Walt Disney spent two decades pursuing the cinematic rightsโค to P.L. Travers’s Mary Poppins, a quest culminating in the film’s 1964 release after overcoming the author’s staunch resistance. The protracted negotiation, marked by Travers’s initial refusalโ to sell the rights and her critical assessment ofโฃ Disney’sโค early treatment of the story, has become a celebratedโ tale in โfilmmaking history, recently dramatizedโค in โthe 2018 film Saving Mr. โฃBanks.
The story underscores the challenges of โadapting beloved literary works and the creative clashesโข that can arise between authors and filmmakers. Travers, deeply protective of her creation, feared Disney would dilute โthe nuanced character of Mary Poppins. Her eventual agreement came with conditions,and the film’s success-despite her mixed reaction-demonstrates the power of persistence and compromise in bringing a โcherished story to aโฃ wider audience.Disney first approached Travers in the 1940s, fueledโข byโค his daughter Diane’s adoration for the Mary โคPoppins books. Though, Travers, an English author, repeatedly rebuffed his offers, unconvinced Disney understood the spirit of her work. She especially โdislikedโค the animatedโฃ elements prevalent in Disney films, believingโ they would undermine โขthe โbooks’ serious themes.โ
Theโ breakthrough came in 1961,after years of letters and meetings.Disney secured โthe rights, but Travers insisted on having creative input, a requestโข Disney largely accommodated to secure her cooperation. The resulting film,starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke,becameโ a critical and commercial triumph,winning five Academy Awards.Despite the film’s success, Travers remained critical of certain aspects, particularly the depiction of Mr. Banks.