Overlong fantasy

Rating: 3/10 (3 December 2013)

This is a lengthy sanitised version of what actually happened when Walt Disney finally managed to get P.L.Travers to allow him to film Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks' avuncular "Walt Disney" is a long way from the reality of the chain smoking mogul (unsurprisingly). Emma Thompson, as usual, plays Emma Thompson (in the same way that Colin Firth always plays Colin Firth). Nothing wrong with that if your name is John Wayne, but this is supposed to be a character piece. Thompson neither looks or sounds like P.L.Travers and is far too young for the role (Travers was in her early sixties at the time and looked it). As the taped conversations featuring the real Travers over the end credits show, she was far less irascible than the Thompson portrayal. The boring and badly acted "Australian" segments (which look like the wild west complete with American train) are largely irrelevant. The period setting is realised without too many goofs, although the same '57 Ford is seen at least three times and why is Travers shown aboard a BOAC aircraft (correctly) but all reference at LAX (and on her ticket) is to a fictional "British Transatlantic Airways"? This might have made a good ninety minute TV movie, but as it is, unless you are a massive Mary Poppins fan, is not really worth two hours of your time.