A blog that shares news, reviews, and opinions about new and old Disney/Pixar movies, rumors, drama, and even Disney character controversy. Lights! Camera! Action! Disney!
Logged onto Facebook today and my friend tagged me in a post from IGN for that had released the teaser trailer for Disney's film, Tomorrowland. Thus, I would love to share with those who follow my blog (and welcome newcomers). Here's the trailer below:
My review of the teaser trailer:
I believe this "teaser" was done correctly, and giving us (the audience) a taste of what this film will be about, and exposing to us the mystery, adventure, and curiosity. It definitely grabbed my attention and I'm eager to see this movie. No...not because it's a Disney movie, but because it looks like an exciting and inventive one! Besides, I love her reaction when she picked up the pin and was in a different surrounding for those few seconds! Hilarious!
How do you feel about this film? Feel free to give your opinion(s) below.
All right, everyone! I just finished watching the premiere of ABC's Once UponA Time, and I'll get straight to the point...
The first episode made me tear up with excitement! It started off great (so far)!
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
So, I was impressed that the show started out with showing Elsa and Anna's parents while they were on the ship during the storm. ABC definitely got to the point that there's going to be something new and different for the sisters, by having their mother write a message in a bottle before her and her husband's death at sea. Apparently, Elsa and Anna have to know "the truth" about something...(dun, dun, dunnnn!).
The Good:
There were plenty of great small moments I enjoyed in this first episode. Some, were moments from the actual animated feature of Frozen, that was brought to life in OUAT. However, I will just mention my top three, starting with my third favorite moment.
#3 The Door Scene
There was a scene after Regina had saved Marian from Elsa's giant killing snow man and then she disappeared as Emma was trying to talk to her. Later, Emma show's up at Regina's home and knocks on her door, resembling the scene above. I thought it was clever for the director to film Emma as Anna outside of the door, trying to get Regina (as Elsa) to come out and talk. Just their positioning and the directing was great. Now, I have a feeling that Emma and Regina are going to go through somewhat of the same relationship and actions as Anna and Elsa did in the animated feature of Frozen.
#2 The hat from Fantasia's The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
In other episodes during some seasons, there has been a glimpse of the hat here and there, but...are we FINALLY about to see it in action this season? What kind of magic does it have? Why does it seem so familiar to Rumple? When it appeared as a box, I couldn't figure out what it was until Rumple revealed it! My jaw completely dropped! I'm excited for this!
#1 Tale As Old As Time
During this particular scene, I was a complete fan girl! Disney's Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie, and for the show to recreate the ballroom scene from the animated feature into this small moment, was magnificent! The moment Rumple, magically placed the beautiful yellow gown on Belle and he changed into Beast's blue outfit, I couldn't contain myself! And then when I realized the song that was playing on the record, I completely flipped out! I started tearing up with excitement! The first episode gets major bonus points because of this!!
The Bad (Well...not THAT bad):
The only thing that bothered me really was...the actor who played Kristoff. I still have to observe his acting, but I'm just speaking on physical appearance; the face. He's not ugly...but for some reason...I just...I can't...ugh! I think he's got the build. Maybe it's the size of his head? I have to see Kristoff in action. He's like an itch I can't scratch.
Overall:
Once Upon A Time started off with flying colors in my book. The actors who are portraying Anna and Elsa were quite spot on and the show is doing a great job of not drifting away from our beloved original characters (so far). Though, I will admit I'm still on the fence about our Frozen characters on the show. But, this is only the first episode. We still have a journey ahead of us.
Therefore...let the storm rage on!
What is your opinion of the first episode? Did you feel like it caught your attention or are you still unsure?
Okay, so I've been gone for a while but I'll make a comeback by posting about one of my favorite TV Show's: ABC's Once Upon A Time. Now, what you're about to read, is my opinion and you have the right to agree or disagree. Also, I must warn that if you haven't caught up with the show, then, yes....there will be spoilers (minor), so continue on if you dare!
