Dramatic Inside Look Behind the Scenes of Mary Poppins

Rating: 9/10 (28 March 2014)

This is a deeply emotional and inspiring untold story of "Mary Poppins." The premise is based on the true journey of Pamela L. Travers (Emma Thompson), the author of the book. We learn it's going to take Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) a lot of hard work to get Ms. Travers to share our favorite flying nanny, Mary Poppins.
This film is totally character driven. Tom Hanks is the first actor to portray Walt in a mainstream film. Tom trained for this by visiting "The Walt Disney Family Museum" and talking with Disney's former employees including his daughter Diane Disney Miller. Tom is Walt! He captures the dream, drive, and love for life that Walt believed in and you buy every word he says. They also respect Walt's wishes of never showing him with a lit cigarette. Of course, any leading man has a leading lady and we have a phenomenal portrayal of Ms. Travers by Emma Thompson. Emma trained, like Tom, by listening to the recording of the script read-through and practicing the way Pamela spoke. What adds up is a fantastic performance. You feel her emotion and why she is a stick-in- the-mud. This film's cinematography is spot on. It takes place over time from 1906, with vintage clothing and horse carts, to1961, with old cars and urban settings. The way they shift from time period to time period is flawless.
My favorite scene is when Mrs. Travers observes the film for the first time. You see all of the emotional scarring that she has kept inside her whole life, come out. I can say that Emma's performs this amazingly well.
Honestly, it's hard to pick my favorite character. Surprisingly I choose Ralph (Paul Giamatti), Mrs. Travers' chauffeur. He's the first person who Pamela likes and once you see this film you'll understand how big of an achievement that is. Paul's warm and humble performance has an affect on me that is unexplainable.
The moral of the story is, don't let the past rule your present. Pamela has a hard time giving "Mary Poppins" up and, with her sad childhood, you can see why. However, she needs to understand that it's time to let it all go.
I give this 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for 12-18 year olds. This film is little more emotionally heavy than the trailer shows. It's a lighthearted film, but sensitive kids may have difficulty with some scenes.
Reviewed by Keefer B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews go to kidsfirst dot org.