The First Trailer For Disney's 'Saving Mr. Banks' Hits The Web

Walt Disney was always something of a wizard. Sure, he was often on television screens introducing segments for his various shows in the 50's and 60's. But never has any portion of his story been adapted for a narrative motion picture. Now, Two-time Academy Award-winner's Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks star in a film that attempts to tell the story of how Mary Poppins went from being a treasured children's story to being one of the most memorable, and beloved films of all time. Disney's Saving Mr. Banks, was inspired by the extraordinary, untold story of how Walt Disney(Hanks) connected with writer P.L. Travers(Thompson) to finally bring Mary Poppins to the big screen.

When Walt Disney's daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers' "Mary Poppins," he made them a promise-one that he didn't realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney's plans for the adaptation.

For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn't budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp.

It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

*This article is partially comprised of a press release from Walt Disney Studio's