Bottom line: Disney's Saving Mr. Banks tells the dramatic story of Walt Disney's quest to get the rights to Mary Poppins juxtaposed with a depiction of the life of young P.L. Travers and the events that shaped her and her beloved story. The movie contains some thematic elements that could be disturbing for young children.

MPAA Rating: PG-13, for thematic elements including some unsettling images
Genre: Drama
Guide Age Recommendation:
Runtime: 120 minutes
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release Date: December 13, 2013, limited; December 20, 2013, wide

Saving Mr. Banks - Overview

When he saw how much his children loved the Mary Poppins books, Walt Disney made a promise to his kids: that he would make a fantastic Mary Poppins movie. But Disney didn't count on British author P.L. Travers, who had no desire for her beloved Mary Poppins to become a chirping, dancing Disney character.

For 20 years Disney didn't give up. Finally, due to financial pressures, P.L. Travers decided to entertain the idea of a Mary Poppins movie. This film tells the tale of P.L. Travers trip to Hollywood and the events that finally catapulted Mary Poppins to the big screen.

As the events unfold, we see flashbacks of Travers' life as a child and the dramatic events that shaped her as a person and shaped the characters she created. Her childhood family life, both heartbreaking and at times heartwarming, laid the foundation for the family she would later create within the pages of her beloved books.

Saving Mr. Banks - Guide Review for Parents

A story about acquiring the rights to Mary Poppins sounds like it could be interesting, but movie worthy?

Sure enough, Disney found a way to make it so. The movie has some intense thematic content that earned it the PG-13 rating (more on that later), so it's not suitable for most young children; however, the story has a few interesting angles that make it great for discussions with older kids.

Of course, Saving Mr. Banks is no Avengers.Tweens and teens won't be flocking to see it and wanting to watch it over and over again. Still, many will feel as my 11-year-old did -- she thought the story was interesting, and she enjoyed the historical flashbacks and seeing how characters from Travers' life made it into her stories.

The movie offers a good lesson in the importance of understanding people's movitation, or at least in not judging others, as we never know what made them the way they are. To some who knew her, Travers may have seemed like a stubborn Brittish snob. But as the movie juxtaposes her present with her past, we see that deep seeds of hurt had grown within her over the years, and her actions, though not understood by others or maybe even herself, were those of a woman trying to protect herself and her loved ones from pains of the past.

Additionally, it would be good to discuss with today's kids the concept of commercializing characters. Why on earth wouldn't an author want to sell the movie rights to Disney and make a ton of money? What could possibly be the problem?

In the end, did Walt win her heart, or did financial distress force her hand? The story of Travers' 20-year hold out and her decision to finally allow her dear Mary Poppins to make movie magic is a tale of human emotion and motivations, and while it doesn't so much involve dramatic and consequential subjects of most movies, such as love and war, the story does reveal a lot about the human heart. More than that, however, the story reveals how media can take a story and frame it a certain way. leading people who don't check the facts to believe things that weren't quite the reality.

Read an account with your kids of the real story of Disney acquiring the rights to Mary Poppins and compare it with that of the movie. Kids might be surprised that what they thought was the heart-warming ending of the real story is quite different from many accounts of how Travers' really felt about the film.

Thematic elements parents need to be aware of involve scenes which depict Travers' childhood. We see her father drunk numerous times and turning to drink in times of great turmoil or stress. We also see him coughing up blood, and (spoiler alert) we later see his dead body with his eyes opened. Travers' mother also has an episode which could be troubling for young children.

Saving Mr. Banks - Content Overview

*May contain spoilers.

• Violence (Low): A character seems to be attempting suicide by drowning herself. Scenes in which Helen's father is drunk involve some drunken behavior and knocking things about and yelling.
• Scary Scenes (Medium): Some  viewers may find the content listed under "violence" scary. Some kids might be scared by Helen's father's illness as he coughs up blood, which is disturbing and scary for Helen.
• Sex/Nudity (Low): A man and woman kiss.
• Drugs and Alcohol (Extreme): Helen's father is an alcoholic, constantly turning to alcohol to ease stress and drinking despite the pain it causes his family. He asks Helen to bring him alcohol he is not supposed to have.
• Language (Low): A few mildly profane words such as the "d" word and the "h" word are used.
• Disrespectful/Imitative Behavior (Extreme): A man drinks despite the pain it causes his family. He yells at his wife. In the movie,Travers is often rude and insulting to others including Walt Disney and others who work for him who are trying their best to befriend her.
• Sad/Unsettling Scenes (Extreme): A father dies. A mother seems to attempt to commit suicide and is stopped by her young daughter. A father talks about his handicapped child and how hard it is to see her unable to go and do the things he wishes she could.
• Movie Topics Kids Might Have Questions About: alcoholism, commercialism, suicide, history, Disney and movie making, creative licenses, loneliness, financial struggles 

*Teens who like Saving Mr. Banks may also enjoy: Finding Neverland, Becoming Jane



Disclosure: The studio provided a free screening of this movie for review purposes. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.