Last season, I was pretty stoked and excited to see that Elsa appeared out of the bottle, right at that moment, looking fabulous. However, after a while, a lot of hyped has developed, and I started processing the idea of Frozen and trying to understand how Elsa, Ana, and the other Frozen characters will tie in with the original cast and the story that we all ready have so far. Here's a quick recap:
Emma Swan and Hook traveled back into the past when Regina was evil, however, Emma made an idiot move and brought back a woman from the past that Regina was supposed to kill. As they arrived in Storybrooke, in current time, it turns out the woman that Emma had saved, was Robin Hood's wife!! Regina and Robin Hood were falling in love but now that his wife is back, this ruined Regina's happy ending and by the way she looked, she was ready to turn evil again.
"You're just like you're mother."
Anyways, back to Frozen...
I love the movie, I do, I do! But I feel like Disney is pushing it a little too far now. You see, I feel like the show was a great way to bring older fairytale characters back into the light, and with all of the different plot twists, made them, and even the story, more phenomenal. I understand that adding these new characters to OUAT, is actually a smart move and will bring in more viewers due to how much Frozen had escalated. However, I can't seem to "let it go" because I fear that Frozen will take over the original characters and plot line and maybe cause the original story to drift.
Due to my love for the show and how I enjoy the writing and creativity, I'll try to allow myself to keep an open mind because so far, the show hasn't disappointed me...yet. Sure, the show has it's flaws, but what show doesn't? Also, it's really great to see the Frozen characters come to life in Storybrooke, and I'm not going to complain about that. Let's just hope that, the results won't leave me with a frozen heart for the show.
How do you feel about the Frozen characters coming to life in Storybrooke? Is it too much? Do you think it will be a grand success? I'm eager to know what others think about this.
Welcome, foolish mortals, to 'The Haunted Mansion' television special on Disney Channel and Disney XD Muahahahahaaa!!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Haunted Mansion special will animated by Gris Grimly, who is known for his horror genre art and his illustration for his book: Gris Grimly's Wicket Nursery Rhymes (You should absolutely take a look at his art on google! I think he's perfect for the job)!
(Art by Gris Grimly)
Scott Peterson (Phineas & Ferb), will be the writer, EP, and story editor, and Joshua Pruett (Phineas & Ferb) is the consulting producer and writer.
Today, July 17th, 2014, is Disneyland's 59th Birthday!!! That means 59 years of happiness, dreams, magical moments, and inspiration and so much more! Thank you so much Walt Disney for creating such a magical place for the world to see and enjoy with their families! We are so thankful for you and your legacy! And since it is TBT (Throw Back Thursday), let us take a moment and enjoy the Disneyland Dedication Ceremony:
And of course, Disneyland is already making plans for their 60th Birthday, next year in Spring of 2015! Isn't that just dazzling? I haven't exactly found what the plans are going to be for the 60th aniversary, although, I'm sure they won't disappoint! However, Disney has released the Logo for the 60th anniversary:
Before I give my full review, I'd like to give my rating first: 3.6/5
Quick Review: Angelina Jolie's performance was grand and she was definitely the perfect choice for the role of Maleficent. However, the overall film wasn't as equally great as her performance; she was too good for the film. The CGI wasn't anything special. I did enjoy the first act of the story and the idea on why she became a villain and I was on her side the whole way. The second act was bland yet gave its reasoning for the conclusion of the final act which was nice to see, but I wasn't satisfied with it.
At first, I did give it a 3.8, but after letting it sink in and I watched Disney's Sleeping Beauty again, and once coming to a few realizations, the more disappointed I was in Disney's Maleficent. I do understand, that this is supposed to be a completely different story from Disney's Sleeping Beauty, I get it! I do! But, I just wasn't satisfied with it and down below are my FULL reasons why:
(WARNING: SPOIL ALERTS)
The CGI (Computer Genterated Imagery)
In the trailer, watching it both on YouTube and in the theater, I thought everything looked marvelous and it was beautiful! After sitting in the theater, viewing the full length movie, the CGI made me cringe a little.
