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Two of my favourite live action Disney films are The Parent Trap (1961) and the remake from 1998. This is one case where the remake stands equal to the original and I enjoy them both. I wanted to write a post about the differences between the two films, but as I watched them back to back, I realized that I was basically watching the exact same film. In terms of the storyline, very little changes between the two and many of the lines are even reused. The characters from the remake all have similar personalities to their original counterpart, only the names change. Therefore, instead of looking into the differences, I’m going to simply write a comparison between the two films. This post might get a little lengthy as each film is over two hours; that’s four hours of “Let’s Get Togetherness!”
Opening Credits:
The 1961 film with begins opening credits that are set to stop motion puppetry. This animated sequence summarizes the plot of the film but with different characters. The parents are named John and Marsha in this little story and the two daughters are not identical twins. There is a title song performed by Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands, which was written by the Sherman Brothers.
The 1998 version also begins with opening credits, though there are more credits at the end of the film as well, but these credits are set to live action. This opening sequence shows the story of the parents’ wedding aboard the ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth 2. According to the wedding certificate, the wedding takes place on January 8, 1986 between Nicholas Parker and Elizabeth James. Nick is a viticulturist and Elizabeth is an artist. The song playing throughout the opening is “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole.
Summer Camp – Before the Big Realization:
Each film starts out at an all-girls summer camp. The 1961 film takes place at Camp Inch and the 1998 version takes place at Camp Walden. Marva Kulp and Marva Kulp Jr. run Camp Walden and they are named after actress Nancy Kulp who played one of the leaders at Camp Inch, Miss Grunecker.
Susan (1961) and Hallie (1998) are the twin who lives with the dad and are both from California. They love the outdoors, and horseback riding, and have shorter hair than their respective twin. Sharon (1961) and Annie (1998) are the twin who lives with the mom and they have a more sophisticated lifestyle. Sharon is from Boston whereas Annie is from London.
The Arapaho cabin is used in both films but is home to a different twin in each version; Sharon, where Arapahoe is spelt with an “e”, and Hallie. Susan and Sharon see each other for the first time in the food line when they are both reaching for a drink carton. Hallie and Annie see each other for the first time after fencing one another and then taking off their helmets. Susan/Hallie are immediately in denial about their similar looks and tease the other twin about her appearance.
The girls play a number of pranks on each other.
1961:
1st – Sharon flips Susan’s canoe into the lake.
2nd – Susan covers Sharon’s cabin with string, honey, hay, and other messy materials.
3rd – Sharon cuts off the back of Susan’s dress at the camp dance. This leads to them getting into a physical fight which destroys the entire dance.
1998:
1st – Hallie takes Annie’s clothes when Annie must jump into the lake naked after losing a poker game.
2nd – Annie puts all of Hallie’s cabin furniture on the roof.
3rd – Hallie covers Annie’s cabin with string, honey, hay, and other messy material. This leads to the Marvas falling into the mess during a surprise inspection.
The twins are sent to the isolation cabin due to their fighting, which is called “Serendipity” in the 1961 version. In both films all of the campers march behind the girls as they hike up to their new residence. In the 1961 film the campers are all whistling “Colonel Bogey March” while in the 1998 version this same marching song is played but as part of the score. For the remaining duration of the camp, the twins must live in the isolation cabin and eat at the isolation table.
Summer Camp – After the Big Realization:
In both versions of the film, the twins start to bond when a storm blows all of Susan/Hallie’s photos off the wall. Sharon/Annie help the other twin tidy up and think a photo of a celebrity is her boyfriend. In the 60s it was Ricky Nelson and in the 90s it was Leonardo DiCaprio. The twins discover that they have the same birthday: Susan and Sharon will be turning 14 on November 12th and Hallie and Annie will be turning 12 on October 11th. Hallie and Annie also discover that they both like Oreos with peanut butter. Sharon/Annie are the first to suspect that something strange is happening as they both get the chills. Susan/Hallie are only hungry and a similar line is used in both films, “Can you only think of your stomach in a time like this?” The girls make the connection that they are twins from photos of their parents. In the 1961 version only Sharon has a photo of their mother that Susan recognizes. In the 1998 version, both twins have a photo of their missing parent that the other recognizes. Hallie and Annie also have the same locket but with an “H” and an “A” on it.
