In 1986, American wine grower Nicholas "Nick" Parker and British wedding gown designer Elizabeth "Liz" James meet and fall in love. They eventually marry during a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth 2. Liz gives birth to twin daughters, Annie and Hallie, but she and Nick divorce soon after, with each gaining custody of one of the girls. Nick raises Hallie on his vineyard in Napa, California, while Liz raises Annie in London, England.
Twelve years later, in 1998, the twins are sent to the same all-girls summer camp in Maine, Camp Walden. Annie and Hallie first meet at the end of a fencing match, when they remove their masks and see that they look exactly alike. A hostility between the twins leads to a prank war that ends when the camp counselors fall into one of Hallie's traps and decide to isolate the twins from the other girls.
Living together in an isolation cabin, Annie and Hallie discover that they were born on the same day, and each has half of a torn wedding photograph of their parents. Realizing with delight that they are twin sisters, they hatch a plan to reunite their parents and get them to remarry. Each twin trains the other to impersonate her, with the intent to switch places at the end of summer camp.
In London, Hallie meets Liz, the family butler Martin, and her maternal grandfather Charles, while Annie meets Nick and their family nanny Chessy in California. Much to Annie's dismay, she learns that Nick is engaged to Meredith Blake, a 26-year-old gold-digging publicist from San Francisco. Meredith acts friendly toward "Hallie," but she reveals to her assistant that she plans to send Hallie to boarding school in Timbuktu after the wedding. Annie phones Hallie and implores her to bring Liz to California to try and break up Nick and Meredith, but Hallie refuses, desperate to spend more one-on-one time with Liz.
After Chessy notices changes in "Hallie's" behavior, Annie confesses her identity to Chessy, and Chessy agrees to keep it a secret from Nick. While on the phone with Annie discussing Nick's impending wedding to Meredith, Hallie is caught by Charles, who encourages her to tell Liz the truth. After doing so, Liz is surprised but excited to learn that she has been with Hallie since the end of camp, and they both decide to travel to California to establish joint custody of the twins between each parent.
The twins, with Martin and Chessy's help, arrange for a meeting between Nick and Liz at the Stafford Hotel in California. Upon reuniting with Liz, Nick learns that he has had Annie with him since the end of camp. Liz also meets Meredith and learns of her engagement with Nick. Annie and Hallie, with Chessy and Martin's help, attempt to recreate the night their parents met by arranging dinner on a yacht. Nick and Liz discuss their breakup, which occurred when Liz ran off after a fight, secretly hoping that Nick would follow her. They agree on shared custody of Annie and Hallie but decide not to resume their relationship. Liz plans to fly back to London with Annie the next day, but the twins refuse to reveal which one is which unless the entire family takes a camping trip. Liz insists that Meredith go in her place so that she can become acquainted with the twins before marrying Nick.
On the trip, the twins play a series of pranks on Meredith, leading her to demand that Nick choose between her and them furiously. Finally seeing Meredith's true nature, Nick breaks up with her. After the camping trip, Nick and Liz realize that they are still in love, but decide to go their separate ways, each with the twin that they have respective custody of. When Liz and Annie return to London, they find Nick and Hallie, who had taken a flight on Concorde. Nick says that he does not want to make the same mistake of not going after Liz again, and they share a kiss.
The end credits reveal that Liz and Nick have remarried, with Annie and Hallie as their bridesmaids, and that Chessy and Martin have become engaged.
Cast and characters
Lindsay Lohan as Hallie Parker and Annie James, 11-year-old identical twin sisters who were separated after birth. After their parents' divorce, they are raised separately—with no knowledge of each other's existence—until they meet at summer camp by chance. Hallie and Annie are based on Susan Evers and Sharon McKendrick from the original film, as well as Luise Palfy and Lottie Körner from the original book.
Erin Mackey served as Lohan's double and plays both twin sisters in the scenes where they were together.
Dennis Quaid as Nicholas "Nick" Parker, Hallie and Annie's father, a wealthy American vineyard owner. He is based on Mitchell "Mitch" Evers from the original film and Ludwig Palfy from the original book.
