Movie Review: The (Original) Parent Trap (summer family comedy, camp)

Movie Review: The Parent Trap (Walt Disney, 1961, 129 minutes, rated G for General Audience) - a classic family comedy with Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith

Earlier this week, DogEvals reviewed the second Parent Trap (Lindsey Lohan, 1998) which we loved so much more so than the original. Then we went to a city-wide viewing of the original Parent Trap (Hayley Mills, 1961) and fell in love with the original all over again.

Comparing the Parent Traps

If you watch the Mills’ version first, you will prefer the Lohan version – more modern with a few incredible plot twists you will recall long afterwards.

Yes, both are dog films: the second features a golden retriever in two memorable scenes while a German Shepherd Dog makes a mere two brief appearances in the first.

Both versions feature known actors but the remake actors are younger and ‘hipper’ than Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith. And we loved the London and vineyard settings more than the original Boston and California. In addition, fewer characters led to their fuller development in the Lohan version.

The Classic Original

Why is this movie so enduring? Was it the first-ever teen movie, or pre-teen summer flick?

In the early 60s, a cute girl with a British background and actor-father (therefore, excellent marketing connections) starred in Disney’s Pollyanna and charmed the world.

The following year, Mills was put into a delightful plot of a movie (The Parent Trap) that appealed to young teen girls and boys alike: girls wanted to be her and boys loved her spunkiness and antics. They also tried to figure out how one person could play two roles on the screen at the same time. Older teens loved the romantic parents.

Whatever Happened to Hayley Mills?

Mills starred in four additional Disney films, married a man 33 years her senior for a while, then became attached to a 20-year younger man for decades.

But, being British, she never mesmerized the US audience after Pollyanna and Parent.

Perhaps the times were “just right” in the early 60s for a young British girl in US movies. After all, it was also the time (1963) of Bye Bye Birdie with the American Ann-Margaret and the Annette Funicello beach party movies.

Which One?

For dog people, we recommend the second version. It is also more contemporary and has a slightly better plot but many lines and scenes repeat well. Or, better yet, perhaps you should show your grandchildren the original first and let them decide!