The Good: The creation of the giant tree-people and monsters of 'Moors', a forest kingdom with supernatural creatures, the giant thorns arising from the grown, and Maleficent's wings. Also, another creation that stood out is when Maleficent transforms Diaval's into other animals. For example, he's originally a crow but when she turned him into a wolf or a horse, they still had crow-like features which turned out pretty good.
The Bad:The Good Fairies of 'Moors': Flittle, Knotgrass, and Thistlewit.
The fairies look good from afar or with quick glance, but seeing the actresses faces in CGI as fairies made me frown upon it. They look like they came from Shrek. ABC's Once Upon A Time does a better job at creating fairies at a small size, heck, why didn't they create them like they did Tinkerbell in 2003's Peter Pan:
Character Development
Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) - She was developed quite nicely, especially from the beginning of the plot. I wanted to cry with her when the man she loved stole her wings, thus making her the villain that we know from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. As her character is further developed, it turns out that she's not all that villainous as she seems when we get to the end of the second act as it shows her watching over Princess Aurora and eventually caring about the child, wanting to protect her. And suddenly, she's not the villain anymore. Even though I would still want her to be the villain, it was a nice little twist at the end, despite me being unsatisfied with it. (Will explain more in the Plot Development paragraph).
Stefan (Sharlto Copley) - Stefan was developed fairly well from loving Maleficent from the bottom to his heart to betraying her for greed and the chance to be king. Stefan was the true villain and I wanted him dead so bad, although his death in the movie wasn't how I wanted it to be. His death was...age appropriate just like any other Disney villain death.
The Good Fairies: Flittle (Lesley Manville), Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton), and Thistlewit (Juno Temple) - First of all, I dislike the names that they gave them; they aren't memorable names, unless the reasoning for it was because they have different personalities than Flora, Fauna, and Maryweather from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Lastly, I'm going to be absolutely blunt and say that these fairies were really idiotic and a bit annoying; they weren't all that funny. Those three fairies could have been the death of Aurora if it wasn't for Maleficent watching over it. The three tried feeding baby Aurora baby carrots and then they weren't watching her and she could have fallen off of a cliff. Really?? (Yeah, yeah, I get it, Maleficent was supposed to be there in order to support the plot, blah blah..) But still...
Diaval (Sam Riley) - This is the Maleficent's crow. She saved him from being beaten by a farmer who had captured him for being in his crops. She turned him into human and since then, Diaval becomes dedicated to her, doing anything that she asks him to do. He does what he is told, but has his moments when he questions her actions by words of complaint or by a single look. This character, was really interesting to me and I thought that Disney had something here to where he was going to play a bigger part, but, of course not. I wish his character was developed more; I would love to see more of him to the point where I wouldn't mind seeing his own movie.
Aurora (Elle Fanning)- Aurora was never an interesting character to me in Disney's Sleeping Beauty, and Elle Fanning as Aurora made me less interested. I didn't really care for her playing the role, but the character itself had no spark other than making Maleficent realize that there is true love. The most adorable scene about Aurora growing up was when Angelina's real life daughter played her.
Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites) - The way the plot was developed, Prince Philip shouldn't even had been in the film at all. He was a useless character.
Plot Development
In the first act, it was truly dark and menacing as they showed the romance between Maleficent and Stefan, but suddenly he betrayed his love for her by stealing her wings in order to become king. The moment Maleficent had cried for the loss of her wings, I started to tear up because her cry was so haunting. And for that moment when she became a villain, I was on her side. I wanted her to do bad things. I was ready to see this villain in action.
In the second act, when the three good fairies took in baby Aurora, this is where things got very bland for me. Maleficent knew where she was "hidden" all ready, and even though she would call little Aurora "Beasty" and make scary faces at the child, she ended up looking after her much better than the Three Stooges of the fairies. Most of the second act was practically bonding time between Maleficent and Aurora; I honestly wanted to hit "fast-forward". This is when I started to dislike Flittle, Knotgrass, and Thistlewit as well.
Finally, in the third act, this is where I had liked the idea, but the satisfaction for it wasn't there. Long story short (BIG SPOILER AHEAD)......
