Pure Disney Magic

Rating: 8/10 (18 April 2014)

Saving Mr. Banks is a wonderfully Disneyfied interpretation of how the legendary Walt Disney turned Mary Poppins into one of the most beloved children films of all time. The tale is ripe with music and warmth and the quintessential storytelling that makes a Disney movie wonderful.
Emma Thompson portrays the somewhat stoic and resolute author who refused to sign over the rights to Mary Poppins without being absolutely sure that she will be in good hands. You see the character nit picking in the most determined and intentionally annoying ways before she grudgingly falls in love with the magic that comes along with being involved in a Disney Movie. Tom Hanks was the perfect Walt Disney. He showed the lovable side of Disney that all kids love, but you could see the element of the shrewd and uncompromisingly strict man behind it all.
This movie is funny and sweet, making you laugh and cry. You sing along with all of the familiar tunes (both the Mary Poppins tunes and other jingles found in classic Disney movies) and you smile when you notice the scenes that parallel the iconic Mary Poppins scenes. This movie is for the truest Disney fans who believe, to their core, in Disney magic. And of all the nostalgic feelings that flood through you as you watch, the most prominent of all will be a grand desire to watch what they spent the whole movie trying to create - Mary Poppins. I give this film 8/10