Saving Mr. Banks

"Where her book ended, their story began."

2013 2h 6m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 3,578

ComedyDramaHistory

Synopsis

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Author P.L. Travers looks back on her childhood while reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.

“Where her book ended, their story began.”

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Cast

Emma Thompson
P.L. Travers
Tom Hanks
Walt Disney
Colin Farrell
Travers Robert Goff
Paul Giamatti
Ralph
Ruth Wilson
Margaret Goff
Jason Schwartzman
Richard Sherman
Bradley Whitford
Don DaGradi
Annie Rose Buckley
Ginty

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Languages: English
Countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

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International production across 3 countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Lee Hancock, shot by John Schwartzman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Mark Livolsi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks and Colin Farrell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Where her book ended, their story began.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Lee Hancock directs. John Schwartzman behind the camera. Thomas Newman scores. Mark Livolsi cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.2× over at the box office.
2Released 13 years ago.
3International production across 3 countries: Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Directed by John Lee Hancock, shot by John Schwartzman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Thomas Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Mark Livolsi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks and Colin Farrell carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Where her book ended, their story began.".
9IMDB entry: tt2140373 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 12 themes, including "biography", "based on true story", "death of father", "alcoholism".
11Released under 26 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Schwartzman
Original score: Thomas Newman
Editing: Mark Livolsi
Production design: Michael Corenblith
Costume design: Daniel Orlandi
Makeup / hair: Kate Biscoe
VFX supervisor: Vincent Cirelli
Runtime: 126 min · 2h 6m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $35,000,000
Box office: $112,544,580
Return: 322% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

John Lee Hancock

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2015-10-14
★ 8/10
Nicely done movie with great performances from Thompson and Hanks. Also Farrell, which a role made perfectly for him. The story is well threaded, letting us walk through Travers childhood and the birth of the main characters in Mary Poppins' books.
r96sk2020-11-13
★ 9/10
Utterly brilliant! I haven't watched 'Mary Poppins' itself in many, many years but still have memories of it as a kid. That meant I had the desired knowledge of the key parts about that film, which I'd say is probably wise to watch before this - though not a requirement, at least in my opinion. Ironically, Travers' complaints about the animation segments to the 1964 film are justified on my end - I've been on a Disney marathon since May, but to "shorten" the watch load I decided to only watch the studio's productions that are straight up animation or straight up live-action, so MP missed the cut given it's a combo. If she had her way, I'd have watched it again relatively recently. Damn you, Mr. Disney! Anyway, 'Saving Mr. Banks' is an outstanding film! One that's filled with so much heart and some rich storytelling - loved the back and forth between Travers' early and later years. They entwin the two films together very well, while the Disney stuff - while in your face - adds humour as well as meaning. Then you have Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks. Two actors I adore already. Hanks plays Walt Disney very good, he's top notch in this. However, it is Thompson that steals the show. She's superb as Travers, who isn't the most likeable character but Thompson ensures you stay invested in her. She's great in 'Treasure Planet' and 'Nanny McPhee', but this is the best I've seen from her so far. Elsewhere, shoutouts to Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson and Paul Giamatti for what they bring - especially Farrell. Jason Schwartzman and B. J. Novak are good as the Sherman Brothers, also. A charming and very nicely made film. Can't recommend it more.