Aurora doesn't awaken by Prince Phillip's kiss. Sure, he was in the movie, he met Aurora for the first time and the two looked like they were dumb in love, but his "true love's" kiss didn't break the spell. It was Maleficent's. She bonded a friendship with Aurora and felt bad about the curse and apologized for it and promised to protect her no matter what. She kissed her forehead and Aurora's wide awake! Okay, so, apparently, they decided to go the same route as Disney's Frozen. Big whoop! Don't get me wrong, when the moment happened sighed with happiness and event went "Awwww!!", and once again, it gives that positive message to young girls that "True Love" doesn't only mean falling in love with someone romantically. It could mean friendship as well. But, seriously, I didn't see it coming until she actually bent down and gave her the kiss.
This was my prediction: Diaval, the crow, was falling in love with Aurora. Honestly, every time the camera showed him looking at her, it looked like he had true feelings for the girl. In my opinion, I would have written in that way. It would have been a different twist; maybe even better, and I would have kept Maleficent as the villain.
My Disappointments:
I was hoping to have some fun with the three fairies as I did when watching Flora, Fauna, and Maryweather, bake the cake and make a dress for Aurora's birthday. Did it happen? Nope. I was hoping to see a recreation of this scene:
And my major disappointment was when Maleficent wasn't the one to transform into a dragon. It was her sidekick, crow, Diaval. I love Diaval, I do! But, I think the movie would have been much better if they would have stuck with Maleficent transforming into the dragon.
All I have to say is...nice try Stromberg, but...it could have been better. You had a lot of potential here, but this movie wasn't as great as the wonderful Angelina Jolie.
Now here's my question: When going to Disneyland/Disney World, is the character Maleficent supposed to be from Disney's Sleeping Beauty? Or Disney's Maleficent? What if a guest says something in relation to the live-action film. How do they respond? Hmmm....
Anyways, what did you all think about this film? Did it live up to your expectations or did it fail you?
Well, Well, well....Look what we have here, folks. Another TEASER trailer from Disney! They must enjoy torturing us with excitement!
I was discussing this trailer with one of my friends and she says she hates it when Disney or any other movie company puts out a teaser trailer with a clip that's not even in the movie. Some of you may feel this way...and some of you probably don't. I, personally, don't agree because, once again, this is just a TEASER trailer. It teases. It's supposed to make you want more. It makes you grow curious. Geez!!
Anyways, I actually enjoyed this teaser trailer because it made me laugh. I laughed more at this teaser than the one they had for Frozen. My only question/concern is...
Why didn't they put Marvel's name in the trailer?
Big Hero 6 is an adaption of the Marvel comic, and in the trailer it only mentions "The Creators of Frozen and Wreck-it-Ralph". Hmmm....why is that? If you know the reason why, feel free to explain it. It would be so helpful! Thank you!
But, enjoy the trailer! It's cute!! Let me know your opinion!
Back in August of 2013, I blogged about Disney's new Live-Action film of Cinderella, starring Lily James as Cinderella, Cate Blanchett (my favorite actress) as the Stepmother, and other stars such as Richard Madden, Helena Bonham Carter, and more.
Okay, so, keep in mind that this is only aTEASER trailer!!! You're most likely not going to get the full on details of what this is going to be about (although, we do have an idea, since we know the original story). It's not as detailed as the teaser trailer they had for Disney's Maleficent, and doesn't use any type of iconography. It's just the simple yet dazzling glass slipper that lets us know that it involves Cinderella. So, if you expect any more than that, then I'm afraid that your expectations are shattered for the time being. I do believe that this teaser does a great job of engaging the audiences to make us want more. Heck, I'm absolutely thrilled!! I can't wait until the official trailer is release.
So, take a look for yourself down below, and let me know what you all think of this teaser trailer. If you didn't like it, how would you have filmed a Teaser trailer for this movie?
Yes, the moment most of us '90 kids have been waiting for: The trailer for Disney Channel's new series called Girl Meets World. The show revolves around Riley, the daughter of two characters we've known and loved in Boy Meets World, Cory and Topanga, who will go through different experiences and adventures growing up in this world we call 'life'.
The trailer is on Screen Rant along with other info about the show.
