The trailer to Disney's "Saving Mr. Banks" has been released.
The new film starring Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks, recounts author P.L. Travers' travels from London to Hollywood. There she meets Walt Disney who persuades her to allow him to adapt her novel "Mary Poppins" for the big screen.
The movie is directed by John Lee Hancock and is already being billed as an Oscar contender. Many Oscar prognosticators have already predicted Emma Thompson as a frontrunner in the Best Actress category. Meanwhile, some believe that Tom Hanks is also a lock in the Best Actor category. It may be too early to know whether the movie will figure into the Best Picture category or any other former categories, but the Academy has a track record of recognizing feel-good movies; in 2010 Hancock's last film "The Blind Side" received a surprising Best Picture nomination.
With Disney behind the film, the company is bound to launch a huge campaign and bring it to the Toronto Film Festival in order to get a head start on awards season.
Hanks' last performance was in the Wachowski siblings' "Cloud Atlas." He was also seen in "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" and "Larry Crowne." Hanks will later be seen in "Captain Phillips," directed by Paul Greengrass.
Thompson was recently seen in "Beautiful Creatures" and voiced the role of Elinor in Pixar's "Brave." She also appeared in "Men in Black 3" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2." She next stars in "Love Punch" and "Effie Gray."
"Saving Mr. Banks" also stars Ruth Wilson, Colin Farrell, Rachel Griffiths, Paul Giamatti, and Jason Schwartzman. Disney will release it on Dec. 13 and is rated PG-13 for thematic elements including some unsettling images.