An excellent movie of Walt Disney magic and what stories are all about

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2014)

I visited America last year and among visiting several cities and historical sites I also managed to fit in a visit to Disneyworld (Florida) and Universal Studios. During my time there it struck me just how much stories played a role in the innovative and determined spirit of the American people and how much present day heroes took inspiration from the stories of heroes from the past. One such a hero is Walt Disney.
This movie inspires one to keep dreaming, to keep innovating, never to accept no for an answer and to build a better future with your vision. It is the feeling that Disney establishes in its parks and it is the feeling that you experience after listening to the stories of great heroes.
This movie is about the true power of stories: the love of stories and the ownership we feel about those stories, the good stories of our life and the bad stories of our life and which stories we choose to accept as the one defining ourselves.
Emma Thompson is delightful as the uptight P.L. Travers. She manages to play the uncooperative and disagreeable role superbly without sacrificing any likability. Tom Hanks is an equal treat as the imaginative Walt Disney and really makes the giant come to life. Several songs from Mary Poppins brings back a touch of nostalgia and gets new meaning within the context of the story. A quirky script dispersed with several comedic gems ensure many laughs. We aren't dealing simply with a comedy here, however, and underneath P.L. Travers' tetchy behaviour lies a more complex story that is also beautifully explored. It successfully brings about laughs and tears.
This movie is what movies are all about.
As for me, the movie reminded me that no matter how much one might love stories, the purpose of a story is not just an object onto itself to be admired as a created piece of art. A story only truly finds meaning when it serves to augment, flavour and shape our own stories.