Disney is putting out a movie, about Disney, putting out a movie, and it looks to be the least racist, most endearing film they've thought of in a while. Called Saving Mr. Banks, Tom Hanks stars as Walt Disney, a man determined to bring P.L. Traver's Mary Poppins to the silver screen.
It's been a while since we've seen Hanks take on a main role in which he is likable and/or not stranded on a desert island, in an airport, or with Julia Roberts, so already, I'm all in. Add in Emma Thompson, the women we all want to be our best friend/mom, and I'm undone.
Saving Mr. Banks is a surprising choice for Disney and it bodes well for the mass media corporation that they're branching out from cartoons and mindless action movies and veering toward anything to do with Emma Thompson. A departure from the idiocy of The Lone Ranger and their revered Disney princesses seems smart, especially when Saving Mr. Banks looks to be so seriously enjoyable.
So put on your Mickey Mouse ears and prepare to cry, because I'm expecting a Finding Neverland-esque look into Walt Disney's world, and an oh-so dramatic making of Mary Poppins. And hey, if it turns out to be a bust, at least we'll get to stare at Tom Hanks with that ridiculous mustache and Emma Thompson with a 'fro for two hours.
Saving Mr. Banks is expected in theaters December 13.
