The Parent Trap poster & wallpaper

Brian Keith, Cathleen Nesbitt, Charles Ruggles

The daughter of legendary British actor John Mills and novelist Mary Hayley Bell (as well as the sister of actress Juliet Mills), young Hayley Mills broke the surface of fame at the tender age of 12, ...( read more  read more... )starring opposite her father in the thriller Tiger Bay. That film, along with a Berlin Film Festival award, was enough to attract the attention of Walt Disney, who promptly signed her to a five-year contract and put her in the starring role of Pollyanna. After wringing hearts and nabbing a special Oscar, Mills segued into the comedy thing--for double the fun--in The Parent Trap, the 1961 farce in which she played twins, separated at birth, who scheme to reunite their biological parents (Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith, both surprisingly sexy for a Disney movie). On the brink of adolescence, Mills was a saucy role model for children of the Kennedy era: cute, endearing and, above all, wholesome despite her sneaky ways--everyone's meddlesome sister. Easily stepping into the Disney child-star gap as the original Mouseketeers were (literally) outgrowing their uniforms, Mills was the studio's live-action bread and butter for a brief moment in time, and The Parent Trap still remains her best vehicle, a classic now to adults who came of age during the early '60s. It also pioneered the processed split-screen technique, which while not seamless was revolutionary and exciting enough that, upon seeing the initial results, Uncle Walt asked the filmmakers to shoot more scenes in which Mills played opposite herself. --Mark Englehart

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68% liked it

158,339 ratings

G, 129 min.

Directed by: Brian Keith, Cathleen Nesbitt, Charles Ruggles, David Swift, Hayley Mills, Joanna Barnes, Maureen O'Hara, Una Merkel

Release Date: June 21, 1961

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DVD Release Date: May 7, 2002

Stats: 4,699 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,699)

  • SirPant
    September 25, 2009
    SirPant
    Hayley Mills was good. It?s a classic summer morning holiday film. Followed by an episode of the Monkies and then Why don?t you!
  • powerofmylove
    April 2, 2009
    powerofmylove
    This is my favorite non cartoon disney movie. It had it all comedy, suspense, romance it was great. Just sorry latter
  • crackingdanio
    January 2, 2008
    crackingdanio
    prefer the remake
  • limoradalloway
    December 2, 2007
    limoradalloway
    The original is always the best.
  • AgentLexi2132
    August 22, 2007
    AgentLexi2132
    fun movie!
  • tennantsharron
    October 27, 2009
    tennantsharron
    a whole lot better than the remake
  • catluver86
    October 17, 2009
    catluver86
    my sister made me watch it
  • kaitlyn42397
    September 19, 2009
    kaitlyn42397
    the classic Parent Trap!
  • cleverdevil76
    August 14, 2009
    cleverdevil76
    For some reason chicks LOVE this movie. I am not a chick.
  • RachelJezel
    August 14, 2009
    RachelJezel
    Is this the original? Is it better than Li-Lo's version? Hmmmm.

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  • Ursrut
    October 23, 2006
    Ursrut
    common guys and gals this is really good movie!!!!!!!!!!!11
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The Parent Trap Trivia

  • Which actress made her acting debut in the remake of the classic movie "The Parent Trap"?  Answer »
  • Maggie Wheeler, best known for her role as Janice on the tv series Friends, had a role in which Lindsay Lohan movie?  Answer »
  • what were lindsey lohan's twin characters names in the parent trap 1998?  Answer »
  • name the movie were lindsay lohan plays to twins that switch lives?  Answer »
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