The Parent Trap
Disney means family entertainment. Whether you opt to visit theme parks, resorts, or your local theater, you can rest assured your children are being exposed to quality entertainment. Films like THE SHAGGY DOG, FREAKY FRIDAY, and HOMEWARD BOUND all come to mind — and that’s not even touching the animated features. The latest in the long line of family-friendly titles is THE PARENT TRAP.
Both the original and the re-make of THE PARENT TRAP were loosely based on the novel by Erik Kastner entitled “Lottie and Lisa.” Though the location and some other elements were changed, the essential plot remains the same. The book was actually the basis for many genre movies. The differences between the book and the film are minor, with the film focusing more on the children trying to get the parents back together.
Disney, in 1961, cast Hayley Mills in the starring role, with Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith playing the parents. The separated girls accidentally meet at summer camp and quickly discover the truth about one another. They were twins whose parents divorced at birth and each took one of the twins and never told the girls about the other. The rest of the film follows the girls as they switch places to meet the parent they did not know they had. The girls soon learn that their father is about to marry his gold-digging girlfriend — a plan they must stop. After a madcap race, and an ill-fated camping trip, it all comes together.
The 1998 remake of the film is faithful to the 1961 version. In this version, however, the mother is placed in London, rather than Boston. Another slight variation is the fac the mother is unaware of her daughters’ schemes to sabotage their father’s wedding. The girls contrive to bring their parents back together by getting them both to the same hotel. Their mother has no idea their father is about to re-marry. They must race against time to get them back together.
Soon the twins hatch a plot to switch places, a secret their mother is not too thrilled to find out. When she backs out of the annual camping trip, the twins set about making their father’s fiance completely miserable. As in the original version, the girls sabotage their father’s fiance in the wild. Sugar-water mosquito repellent anyone? How about a trip down the river whilst taking a a nap? Either version of THE PARENT TRAP is sure to please. They will make a hilarious addition to any home Disney movie list. Just remember which one is which!
Tags: Movies