Sharon/Annie point out the hope in the fact that neither of their parents got remarried. Susan/Hallie get the idea to switch places and Sharon/Annie think that “sooner or later, they will have to unswitch us.” Susan/Hallie cut Sharon/Annie’s hair, Susan tells Sharon to start biting her nails, and Hallie pierces Annie’s ears. Both films have a sequence of the twins learning about each other’s lives through posters and cue cards.
Susan/Hallie must find out how their parents met and what their first date was. Annie must try to find out why they split but this task isn’t given to Sharon in the 1961 film. In both films, the twins like to cross their arms and fingers at the same time for good luck.
Sharon/Annie’s Home:
Susan/Hallie head off first in a limo to Boston/London and keep getting asked “What have you done to your hair?” The home in both films have a very similar entrance and grand staircase. Susan/Hallie meet the Grandfather first, who uses the same line in both films, “Is that my little girl? That tall gangly thing?” Susan/Hallie respond by sniffing Grandfather’s jacket and telling him that they are just making a memory. They want to remember how he always smelt of “peppermint and [pipe] tobacco.” The 1961 version includes a Grandmother but the 1998 version does not.
Both films have a dramatic reveal of the twins’ mother heading down the staircase.
Margaret (1961) is a busy socialite but gives up her schedule when Susan wants to talk about something important. They go for a walk and have a picnic and talk about the parents’ first date at the Italian restaurant Martinelli’s.
Elizabeth (1998) is a wedding dress designer and brings Hallie with her to a photo shoot. Afterwards they talk about how the parents met on the QE2.
Susan/Hallie’s Home:
In the original film, Susan and her father Mitch live on a ranch in Carmel and in the 1998 version, Hallie and her father Nick live on a vineyard in Napa.
Sharon/Annie get picked up by the dad from the airport and both versions contain similar conversations where Mitch/Nick tease Sharon/Annie about all the newsy letters they received.
At the beautiful ranch homes that each movie features, the housekeeper (Verbena in the 1961 version and Chessy in the 1998 version) immediately sense that something is off about the twin that comes home. The pet dog (Andromeda in 1961 and Sammy in the 1998) barks at the girl like he does not know her.
While unpacking, Sharon/Annie catch the first glimpse of the dad’s new fiancée. Vicky (1961) is in the main courtyard and Meredith (1998) is out on the patio. A similar conversation happens with Verbena/Chessy while unpacking. They both ramble on and on about how the dad is making a ninny/fool of himself, he is not a charm fellow/catch of the month, and there are a million reasons in the bank as to why a young woman would want to marry him. However, the whole time they keep saying that it is none of their business.
Sharon/Annie meet Mitch/Nick down at the lake/pool and are then left alone with Vicky/Meredith, who say that they were expecting to meet a little girl but Sharon/Annie are all grown up. Sharon/Annie then hint that Mitch/Nick actually have many girlfriends in an attempt to scare this new woman off. Meredith talks to a Mr. Mosby on the phone which is a reference to the 1961 version.
Sharon/Annie call Susan/Hallie about the situation and beg them to bring their mom out but Susan/Hallie refuse because they want to spend more time with Margaret/Elizabeth.
Sharon/Annie try to talk to their dad about their mom but the conversation does not go anywhere. Sharon/Annie go horseback riding with Mitch/Nick but run off when they start to talk about Vicky/Meredith.Vicky wants to send Sharon off to boarding school in Switzerland and Meredith wants to send Annie off to boarding school in Timbuctoo.
The housekeepers are the first ones to figure out that Sharon/Annie are not who they say they are. Verbena/Chessy both say the line “It’s almost as if you were…..” and then Sharon/Annie inform them of who they really are.
Mitch/Nick try again to talk about Vicky/Meredith and Sharon/Annie pretend to think that they are going to adopt Vicky/Meredith. Sharon starts to play the piano to calm herself down and Annie starts to yell in French. When the dad questions the new skill, the excuse “I learnt it at camp” is used both times. Sharon/Annie say that they are going to talk about the situation calmly but immediately freak out and start to yell about how the dad is ruining everything. Vicky/Meredith decide to have a woman to woman chat with Sharon/Annie but the conversation only fuels the tension between the them.
