walt’s words over again. His story of his childhood and how this world is rough but as artists they both need to tell an upbeat story to give people hope. Priceless. Loved it!

Finally, this story reminded me how Walt Disney faced troubles but always brought hope. He faced tough odds and did amazing things. This is what’s so inspiring about his story and what he accomplished and I’m always reminded about when I visit Disney World. There’s a picture of Florida in his office during the movie in the background. It’s sad that we lost him before he was able to finish the Florida project. The movie is subtle in showing his smoking habit and a cough here and there. Sadly, Walt only lived 2 years past the end of this movie. Luckily for us, Walt’s brother Roy, finished the Florida project and Walt’s legend lives on.