Today I was taken for a wonderful ride called 'Saving Mr. Banks'. I wasn't the first to see it or the last, but I do want to be the latest to praise it for the many fantastic things that happen in between its titles, including the construction of the twin story line. Nothing this inspiring could have happened without the highest performance from the writers (Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith), director (John Lee Hancock), and editor (Mark Livolsi), and they deserve as much praise as the duly praised cast. But that is not the main point of todays entry.

My entries to this post are primarily meant to bolster, support, and comment on the plight of the indie filmmaker. So I would normally not want to use a comparison with a film maker who's personal name and company name are one, who rivaled Bing and Bob for owning California real estate, and had a Midas touch when it came to migrating to and through technologies and distribution channels. But something caught my eye during 'Saving Mr. Banks' and it instantly made me want to usher Mr. Disney into my struggling filmmaker fraternity, posthumously.

It's a simple equation. Basically, (spoiler alert) He wins over Mrs. Travers in 1961, and she finally signs the movie rights to Mary Poppins into Walt's hands that year. The book is twenty years old, the script has been reviewed and approved, and casting (or at least pre-casting) has actually begun. Then right up there upon the big screen came the numerals 1964, moving the story forward to the film's premier. Three years! Three more years of pre-production, production, and post. After the period of time in which he wrangled with the now much more well known Mrs. Travers. This from a guy who owned the lot, and the distribution company, and was printing money over in Anaheim. (I credit the film for this quip)

Patience. Perseverance. These are well worn phrases from and for those of us waiting for a break, but I want to be the first to say that I sure have been moaning lately about a lack of light at the end of the tunnel, and the simple math that I mentioned in the last paragraph gave me pause. If the man with the keys to the magic kingdom could make it through three years of pre, production, and post, so can I.

And so can you.