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an imaginative title sequence using stop-motion animation (by experts
T. Hee, Bill Justice, and X. Atencio) and a song, "The Parent Trap,"
sung by Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands, the film introduces twins Sharon
and Susan, who were separated as children by their divorced parents, and
who accidentally meet during a summer at Camp Inch. Determined never to
be separated again, the sisters decide to bring their parents, Mitch and
Maggie, back together. In this they have a rival, the devious Vicky, who
wants to marry Mitch for his money. But after a fateful camping trip,
Vicky finds living with the twins is not worth it and flees, leaving
Mitch and Maggie to reunite happily. |
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The film was shot mostly in California at various locales, including
millionaire Stuyvesant Fish's 5,200-acre ranch in Carmel, Monterey's
Pebble Beach golf course, and the studio's Golden Oak Ranch in
Placerita Canyon, where Mitch's ranch was built. It was the design
of this set that proved the most popular, and to this day the
Walt Disney Archives receives requests for plans of the home's
interior design. Of course, there never was such a house;
the set was simply various rooms built on a sound stage. The careful
use of double-exposure and split-screen shots, as well as a double
for Hayley Mills, provided the illusion of the twins.
Directed by David Swift. 129 min. Oscar® nominations were
awarded for Sound by Robert O. Cook, and for Film Editing by
Philip W. Anderson. Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman provided
the songs, which, besides the title song, include "For Now,
For Always," and "Let's Get Together," and these
too added to the film's enormous popularity. The film was rereleased
theatrically in 1968, and released on video in 1984 and 1992.
The Studio later produced three television sequels starring Hayley
Mills. A theatrical remake was released in 1998.
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