When news first hit about Girl Meets World, I must admit, I was a bit excited to see Cory and Topanga come back even though I knew the show's main focus was their daughter. After watching the trailer, I was happy to see Cory and Topanga and Riley looks like she has a lot of Cory's personality and would be good for this younger generation. However, I didn't feel as excited about the trailer as I thought I would be. My first impression is that Disney really pushed this and tried too hard to make this work and I agree with Screen Rant when they state that "the show looks to very much have the same kind of squeaky-clean temperament and formulaic design that most original Disney Channel television shows have nowadays." Do you agree?
However, I will watch a few episodes of the show itself to give my full opinion. The show is set to premiere on June 27th, 2014 at 9:45 p.m. ET.
For all of you 90's kids out there, what was your first impression about the trailer for Girl Meets World? Does it look interesting? Do you think it will be successful for the children today? Will it be successful for you, being a fan of Boy Meets World? Please! Share your thoughts!
Back in November, I posted about Disney creating a Live-Action version of The Jungle Book, which will be directed by Jon Favreau. I had said that I wasn't all too excited to see this Live-Action version, but now, I'm absolutely captivated by the idea since it was announced that actor, Idris Elba, is to voice the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan!! Idris Elba is one of my favorite actors and he does have quite the wonderful voice to fit this villainous tiger.
To read more information about Disney's Live-Action version of The Jungle Book, check it out on Screen Rant. And according to them, it has a release date which is set for 2015!
Happy early Valentine's day to all!! I have a great treat I'd like to share for all of you Vinylmation collectors out there (and even those who are NOT Vinylmation collectors)!! Disney has made this short film (running about 40min), based on the popular Vinylmation collectables. This story is about two unpainted Vinylmations, Blank & Bow, who fall in love. However, they're immediately separated from one another and Blank travels all over to search for his beloved bow. This short is stop motion animation and, like most of Disney's and Disney Pixar's shorts, has no narration or any dialogue, and that's what makes this particular short much stronger. According to Disney Insider, Executive Producer Margaret Gilmore explains this beautiful masterpiece exquisitely on Disney Insider:
"At its core, Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story is a story about individuality, self expression, and making a difference in the world. And in this world, where most of us are bombarded everyday with tweets and texts and newsfeeds and e-mails and people talking at us with words, words, and more words, I am inviting you for the next forty minutes to experience a story with no words. We hope that Blank: A Vinylmation Love story will bypass everyone's busy brains and go right to your heart."
I absolutely adored this short it was so adorable to the point where I giggled and laughed, gasped, and even went "Awww!" The story was well thought out and I felt the emotions between all of the characters, especially Blank and Bow, without any dialogue. It truly warmed my heart and made me smile, I hope it does the same for you. Whether you're celebrating valentine's day with someone special or by yourself, this will definitely brighten your day!
The trailer for the short is down below for you to watch just so you can get a feel of what it's going to be like. If you'd like to watch the full length short, then you'll be able to watch it free on Google Play.
I'm sure those of you who are 90's babies, remember Disney's older cartoons they use to show on television such as Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, DuckTales, etc. I watched all of those, but I was truly a big fan of Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers (1989). I was always getting ready to watch that show, and mainly catch the opening just to sing-a-long with the theme song. "Ch-ch-ch-chip N' Dale! Rescue Rangers!" (Catchy, right?!) Well, according to Screen Rant, Disney is going to revive this lovable cartoon into a combination of live-action and CG (A.K.A. Live Action/CG hybrid) film. For example: Alvin and The Chipmunks (2007) and The Smurfs (2011).
Note: CG (Computer Generated)
Also, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Robert Rugan, an award winning commercial's director, gave the pitch to Disney and has been approved to write the future of our beloved cartoon.
I'm somewhat curious to see the film's final result, but then again, I haven't really been a fan of the live action/CG hybrid movies. Sure, I was ecstatic when I saw the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie, but would I watch it again? No, not really. The only movie that I actually enjoyed a combination of cartoon characters and live-action is Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Although, that's more of live-action/animation hybrid; not CG.) I love Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers, but I hope they don't crush that love. However, I agree with Screen Rant about how this upcoming film could be the start of creating a full-on live-action version of Gargoyles (Crosses fingers)! Now THAT is something that I'd have my heart set and stoned on!
