In 1964, Walt Disney produced Mary Poppins, one of the crowning achievements in his illustrious career. Mary Poppins is arguably Disney’s greatest film because of its 13 Academy Award nominations and five wins, including an Academy Award for Julie Andrews in her film debut.

Despite its sugar-coated image of sweetness, there was behind-the-scenes conflict and drama throughout the production of this beloved motion picture. Nearly fifty years after the release of Mary Poppins, Disney created a historical film that reveals the secrets of this particular classic. Saving Mr. Banks  is one of the most interesting and darkest Disney films because it sheds light onto the harsh reality of this particular film production.

*Spoiler alert*

Saving Mr. Banks implies a lot from the title, and it offers a new perspective on the meaning of Mary Poppins. The eponymous character is so famous that she transcends the silver screen and is known by people across the world—many associating the beloved nanny with sweetness and adventure as well as “supercalifragilisticxpialidocious” and the song “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” However, Saving Mr. Banks  offers the idea that Mary Poppins  actually explores fatherhood, and that Mr. Banks is one of the most important characters in the film even though he is merely a supporting character.

As a refresher, Mary Poppins comes to the Banks’s home in the Edwardian period of London’s history because his children (Jane and Michael) needed a nanny. Mary Poppins responds to their advertisement but explains that she will only help them for one week. As a result of the fantastic adventures these characters had together, Mr. Banks dynamically changes from a cold-hearted man concerned about money to a more loving and devoted father.

One highlight of Saving Mr. Banks  is Emma Thompson’s portrayal of P.L. Travers, the author of the classic Mary Poppins book series that Walt Disney adapted into film. Throughout Saving Mr. Banks, Travers complains and feuds with Walt Disney (played by Tom Hanks) about what the finished film version of Mary Poppins  should be.

Travers makes a heart-breaking remark about Mr. Banks by asking the Disney team, “Why did you have to make him so cruel?!” This statement becomes a pivotal moment in the film because it reveals how the story of Mary Poppins  is actually the author’s way of honoring her father’s legacy. Thompson’s portrayal of P.L. Travers is so well done that she would receive a Golden Globe nomination for playing the cantankerous character.

For a large portion of the film, Travers constantly criticizes the efforts of the Disney production team as it does its best to adapt her children’s book series for the silver screen. One intense moment occurs when Travers asks the Sherman brothers how there would be penguin waiters in the film. When one of them replies that the penguins would be animated, Travers becomes furious.

That scene in the film is based on the real-life feud between Disney and Travers, where Travers demanded that the animation from Mary Poppins  be removed from the film. While Travers had final say on the script, Walt Disney had final editing approval for the film, resulting in the animation staying despite her efforts and wishes.

Part of the brilliance of Saving Mr. Banks  is how it presents a new perspective of Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks’s portrayal of Walt Disney reveals the legendary filmmaker’s humanity in a scene where Disney flies to London to visit P.L. Travers at her English estate.

During that scene in her home, Disney opens up to her as he tries to resolve the ongoing conflict with how Mr. Banks is portrayed in Mary Poppins. He explains that he is aware how much Travers’s father meant to her, and that he empathizes with her since he is a father himself.  In fact, one reason why Walt Disney, in both this film and real life, made Mary Poppins  was because his daughters loved the original books so much.

In Saving Mr. Banks, Travers would come to terms with her rough childhood by accepting the fact that her father (played by Colin Farrell) suffered from alcoholism. The blending between fantasy, history, and reality are reasons why Saving Mr. Banks is such a unique motion picture; it has a metafictional quality that deals with the history and legacy of Disney studios.

This notion is a key component of the initial scene in Saving Mr. Banks, when P.L. Travers and Walt Disney watch the premiere of Mary Poppins  at the famed Grauman’s Chinese Theater. Using real clips from Mary Poppins, Saving Mr. Banks  presents important scenes that involve Mr. Banks, including one where he is heading to a bank and another where Bert (Dick Van Dyke) says to Mr. Banks’ children, “Your father is a fine and respectable man, and he loves ya!”

Mary Poppins is much more than a family film, it is an interesting look at fatherhood and provides insights into P.L. Travers’ experience and relationship with her own father.

Because Saving Mr. Banks  is one of the darkest Disney films, such content is justifiable given that they are trying to depict the reality and challenges that occurred during production; it’s as if Disney wanted to send a depressing love letter to it historic roots. Saving Mr. Banks may not have been one of the most successful Disney films, but it’s still a fascinating depiction of what happened behind the scenes during the production of the classic Mary Poppins. Saving Mr. Banks might be a tough pill to swallow, but not everything in life is as pleasantly sweet as a spoonful of sugar intended to help the medicine go down.