The Parent Trap (1961)

Sharon McKendrick (Haley Mills) and Susan Evers (Haley Mills) couldn't be more different. Sharon, from Boston, is a prim and proper young lady schooled in etiquette. California-bred Susan comes from horse ranch and relishes the outdoors. Two girls so different could never be so alike. Or could they? Their first meeting at summer camp leads to an all out war. It's not until camp counselors place the two in solitary confinement that they discover they are twins, separated as babies when their parents, Maggie McKendrick (beautiful Maureen O'Hara) and Mitch Evers (steely-eyed Brian Keith), divorced. With just a few weeks left of camp, the sisters hatch a plan to switch places, get to know their other parent and ultimately reunite them.

Walt Disney's The Parent Trap is rambunctious fun thanks to a fine performances all around. Mills is the star of the show, but she's constantly threatened by the likes of O'Hara {whose metamorphosis from dull socialite to motherly vixen is phenomenal} and character actress, Una Merkel. Mills walks a fine line of sweet and sassy that never overreaches. As polar opposites Susan and Sharon, Mills' acting chops are challenged and she delivers swimmingly.

Elegant Boston and sunny California make for beautiful settings for the twins' adventure. The film charms you with top-notch performances, an engaging musical number, and non-stop fun.

Much like The Swiss Family Robinson, Mary Poppins or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Parent Trap is a must-see Walt Disney classic.