OVERVIEW: AWalt Disney Studios Home Entertainment proudly announces the home entertainment release of the heartwarming drama Saving Mr. Banks, arriving on Blu-ray + Digital Copy, DVD, Digital HD and On-Demand on March 18, 2014.

Featuring a stellar supporting cast that includes Colin Farrell (Total Recall), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore), Bradley Whitford (TV’s The West Wing), Annie Rose Buckley (TV’s Home and Away), Ruth Wilson (The Lone Ranger), B.J. Novak (TV’s The Office), Rachel Griffiths (TV’s Brothers & Sisters) and Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands), Saving Mr. Banks was directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Rookie), produced by Alison Owen, Ian Collie and Philip Steuer, and written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith. Executive producers are Paul Trijbits, Andrew Mason, Troy Lum and Christine Langan. 

On Blu-ray and Digital HD, Saving Mr. Banks sweeps viewers away with enchanting high definition picture and sound, plus delightful, never-before-seen bonus features, including “The Walt Disney Studios: From Poppins to Present,” in which director John Lee Hancock takes viewers on an insider’s tour of Disney Studios today and reflects on studio life during the creation of Mary Poppins. Additional bonus materials include “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” in which the film’s cast and crew sing an impromptu version of the iconic song on set during the last day of shooting, and deleted Scenes.

SYNOPSIS: Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson bring to life the untold true story about the origins of one of the most treasured Disney classics of all time. John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side) directs this acclaimed film, which reveals the surprising backstory behind the making of Mary Poppins. Determined to fulfill a promise to his daughters, Walt Disney (Hanks) tries for twenty years to obtain the rights to author P.L. Travers’ (Thompson) beloved book. Armed with his iconic creative vision, Walt pulls out all the stops, but the uncompromising Travers won’t budge. Only when he reaches into his own complicated childhood does Walt discover the truth about the ghosts that haunt Travers, and together, the set Mary Poppins free.

REVIEW:  

P.L. Travers: Stop! Mary Poppins is not for sale! I won't have her turned into one of your silly cartoons. 
Walt Disney: Says the woman who sent a flying nanny with a talking umbrella to save the children? 
P.L. Travers: You think Mary has come to save the children? 
[Walt and the other filmmakers are stunned silent] 
P.L. Travers: Oh, dear! 
[Walks away] 

For the first time in cinematic history (I think) we have a Disney movie about Disney! And who better to play the role of one of the most prominent Americans in the history of the U.S.A. than Mr. Tom Hanks. I think the honor goes both ways in this case. So can it get any better than that you ask? Well believe it or not, Emma Thompson in the role of P.L. Travers totally tops Hanks performance. It’s not that Tom wasn’t good, just that Emma took her performance to another level. If it were up to me, at least out of the films I’ve seen this year, I would give her an Oscar nomination. Yeah, she was that good. You would think a character like this would be fictional, and yet she’s not. P.L. Travers is a stickler, a stubborn, royal pain in the ass and Emma nails the role. It’s actually a little funny that Nanny McPhee is doing the role of the author of Mary Poppins. Hey, before there was a J.K. Rowling, we had P.L. Travers.

The time is 1961 and it’s been 20 years of hunting, 20 years of persistence on the part of Mr. Walt Disney and company attempting to persuade Mrs. Travers to sign over the rights to her ever so beloved Mary Poppins. The ties between her and this character are very deeply rooted making it that much more difficult for her to let go in general, even more so to a cartoon character creator, Mr. Disney. But his persistence goes beyond the typical and obvious. The end result of course is that it was all worth it. No one could have made the magical Mary Poppins shine like Disney. This is truly a touching reenactment of a hard battle fought by both Disney and Travers that resulted in a masterpiece. This film is not too far from being a masterpiece itself. You are transported from Australia to London to L.A. and continuously back and forth from the three just to keep you on your toes. The cinematography is very well done as you can imagine (it’s Disney). The sets are well done along with the props, costumes, and overall look of the early 60s. Adding the impeccable cast with their impeccable performances and you’ve got a winner. Colin Farrell gives a moving performance and Paul Giamatti’s role, although small, was meaningful. This is just to name a couple. Oh yeah, how can I forget the music. Of course most of it is from the Mary Poppins movie, as it was in the making, but nevertheless they are timeless and magical tunes. Director John Lee Hancock (The Rookie, The Alamo, The Blind Side) has given the big screen a good product time after time, and he has done it again. If you are a fan of all things Disney (who isn’t), you don’t want to miss this one.

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English  and Spanish subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
English 5.1 DTS-HDMA and DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks 

Subtitles - English Spanish French

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound. 

Digital Copy is the revolutionary way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets
consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States
and Canada.

Join Director John Lee Hancock on a tour of the Disney Studios lot, reflect on studio life during the making of Mary Poppins, and discover how Walt’s creative spirit still flourishes today. 

Let’s Go Fly a Kite (Blu-ray & Digital HD) - Cast and crew sing break out in a rousing, heartfelt tribute to Composer Richard Sherman on the last day of filming.

Deleted Scenes 

Stargaze (Blu-ray & Digital HD) – A picture on Walt’s desk leads to a flashback of Pamela’s childhood. 

Nanny Song (Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD) – The Sherman Brothers perform a song for Pamela that she is less than thrilled with. 

Pam Leaves (Blu-ray & Digital HD) – After yet another disagreement with Walt, Pamela leaves his office and heads for the airport.