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View Full Version : Saving Mr. Banks Parks Blog Preview and Party



snoopyfink
12-04-2013, 07:58 AM
So, I managed to register for this right when it was posted on the Blog yesterday afternoon! Anyone else get in? Anyone gotten their confirmation email with details? Details were a bit lacking in the blog post...

Shortpix77
12-04-2013, 10:05 AM
Didn't see it until 15 minutes after it was posted, and registration was already closed :-(

Have a great time, snoopyfink!

olegc
12-05-2013, 08:34 AM
i'm in with my family. Same thing - as soon as the tweet came to my phone about "an event" on the blog I waited until the announcement and pounced. 250 people this time - so quite a few more than normal for meetups

rickosuave1987
12-10-2013, 12:10 PM
I got in. The footage we saw at the D23 Expo looked good, so I am excited to see the movie!

See you guys tonight!

Toocherie
12-10-2013, 02:38 PM
I am going to the DVC member preview on Thursday!

snoopyfink
12-11-2013, 08:22 AM
Event recap/review: Very pleased with this event. The reception prior to the screening was held in one of the Grand Californian's ballrooms. We parked in the Downtown Disney lot, hoping that would end up meaning free parking with 3 hours free and then 2 hours validation at the movie theater. I assumed I knew where we were headed, but was happy to see clear signage for the event from the Downtown Disney entrance to the hotel.

We checked in around 7 (there was a line, but it didn't take longer than 5 min) and entered the reception. I was impressed with the variety/spread of food. Multiple cheese/veggies/nuts/breads/crackers tables, carving stations with turkey, gravy and rolls, dessert tables (mini cupcakes, jello cups, gingerbread cookies and mini donuts), tea sandwiches and beverage stations with fruit infused water, coffee/tea/hot chocolate and some kind of punch (didn't have, so not sure). There were also cash bars for wine/beer just outside the ballroom. Additionally, there were a few random passed hors'd'oeuvres-- beef skewers with a teriyaki-ish dipping sauce (yum!) and then vegetable samosas. That's all I saw at least. Staff seemed to do a pretty good job refilling items and a decent job busing away used dishes--although it would have been nice for there to be a few trash cans and/or areas to just place dirty dishes and trash. My friend and I never did find a spot at a table, so we were wandering most of the evening. There were both high-top and traditional round tables.

There was a stage with a big screen backdrop on which they projected factoids about Disney, Mary Poppins and Saving Mr. Banks. Periodically, an emcee would come on stage to sort of warm-up the crowd with "Mary-oake" sing-alongs of Mary Poppins songs and promotion of the movie's 50th anniversary release on BluRay. They also held a costume contest and asked for the audience to help judge--some really cute costumes out there! Love the retro look, especially for women! Since I was coming straight from work, I had worn one of my dresses that evoked the era, but didn't go all out like some of the guests. The "keynote" of the evening was a presentation by Stacia Martin, Disney artist and historian who gave an approximately 30-min talk about unused songs from Mary Poppins and the origins of a variety of songs from the movie.

Aside from the stage presentations and the food, in each corner of the room there was a display or photo-op of sorts. One corner had a backdrop with the Saving Mr. Banks movie poster art for people to pose for photos (I think this was some sort of Facebook or Instagram contest, we didn't wait in line for it), an area for a photo op with Mary Poppins, Burt and some penguins, an area for a photo op with some chimney sweeps, and a display of carousel horses. Other cast members roamed the room dressed as the suffragettes and others just dressed in era-appropriate attire. Very festive, very nice.

As it seemed like Stacia's presentation was winding down, my friend and I exited the ballroom to line up for the movie. We didn't know what that transition was going to look like and didn't want to end up stuck in the front row or something for the movie. About 3-4 minutes after we lined up with others, the presentation ended and the whole room proceeded out to the hallway. Cast members monitored the line well and everyone was surprisingly civil and respectful--no line cutting, pushing ahead, etc. They guided us out a side door into Downtown Disney and walked the group down past the AMC theater and past the ice rink to go in a back door of the theater. They then let people in in groups of 25 or so to walk to the security checkpoint outside the theater.

