Saving Mr. Banks

Saving Mr. Banks
Walt Disney and P. L. Travers walking in unison against a white background with their shadows appearing as Mickey Mouse and Mary Poppins, respectively.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Lee Hancock
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJohn Schwartzman
Edited byMark Livolsi
Music byThomas Newman
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures[2]
Release dates
  • October 20, 2013 (2013-10-20) (BFI London Film Festival)
  • November 29, 2013 (2013-11-29) (United Kingdom)
  • December 13, 2013 (2013-12-13) (United States)
  • January 9, 2014 (2014-01-09) (Australia)
Running time
125 minutes[3]
Countries
  • Australia
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$35 million[4][5]
Box office$117.9 million[5]

Saving Mr. Banks is a 2013 biographical drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Centered on the development of the 1964 film Mary Poppins, the film stars Emma Thompson as author P. L. Travers and Tom Hanks as film producer Walt Disney, with supporting performances by Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, and B. J. Novak. Deriving its title from the father in Travers's story, Saving Mr. Banks depicts the author's tragic childhood in rural Queensland in 1906 and the two weeks of meetings during 1961 in Los Angeles, during which Disney attempts to obtain the film rights to her novels.[6]

Essential Media Entertainment and BBC Films initially developed Saving Mr. Banks as an independent production until 2011, when producer Alison Owen approached Walt Disney Pictures for permission to use copyrighted elements. The film's subject matter piqued Disney's interest, leading the studio to acquire the screenplay and produce the film.[7] Principal photography commenced the following year in September before wrapping in November 2012; the film was shot almost entirely in the Southern California area, primarily at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, where a majority of the film's narrative takes place.[8][9]

Saving Mr. Banks premiered at the London Film Festival on October 20, 2013, and was distributed theatrically by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures that same year in the United Kingdom on November 29 and in North America on December 13. The film was named one of the ten best films of 2013 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and was also commercially successful, grossing over $117 million at the worldwide box office. Thompson's performance garnered BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actress, while composer Thomas Newman earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score.

  1. ^ Adams, Mark. "Review: Saving Mr. Banks". Screendaily.com. Screen International. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Saving Mr. Banks". American Film Institute. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  3. ^ "SAVING MR. BANKS (PG)". Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. British Board of Film Classification. September 18, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2013.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b "Saving Mr. Banks (2013)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
  6. ^ "BBC Films unveils upcoming slate at Cannes". BBC. BBC Films. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference DisneyAcquire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cunningham, Todd (December 19, 2013). "'American Hustle' and 'Saving Mr. Banks' Face Mainstream Box-Office Exams This Weekend". TheWrap. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
  9. ^ Gettell, Oliver (December 18, 2013). "'Saving Mr. Banks' director: 'Such an advantage' shooting in L.A." Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2013.