Walt Disney

 Walt Disney hid his smoking habit from the public, especially children, fearing it would tarnish his studio's family-friendly image. Tom Hanks wanted his portrayal of Disney in "Saving Mr. Banks" (2013) to be accurate, so he lobbied to show Disney smoking. Walt Disney Pictures, however, still insisted that smoking was not appropriate for a family movie, so we only see the aftermath of Walt's smoking session, with Disney stubbing out a cigarette. Early references in this movie to Walt being a smoker is hearing his cough before meeting P.L. Travers. Tom Hanks has said that Robert B. Sherman told him that Walt used to smoke up to two packs a day, and you always knew when he was coming because you could hear his cough in the background of wherever he was. Disney died of lung cancer in 1966.

Hanks said that Disney CEO Robert A. Iger called and personally asked him to portray Walt Disney, especially since the company had not originally developed the script it had acquired, and now wanted to make certain it had someone it could trust to play its iconic larger-than-life founder to move ahead with the risky project.

To prepare for his role, Hanks made several visits to the Walt Disney Family Museum at San Francisco's Presidio and interviewed some of Disney's relatives, including his daughter, Diane Disney Miller. Hanks watched all of the episodes of the "Disneyland" and "The Wonderful World of Color" shows at the recommendation of Walt's daughter to get a sense of how Disney presented himself on television.

The scene where Disney gives P.L. Travers (played by Emma Thompson) a personal tour of Disneyland is fictional. Disney planned to take Travers to his theme park on Easter Sunday, 1961, and since it was to have been a private affair, many at the studio assumed he did. In fact, he begged off at the last minute, saying he had a cold, and sent an employee (Story Editor Bill Dover) to act as her guide. While there, Travers was allowed the use of Disney's personal electric touring car and to have lunch in his private apartment above the firehouse on Main Street. But it is not known if she indulged in any of Disneyland's rides or attractions, and she did not enjoy the experience. One factual nugget in the scene is Disney's quick handling of autograph-seekers. He gave them pre-signed cards he always carried with him when he was out in public.

Happy Birthday, Walt Disney!