Since it was an advance screening, they were checking any recording devices/cameras and then wanding everyone as they entered. It took about 25 minutes to get everyone seated. Erin from the Blog gave a brief intro and then we watched a series of supposedly exclusive/new previews for Muppets Most Wanted, Captain America, Maleficent and the Mary Poppins Blu Ray. Nice touch--everyone seemed very excited about the new Muppets movie-- myself included. : ) Then, a surprise treat, the producer of Saving Mr. Banks came out to introduce the film. His insight was nice and he told a good story about how he came to be involved with this project. And then finally we watched the movie--starting a little after 9:30... The movie was really enjoyable!! I definitely recommend it. On our way out, we were given a movie poster, a Poppins holiday-ish print bundled with some promotional postcards I believe (since I got home so late haven't yet opened to check it out fully). I and a few other guests were able to track down a concession stand worker to validate our parking, the theaters seemed cleared out otherwise after we got out, but it turned out not to matter as parking attendants were no longer stationed at the exit--so free parking!

This was the first Blog event I have ever attended and I was quite pleased. It was well-organized, cast members were all friendly, event was lovely with good food. My only feedback on this particular event would be that the screening should have started sooner-- I wasn't back to my car until 11:40 which meant arriving home in Ventura County (I recently moved out of LA) after 1 AM. Yes, I know it was my choice to still attend such an event from such a distance, but still. Even arriving at the reception after 7, I would have been okay with only have 30 minutes or so to eat and wander and enjoy the presentations. Again, my choice, but I have to imagine with many guests arriving at the 6:30 start time, the reception was probably a bit long.

Anyway, wanted to provide a recap for those who couldn't attend and share my experience. Will definitely keep an eye out for future blog meetups! What did you guys think?

Shortpix77
12-11-2013, 08:36 AM
Sounds like it was a great event! Saw some cute pics posted by AVP and Oleg; sounds like it was a good time had by all :-) I'll be keeping a closer watch on the Blog and Twitter in the future. Silly work, getting in the way of my Disney internet stalking...

HeavenOnEarth
12-11-2013, 09:00 AM
Out of courosity... Why exactly is this movie called "Saving Mr.Banks"? Isnt Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney? And who in the hell is Mr Banks?

Thanks

snoopyfink
12-11-2013, 09:07 AM
Out of courosity... Why exactly is this movie called "Saving Mr.Banks"? Isnt Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney? And who in the hell is Mr Banks?

Thanks

Yes, Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney. Emma Thompson plays P.L. Travers, the author of Mary Poppins. The family in Mary Poppins is the Banks family. Mr. Banks being the father. It is fairly quickly revealed in Saving Mr. Banks that the character Mr. Banks is P.L. Travers father.

olegc
12-11-2013, 10:21 AM
Out of courosity... Why exactly is this movie called "Saving Mr.Banks"? Isnt Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney? And who in the hell is Mr Banks?

Thanks

Well, Mr. Banks actually is the father character in the Mary Poppins story (book and film). There seems to be a connection between P.L. Travers' upbringing with her father and the Mr Banks character. I am sure there are a bunch of course of information online concerning this - but its a major plot point in the film and I would not want to spoil any more.

My additions to snoopyfink's great recap are:

As far as the event - I don't have any real info but it sure seemed like Walt Disney Studios kicked in some bucks to help the event be what it was. Had I known there was going to be a reception of sorts with all the food we would not have stopped in DTD to grab a bite first. The only other issue we had was that when the lights were dimmed for Mary-oke or Stacia's presentation the backdrops for the photo-ops were also dimmed and the pics we had came out very dark. Otherwise it was one of the nicer events that have been held. I seriously think its because WD Pictures was involved - lots of management and staff, entertainment, and not a single Rice Krispie Treat in sight (which is a common giveaway at parks blog events). The food was replenished from time to time (depending on the items). More chairs would have been a good thing.

Stacia's history and background presentation was great because she provided a lot of information of where some music and other numbers did not make it into the film, and in some cases where melodies were repurposed in other films (bedknobs and broomsticks, jungle book, etc.). And she even sang one of the last tunes. Neat.

I agree about the late evening on a weeknight. Especially for my kids - but I realize these things require "flexibility" ;-).

Can't wait for the next meetup. I truly recommend this movie. Hanks is spot on especially when he's required to give longer sets of dialogue and the interactions of the Travers' character with the Sherman Brothers was funny.