Natasha Richardson as Elizabeth "Liz" or "Lizzie" James, Hallie and Annie's mother, a famous British wedding gown designer. She is based on Margaret "Maggie" McKendrick from the original film and Luiselotte Körner from the original book.
Elaine Hendrix as Meredith Blake, a 26-year-old publicist from San Francisco who is only planning to marry Nick for his money. She is based on Vicky Robinson from the original film and Irene Gerlach from the original book.
Lisa Ann Walter as Chessy, Nick's housekeeper and Hallie's nanny. She has long considered herself rather awkward and thus not overly desirable to eligible bachelors, but then she meets Martin, and the two are mutually smitten. Chessy also discovers that "Hallie" is Annie after noticing her strange behavior. Chessy is based on Verbena from the original film and Resi from the original book.
Simon Kunz as Martin, the James family's butler, who eventually falls in love with Chessy. He is based on Staimes, the McKendrick family's chauffeur from the original film.
Polly Holliday as Marva Kulp Sr., the owner and director of Camp Walden. She is based on Miss Inch from the original film and Mrs. Muthesius from the original book.
Maggie Wheeler as Marva Kulp Jr., Marva Sr.'s daughter and assistant. She is based on Miss Grunecker from the original film and Miss Ulrike from the original book.
Ronnie Stevens as Charles James, Elizabeth's wealthy father and Hallie and Annie's maternal grandfather. After he catches Hallie on the phone with Annie, she tells Charles about switching places with her. He is based on Charles McKendrick from the original film.
Joanna Barnes as Vicky Blake, Meredith's mother. She is based on Edna Robinson from the original film. Barnes previously played Vicky Robinson in the 1961 film.
J. Patrick McCormack as Les Blake, Meredith's father.
Kat Graham played Jackie, a friend of Annie at Camp Walden. Vendela Kirsebom appears as a model during a photoshoot sequence at Elizabeth James' studio. Hallie and Annie Meyers-Shyer—daughters of the director, Meyers, and the producer, Shyer—make appearances in the film, credited as Lindsay and Towel Girl, respectively. Lohan's brother, Michael (credited as Lost Boy at Camp), plays a boy at Camp Walden who did not realize he was going to an all-girls camp. Lohan's mother, Dina, and her siblings, Aliana and Dakota, all appear in uncredited cameos at the airport in London. The film's cinematographer, Dean Cundey, appears in an uncredited cameo as the captain of the Queen Elizabeth 2, who marries Nick and Elizabeth at the beginning of the film. Jeannette Charles portrayed Queen Elizabeth II in a deleted scene in which she and Hallie meet.[8]
The filming process utilized motion control photography for the visual effect of Lindsay Lohan playing both roles.[21] "It was complicated, and I really didn't know how to do it", Meyers recalled of using the technique in her directorial debut. "We had to do everything twice, and on children's hours. But the complexity of the motion control work became oddly fun. It was a fun challenge to figure it out. Since I didn't know the restrictions of what could be done and what couldn't, I would ask for things that, had I known better, I wouldn't have."[22] Actress Erin Mackey was hired as a double for Lohan as part of the filming process.[23][24]
In 2014, Das doppelte Lottchen was faithfully retranslated into English by Anthea Bell and republished in the United Kingdom and Australia by Pushkin Press as The Parent Trap,[27] following Disney's successful film adaptations. Then, in 2020, Australian actress Ruby Rees recorded an unabridged narration of Bell's translation for Bolinda Publishing.[28]
Callbacks to the 1961 film
There are several connections between this film and the original 1961 version:
The characters Marva Kulp Sr. and Marva Kulp Jr. are named after Nancy Kulp, the actress who played a camp counselor in the 1961 film, Miss Grunecker.
The army marching song featured in the 1961 movie is the "Colonel Bogey March" - this song can be heard again in the remake when Hallie and Annie are marched to the Isolation Cabin.
Both versions of the film feature product placement by Nabisco. In the 1998 film, Oreos are featured, while in the 1961 film, Newtons are featured.