The Parents Meet:
Sharon/Annie send an emergency telegram/fax to Susan/Hallie in order to figure out a plan to get the mom out to California. In both films, the Grandfather finds out about the scheme and wants to help out.
The next couple of scenes contain the greatest number of differences between the two films.
In the 1961 version, Margaret and Susan go to Mitch’s home. When they arrive, Mitch and Vicky are going over their wedding plans with Vicky’s mother and Rev. Dr. Mosby. Margaret hides outside the house to peer into the window to see Vicky for the first time. Mitch is so shocked to see her that he keeps tripping over furniture.
In the 1998 version, Elizabeth, Hallie, and Martin the butler meet the rest of the characters at the Stafford Hotel in San Francisco. Stafford was the name of the boy whom Susan danced with in the original film. Here we meet Meredith’s parents and her mother is played by the same actress who played Vicky in the original film. Her name is now Vicki with an “i”. Nick first sees Elizabeth in the elevator right as the doors are closing. The twins refer to Meredith as Cruella de Vil and the film 101 Dalmatians came out in the same year as the original Parent Trap.
Both Mitch and Nick fall into the lake/pool the second time they see their ex-wife.
Both versions include the twins trying to recreate their parents’ first date.
The original film has the date at a makeshift Martinelli’s on the terrace of Mitch’s home. The twins perform “Let’s Get Together”, which is actually the second time this song is heard in this movie. The first is during the camp dance as Annette Funicello is singing it on a record. The song is only heard once in the 1998 film when Hallie is singing it to herself while walking through the Stafford.
The first date in the remake is aboard a rented yacht which the twins decorated to feel like the QE2.
The Camping Trip:
The morning when Margaret/Elizabeth need to fly back with Sharon/Annie, both twins show up dressed in the same outfit. They confuse their parents as to who is who and make a deal that all four of them must go on the camping trip together before revealing who they actually are.
In both films, Vicky/Meredith are very upset about the arrangement and ask “What should I do? Stay home and knit?” Margaret/Elizabeth then trick Vicky/Meredith into going on the camping trip instead of them.
The twins play a series of pranks on their future stepmothers.
1961:
1st – A lizard is put on Vicky’s water bottle.
2nd – The twins let Vicky overhear that hitting two sticks together will scare off the mountain lions, in order to make her look silly.
3rd – One girl stands on the other’s shoulders to make the lake look only knee deep.
4th – Vicky’s mosquito repellent is made of sugar and water.
5th – The twins cover Vicky’s tent in string and honey, which attracts bear cubs.
1998:
1st – Rocks are put in Meredith’s bag to make it heavy.
2nd – A lizard is put on Meredith’s water bottle.
3rd – The lizard is put on Meredith’s head.
4th – Meredith’s mosquito repellent is made of sugar and water.
5th – Meredith is hitting sticks together to scare off mountain lions. There isn’t a scene which shows the twins tricking her into doing this but it is a reference to the original film.
6th – The twins put Meredith’s air mattress onto the lake while she is asleep on it.
Many of the same lines are used for the camping scene such as Vicky/Meredith saying “Sure you will help me, right over a cliff you will help me” and “I don’t eat trout. What’s for breakfast?” “Trout!”
Both camping trips end up with the same result of Vicky/Meredith freaking out, destroying the campsites, and breaking things off with Mitch/Nick.
The Ending:
After the camping trips, Mitch/Nick and the twins return to the ranch homes.
In the 1961 film, Mitch and Margaret have a romantic dinner just the two of them. The twins are asleep when Susan suddenly wakes up and shares her dream about how their parents got remarried. The next scene shows the wedding down at the lake by the ranch house.
In the 1998 film, Nick and Elizabeth share a romantic moment looking at Nick’s wine collection but Elizabeth and Annie end up leaving and flying home to London. When they get home, Nick and Hallie are waiting for them, as they took the Concorde, and Nick and Elizabeth kiss. The film ends with their second wedding, shown through a series of photographs, on the Queen Elizabeth 2 during the end credits.
The 1998 one holds a special place in my heart