Saving Mr. Banks

It might seem self-serving for a Hollywood studio to create a fictional feature about the making of one of its earlier fictional features, thereby creating the impression of double dipping or selling out or whatnot.

However, Saving Mr. Banks is a delightful exception. Almost 50 years after the release of the iconic Disney musical Mary Poppins, it chronicles the life of P.L. Travers, the author of the book upon which the film was based.

The intentions feel genuine, in part because it presents a behind-the-scenes story worth telling. It’s an intriguing if lighthearted glimpse into old Hollywood, a poignant examination of the connection between a writer and their work, and even an insightful peek into the give-and-take of the filmmaking process.

The film begins in 1960, when Travers (Emma Thompson) is a fledgling and reclusive Australian author torn by her distaste for a film adaptation of her seminal book, Mary Poppins, and the need for the money that would be generated by such an agreement.

Meanwhile, Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) is a fan of the material who has been aggressively trying to persuade Travers to sign over the rights for two decades. Their resulting collaboration is uneasy, with the sourpuss author constantly criticizing Disney’s team during the script process while flashing back to a troubled working-class childhood and the influence her father (Colin Farrell) had on her writing.

Just as some of the key plot points from the source material were altered in the Mary Poppins film version — much to the chagrin of Travers — this film embellishes some of the true-life details for dramatic effect.

The screenplay for the film, directed with maximum crowd-pleasing emphasis by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side), tends to dispense with subtlety in favor of sentimentality, especially in the third act. Still, there is enough complexity to make that film feel like more than a cheap marketing cash-in for a studio that, perhaps ironically, has slipped considerably in terms of live-action quality since the story portrayed here.

The performance also are charming, especially Thompson, who balances the exterior stubbornness of Travers with an inner vulnerability that feels authentic.

At the very least, Saving Mr. Banks offers a fascinating perspective on the making of an influential film that remains beloved today, and the chance to revisit that experience is worth several spoonfuls of sugar along the way.

Rated PG-13, 125 minutes.