The Parent Trap

The Parent Trap (1961)

Genres - Comedy, Romance, Children's/Family  |   Sub-Genres - Family-Oriented Comedy, Comedy of Errors, Romantic Comedy  |   Release Date - Jun 12, 1961 (USA - Unknown), Jun 21, 1961 (USA)  |   Run Time - 124 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - G
  • AllMovie Rating
    8
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Review by Andrea LeVasseur

After the success of Pollyanna, Disney made the most of Hayley Mills' star power by casting her as twins Sharon McKendrick and Susan Evans. The split-screen technology and trick photography using a body double looks pretty seamless for the time, and Mills is convincing in the dual role thanks to her charming performance. The adult roles are pretty stale, with the exception of glamorous Maureen O'Hara as Mrs. McKendrick and Charlie Ruggles as the lovable grandfather. The plot is delightfully contrived and tends to drag on too long in unnecessary directions, such as the camping trip with Vickie, the properly evil gold-digging villain. However, a silly story line is a Disney tradition, and all the fun comes from the twins' attempts at deception. The musical numbers are a highlight, written by award-winning Mary Poppins songwriters Robert and Richard M. Sherman, and featuring Mouseketeer Annette Funicello for the title song. As performed by Mills, the song "Lets Get Together" rose to the Top Ten in 1961. A timeless classic, The Parent Trap is a warm and humorous family film that is excellently corny.