Saving Mr. Banks is a 2013 period drama film directed by John Lee Hancock from a screenplay 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 filmmaker Walt Disney, with supporting performances by Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, and Colin Farrell. Named after the father in Travers' story, Saving Mr. Banks depicts the author's fortnight-long meetings during 1961 in Los Angeles, during which Disney attempts to obtain the screen rights to her novels.
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. 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.
Saving Mr. Banks premiered at the London Film Festival on October 20, 2013, and was released theatrically that same year in the United Kingdom on November 29 and in the United States on December 13. Upon release, the film received positive reviews, with praise directed towards the acting, screenplay, and musical score. Thompson's performance garnered a BAFTA Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award, and Critic's Choice Award nominations for Best Actress, while composer Thomas Newman earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score. The film was also commercially successful, grossing $118 million at the worldwide box office.
