Journey of Walt Disney and ‘Mary Poppins’ author revealed in ‘Saving Mr. Banks’

MANILA, Philippines- After years of talks, Walt Disney finally convinced “Mary Poppins” author P.L. Travers to sell the rights to her novel.

Walt Disney saw the potential of the film, especially when they took a deeper look of the story and why Travers was so hesitant to let them adapt her book to the silver screen.

Instead of adapting the book’s story itself, Walt Disney decided to tell the viewers the story of how their negotiation with Travers started, what Travers’ thought were during and after the talks, and how finally she sold her rights that led to the production of the film “Saving Mr. Banks.”

“Saving Mr. Banks” director John Lee Hancock described the film as “a fantastic story, but it’s not the behind-the-scenes look at the making of Mary Poppins. You’re not on a soundstage with a young Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke.:

“Our story takes you back two to three years before the actual production of the movie began.”

Hancock said that the long wait with Travers’ book is “worth dealing with.”

“That’s our story, a fantastic story, about a beloved movie, its own story and characters, and the origins of how it became this amazing, groundbreaking film,” Hancock added.

“On a deeper level, it’s also about two storytellers and Disney’s journey trying to discover why P.L. Travers holds on so dearly and protectively to her story and the image of this father she adored,” he said.

Starring in the film “Saving Mr. Banks” are award-winning actors and actresses including Tom Hanks as Walt Disney, Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers, Colin Farrell co-stars as Travers Goff, Travers’ doting dad; Ruth Wilson as Travers’ wife Margaret; Rachel Griffiths as Aunt Ellie as Margaret’s sister; and a screen newcomer, 11-year-old Annie Rose Buckley as the young nicknamed Ginty in the flashback sequences.

The cast also includes Paul Giamatti as Ralph, the kindly limousine driver who escorts Travers during her two-week stay in Hollywood; Jason Schwartzman and B.J. Novak  as the Sherman brothers (Richard and Robert, respectively); Bradley Whitford as screenwriter Don DaGradi; and Kathy Baker as Tommie, one of Disney’s trusted studio confidantes.

“Saving Mr. Banks” will be inn cinemas February 26.