The cast is really, really good, featuring the ever-likable Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in leading roles and a host of great character actors (including Leo G. But THE PARENT TRAP has a lot more going for it than mere nostalgia. It would be the single highest grossing film the studio had released up to that time, and even some forty years later the baby-boomers who flocked to see it in 1961 regard it as one of their favorite movie experiences. But with THE PARENT TRAP, with the difficult dual role resting on the shoulders of an extremely young star, Walt Disney struck gold. In honor of the film's twentieth anniversary, E! News compiled 20 facts about family favorite.Although the split-screen technique had been around for a decade or so, it was usually more noted for its failures than its success, and the actor required to play dual roles usually took tremendous heat for their failure to create two physically identical but distinctly different characterizations on screen. Distance aside, there was one major problem: Meredith Blake (Hendrix), Nick's young fiancée.

Together, the twins devised a plan to not only meet the other parent-but to reunite them. Their plan backfired years later, as they coincidentally sent Annie and Hallie to the same camp. With Nick staying in California and Elizabeth returning to her native London, they agreed to take custody of one daughter-and keep the news a closely guarded family secret. The story goes like this: After a whirlwind romance, vineyard owner Nick Parker (Quaid) and wedding dress designer Elizabeth James (Richardson) got divorced in the late '80s.

A remake of Walt Disney Pictures' 1961 film of the same name (starring Hayley Mills), Meyers' movie also starred Elaine Hendrix, Simon Kunz, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson and Lisa Ann Walter.Įver since its premiere on July 29, 1998, the beloved film has aired countless times on cable, becoming a cult classic.

Twenty years ago, The Parent Trap turned Lindsay Lohan into an instant star.ĭirected by Nancy Meyers, it was the 11-year-old actress' first movie, and she pulled double duty, alternating between the roles of twin sisters Annie James and Hallie Parker.

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