During the poolside scene where Annie and Meredith meet for the first time, Meredith speaks on the phone with someone named Reverend Mosby, who was a character in the 1961 film played by Leo G. Carroll.
Joanna Barnes appears in both films, playing Vicky Robinson in the 1961 film and Vicki Blake in the 1998 version. She also calls Annie (as Hallie) "pet", which Vicky Robinson did to Sharon (as Susan).
The Stafford Hotel is named after a boy in the 1961 film who accepts the boys' camp invitation to the dance at the beginning of the film.
Right before meeting Meredith for the first time, Hallie can be heard singing a few bars of "Let's Get Together", a song from the 1961 version that Hayley Mills initially sang. The Walt Disney Pictures logo fanfare pays homage to the song.
Both films have the same run time (2 hours and 9 minutes).
Music
The song used in the opening sequence, in which glimpses of Nick and Elizabeth's first wedding are seen, is Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E". The song used in the end credits, in which photos of Nick and Elizabeth's second wedding are seen, is Natalie Cole's "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)".
The instrumental music featured prominently in the hotel scene where the girls and their parents cross paths serendipitously is "In the Mood", which was previously made famous by the Glenn Miller band. The song "Let's Get Together" is also quoted over the Walt Disney Pictures logo, and at the end of Alan Silvestri's closing credits suite.
When Hallie shows up at Annie's poker game at Camp Walden, the music used is "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers.
The tune playing as Hallie and Annie make their way up to the Isolation Cabin is the main theme from "The Great Escape" by Elmer Bernstein.
The film premiered in Los Angeles on July 20, 1998.[29] In its opening weekend, the film grossed $11,148,497 in 2,247 theaters across the United States and Canada, ranking #2 at the box office, behind Saving Private Ryan.[30] By the end of its run, The Parent Trap grossed $66,308,518 domestically and $25,800,000 internationally, totaling $92,108,518 worldwide.[5] The film was released in the United Kingdom on December 11, 1998, and opened at number 3, behind Rush Hour and The Mask of Zorro.[31]
Critical response
The Parent Trap received generally positive reviews upon release.[32][33][34] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 87% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critics' consensus states: "Writer-director Nancy Meyers takes the winning formula of the 1961 original and gives it an amiable modern spin, while young star Lindsay Lohan shines in her breakout role."[35]Metacritic gave the film a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[36] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[37]
Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert each gave the film three stars.[38] Critics especially praised Lohan's performance.[32][33] Critic Kenneth Turan called Lohan "the soul of this film as much as Hayley Mills was of the original", going on to say that "she is more adept than her predecessor at creating two distinct personalities".[39]Nell Minow of Common Sense Media rated the film four stars out of five, calling it "a delightful remake of the Hayley Mills classic." She also praised Lohan's performance, stating "a masterful job of creating two separate characters, each of whom spends a large part of the movie impersonating the other."[40] Lohan won a Young Artist Award for best performance in a feature film.[41][42]
In a 2021 interview, the star of the original film, Hayley Mills, said, "It was so like the one I did, and yet not. But I thought it was really good." She also praised Lohan's performance, calling her "excellent".[43]
Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Comedy Film[49]
Lindsay Lohan
Nominated
Home media
The Parent Trap was initially released on VHS in the United States on December 8, 1998.[50] A 20th Anniversary EditionBlu-ray was released as a Disney Movie Club Exclusive on April 24, 2018.[51] The film was also available as a launch title on Disney+.[52]
Future
On February 21, 2018, The Hollywood Reporter reported rumours that reboots of several titles were being considered for development as exclusive content for The Walt Disney Company's streaming service Disney+, with The Parent Trap being one of the projects named in the announcement.[53]
In March 2025, Quaid addressed the possibility of a sequel, stating "there had been some talk" about it prior to Richardson's passing in 2009, but "it would be impossible to do now," continuing, "I don't think we'd have the heart for it. Maybe one day, another version will be made for another generation. We all still miss Natasha."[59]
In July 2025, Hendrix co-produced an off-Broadway parody of the film titled Ginger Twinsies.[60]
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