Saving Mr. Banks (PG15) – starring Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks and Colin Farrell, directed by John Lee Hancock
Everyone knows the story of the lovable nanny who descended on the Banks family with her umbrella in hand and catchy tunes on the tip of her tongue. However, few know the story behind how the magical Mary Poppins was brought to life from the pages of a book to the Hollywood screen.
Walt Disney (Hanks), the man behind the magical franchise, promised his own children he would make a movie around the character from their favourite book, PL Travers’ ‘Mary Poppins’. But faced with a stubborn author (Thompson) who has no intention of parting with her beloved character, Walt faced an uphill battle to convince Travers to sell him the rights to her story.
As the book stops selling, Travers reluctantly heads to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for a film adaptation where she’s bombarded with cheery tunes and artistic storyboards in customary Disney fashion. Walt promises to revolutionise Travers’ story, so both young and old can enjoy watching Mary Poppins fly off the pages and onto the screen.
But nothing scares Travers more than her dear Mary Poppins undergoing a ‘twinkly’ Disney makeover. Rejecting actors, illustrations and songs, Travers becomes increasingly obstinate and Walt’s 20-year promise to his children seems unattainable.
So how did Walt eventually convince a resolute Travers that he wouldn’t feed her cherished Mary Poppins to the Hollywood movie machine? What changed in the testy relationship between two visionaries that eventually resulted in the timeless classic we all know and love?
Find out when Saving Mr. Banks hits screens on Thursday 6th February.
Also Opening
Grand Piano (TBA)
Famed pianist Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood) is ready to conquer his stage fright at a sold-out comeback concert. After sitting down at his piano, Selznick discovers a threatening message in his sheet music. Playing for his life, he tries to inconspicuously uncover the sniper’s motives without missing a note.
RoboCop (PG15)
After being injured in the line of duty, policeman Alex Murphy is manufactured into a half-robot, half-man by technology giants OmniCorp. Sent to fight crime in 2028 Detroit, RoboCop becomes the symbol of justice in a land filled with corruption. But Murphy soon discovers OmniCorp’s sinister plans for future robot cops.
The Lego Movie (TBA)
Everything is awesome. Until ordinary Lego mini-figure Emmet is mistaken for the most extraordinary person and the key to saving the world. On his journey to defeat an evil tyrant, Emmet is joined by a band of superheroes and icons from Abraham Lincoln to Batman. The first-ever full-length Lego movie features the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman.