Hello, Disney fans, Lana Del Rey Fans, Sleeping Beauty fans, Angelina Jolie fans, and Maleficent fans! This morning I found out that artist, Lana Del Rey, sung the famous song from Disney's Sleeping Beauty called "Once Upon A Dream". If you haven't listened to it yet, you can find it in the newest and official trailer for Disney's Maleficent down below OR if you're restraining yourself to watch anymore trailers for the movie then just CLICK HERE to listen.
I love Lana Del Rey's songs and her beautiful voice. The decision of having her sing "Once Upon A Dream" was a splendid one. The tone of the song combined with her voice makes it beautiful and yet haunting which goes superbly well with the trailer for Maleficent. You get both of a mystic and eerie feeling of the song and every time I listen to the enchantment during the trailer, my heart races and the way Angelina Jolie smiles so viscously, gives me the chills! I was going to stay away from watching more trailers for this movie, but when I heard about Lana Del Rey, I just had to watch this! It doesn't give away anything, though it shows more of the action that pulls you in wanting more. Your welcome!
If you're like me and fell in love with this version of "Once Upon A Dream" and want to download it now, you can get it for free at Google Play.
So, today, I was browsing the internet, searching all-things-Frozen. And I came upon Musical Catbug (tumblr) and the user, phananigans, suggested that a reprise for the song "Do You Wanna Build A Snowman" was truly needed, and so he wrote the lyrics:
"Yes I wanna build a snowman…
I’m sorry that it took so long…
I didn’t know I needed you…I really do…
and now you’re gone…
please…just ask me once more…
just one more time…I promise I’ll open the door
…yes I wanna build a snowman…”
I became fascinated with the lyrics and so started searching to see if anyone picked this up and actually did a recording for this reprise that phanigans had written. Too bad, I can't sing, or else I would have sung it. Anyways, I came upon tumblr user, scarlet-glow, and she did a recording for it. You can find it on her tumblr or on YouTube:
Wow...breathtaking, isn't it? The song fit so perfectly with the scene! I saw this film twice and I'm crying again!
All I have to say is bravo to both phananigans and scarlet-glow! Phananigans did a great job writing the lyrics and scarlet-glow sung it amazingly! Great work, Frozen fans! Someone call Disney ASAP and add this to the movie when it comes out on DVD!! I can wait a little longer for the DVD release if that's what it takes to add this song on there! I'm all ready singing this reprise in my head!
Hello, ladies and gentleman! I would like to proudly inform you that Disney is making another princess movie! Woo! She's a Polynesian Princess, by the name of Moana Waialiki. According to IMDb and The Huffington Post, she is a Polynesian sea-voyager, navigator, and of course, a chief's daughter. She will go a mysterious and adventurous journey to help her family and will encounter demi-gods and spirits from actual historical mythologies. It will take place 2000 years ago in South Pacific. Also, like most Disney films, this will be a musical, and Mark Mancina will be the composer along with Dave Metzger who will collaborate and develope the film's score.
(Concept Art from Disney's Moana)
Moana will be directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who've worked on other Disney films such The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, & The Princess and the Frog. Also, this movie will be a computer-animated film, according to Huffington Post, who also stated that they considered taking the hand drawn art/digital technique that was applied to the short Paperman. However, Musker and Clements said that there were still too many complications to the techinque (like adding color) and it was still too early to apply it. Aw, too bad. I actually think the technique would look great for the film's landscaping/setting. But, I'm sure, the two will do just fine without it.
My knowledge on Polynesian culture is quite low. The only thing I know about Polynesian culture is the dancing. Two years ago, I took Polynesian dancing and Oh, my word, it was lots of fun! I love the movements of the hips, yet the secret to moving the hips is actually in the knees. I love the music and the instruments used and I'm excited to see how Disney will pull this off!
The release is set for 2018, so we'll have to wait a while.