Stay for the credits - you will hear actual tapes from the sessions between the author P.L. Travers and the Sherman Bros.

cstephens
12-11-2013, 10:36 AM
Stay for the credits - you will hear actual tapes from the sessions between the author P.L. Travers and the Sherman Bros.

And if you stay until the very end of the credits, there's a nice little dedication. It got a round of applause at our screening.

olegc
12-11-2013, 10:41 AM
And if you stay until the very end of the credits, there's a nice little dedication. It got a round of applause at our screening.

Oh yes, that too. I forgot to note it.

libbylovespluto
12-12-2013, 04:19 AM
Sounds like a lovely event! I have to wait until March to see the movie. :) Can't wait!

AVP
12-12-2013, 05:46 AM
it sure seemed like Walt Disney Studios kicked in some bucks to help the event be what it was. We noted the same thing. Our quick and dirty estimate was over $300 per person, based on the rate sheets for Food & Beverage, audio visual and entertainment.

Consider Disney event services charges over $4 each for crispy rice treats, and then look at what was offered at this event, and it's clear that there was outside money, and that we'll only ever see events like this when someone outside of the social media team is paying the bill. They just don't have that kind of budget.

AVP

DwarfPlanet
12-12-2013, 08:52 AM
I just saw an advertisement for the movie last night. I know its Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney. But I was bothered by hearing Tom Hanks distinctive voice coming out of this guy thats supposed to be Uncle Walt.

oregontraveler
12-12-2013, 09:57 AM
I just saw an advertisement for the movie last night. I know its Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney. But I was bothered by hearing Tom Hanks distinctive voice coming out of this guy thats supposed to be Uncle Walt.

Agreed. I see Tom in the trailer as well, I'm hoping I'll see more of Walt in the film. However, this is the first time that Walt has been portayed on film, so I think it would be hard for anybody to get his mannerisms just right.

olegc
12-12-2013, 10:17 AM
I just saw an advertisement for the movie last night. I know its Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney. But I was bothered by hearing Tom Hanks distinctive voice coming out of this guy thats supposed to be Uncle Walt.

I think you may change your mind when you see him have his longest dialogue in the film - a meeting with P.L. Travers in her home in London. It was Walt - spot on with some of the phrases having the last word drawn out. Seeing him speak on tape in "conversations" instead of presentations was key for me - the interview about his initial idea; his discussion of NOS during the 10th anniversary show; etc.

I know it will be different for everyone - but for me that's when it worked.

olegc
12-12-2013, 10:20 AM
We noted the same thing. Our quick and dirty estimate was over $300 per person, based on the rate sheets for Food & Beverage, audio visual and entertainment.

Consider Disney event services charges over $4 each for crispy rice treats, and then look at what was offered at this event, and it's clear that there was outside money, and that we'll only ever see events like this when someone outside of the social media team is paying the bill. They just don't have that kind of budget.

AVP

Hmm - and at 500 attendees according to Erin (space at least) that's $150,000 not counting the use of the theater, etc. for 2 hours of entertainment and a 2hour + movie. I guess for studios that's easy.

Yeah - sigh... but, you know, I'm OK with that. Having very special events once in a while is a good thing, then back to the casual - thanks for being a fan - meetups. We still get nice stuff (HM pillow with a CR treat; WoC photo with an apple) so I am happy they can have these special events and then provide additional entertainment/value (Stacia Martin, the train ride for Halloween, etc). It was kind of like the survey question recently - how do you feel appreciated at the resort?

of course - would I want Toad or Divas or even Indiana Jones or HMH again as events? sure - but at least I have those memories ;-).

Heaven Is Disneyland
12-12-2013, 10:54 AM
Thank you so much for the event recap. I had the exact same experience complete with living in the same area :-). Yes, got home late but it was a great event. I am buddies with the costume contest winner so we had a great time!

cstephens
12-12-2013, 11:48 AM
Consider Disney event services charges over $4 each for crispy rice treats, and then look at what was offered at this event, and it's clear that there was outside money, and that we'll only ever see events like this when someone outside of the social media team is paying the bill.

I expect all of the free screenings for the film were funded partially from the marketing budget for the film. I figure the same thing about World of Color: Winter Dreams - some of the funding for the new show and new effects probably came from the marketing budget for "Frozen".