Quick Synopsis from IMDb: While meeting with filmmaker, Walt Disney, Author P.L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood past during production for the adaption of her novel, Mary Poppins. Walt Disney had asked for the rights of Mary Poppins for 20 years, to keep the promise he made to his daughters, which was to make her book come alive.
I went to the movies by myself to watch this film, and let me tell you, the audience was a lot older, somewhere between 50 and 70 years old; maybe older. But it was a lovely site, because I'm pretty sure most of them were kids when Mary Poppins was first released and they enjoyed it.
I love watching behind the scenes for movies and enjoy watching the process of them and exploring where a story comes from, so I was extremely excited to watch this film. The story behind Mary Poppins was definitely something I wouldn't have gathered at all but it was quite an exceptional story about a girl (P.L. Travers) and her father. I was very surprised by the content of this film but it did a great job of making me sob near the end because it reminded me of someone that I had lost. I understood P.L. Travers behavior and why she was scared to sign the rights over to Disney because her story of Mary Poppins wasn't just a creation, but it was her childhood memories and she feared that Disney would destroy the image of her father, who is, Mr. Banks in the story and Disney's adaption.
Emma Thompson portrays P.L. Travers, the woman who started it all. The character, Travers, is a woman who is quite stubborn and afraid to put her story of Mary Poppins in the hands of Walt Disney, because she fears that he may ruin the story, especially one character in particular: Mr. Banks. There are moments in the movie where they give flashbacks as she stares out of a window, thinking of her past back when she was a little girl (the young version of Travers was portrayed by Annie Rose Buckley). I definitely could tell that Travers once lived life in a fantasy, but due to parts of her past, reality hit her hard which was the cause for her stiff personality. P.L. Travers certainly gave Disney and the others a hard time while in the process of creating this film, and at the end of the movie, they actually let the actual recording from the rehearsals play during the credits.
Tom Hanks as Walt Disney was outstanding and he captured his personality very well; especially with the way he talked. I was quite mesmerized in his performance as Walt because as much as a Disney fan I am, I wish I had the chance to meet the real Walt Disney. I definitely learned some other facts about Walt Disney that I didn't know about such as: His bad smoking habit and he didn't like anyone to see him smoking, along with his upbringing as a child in what seemed to be in an abusive home. Although, it was his dream and imagination that kept him going to escape that reality.
Who is 'Mr. Banks'?
For all you Disney fans out there, please forgive me, it's been a while since I've watched Mary Poppins and before I watched the movie I had to remind myself who Mr. Banks was. For those of you who forgot as well, Mr. Banks was Jane and Michael's father in Disney's Mary Poppins (as well as the book). As the story is unfolding in the movie, we learn that P.L. Travers wrote Mr. Banks as a portrayal of her own father. In Saving Mr. Banks, he is portrayed by actor Colin Farrell and he does a marvelous job with the role and despite him being an alcoholic, making bad choices for his family, which caused negative looks in other people's eyes, he did not fail to show love for his daughters and spreading imagination into their eyes, as though giving a veil to the reality that they lived in. Every moment shared between father and daughter in this movie is both captivating and heartbreaking.
I also would love to add that the minor actors in this film is what brought its high spirits to this movie: Paul Giamatti as Ralph, the chauffeur, B.J. Novak & Jason Schwartzman as the Sherman Brothers, and Bradley Whitford as DonDaGradi.
Overall, I felt the truth in this movie and the realistic performances from everyone. I feel like it's definitely Oscar worthy. There was so much emotion in this film that I felt like it grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go, which made me cry. No, no, I'm not talking just miniature tears, but an actual sob, only because this film made me think of my grandfather. The lovable personality of P.L. Traverse's father made me think of that same lovable personality my grandfather had before he passed. Saving Mr. Banks definitely shows that there is a child within all of us whether our past was good or bad. This movie is quite long, but it's definitely worth an adventure worth soaring on letting your emotions fly onto the east wind.
I would like to warn you that, this movie is PG-13 because of the content such as alcoholism, suicide, and hardships of a past childhood, so this would NOT be a great movie to take your young ones to see.
