Disney Classics, Part 2

There are a lot of great Disney classics to choose from. Here are my reviews of two more favorites: Parent Trap and Summer Magic. Again, the following includes spoilers of these classic films.

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Parent Trap is a hilarious story about a set of twins who were separated in infancy and meet up unexpectedly at summer camp. At first, Sharon and Susan don't realize they are related, and pick on each other with outlandish hijinks. Once they are forced to spend time in together in isolation, they realize that they have a lot in common, including sharing the same parents.

The girls decide to switch places; Sharon goes to California to meet her father and Susan goes to Boston to meet her mother. But when Sharon discovers that her father, Mitch, is planning to remarry an awful woman named Vicky, she decides to call Susan and their mother, Maggie (the fantastic Maureen O'Hara) to put a stop to it. They surprise Mitch, causing him a lot of confusion and trouble. The girls try to get Maggie and Mitch back together by recreating their first date. This is also where they sing "Let's Get Together", a great classic Disney song.

When the dinner fails, the girls refuse to tell which is which until after the annual family campout with their father. After a day spent tormenting Vicky, they convince their father that the woman he really loves is their mother.

The original Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills is my favorite, but the remake with Lindsay Lohan is actually pretty cute. Bean has watched both versions several times and requests them often.

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Summer Magic is probably my favorite of the Disney classics. I've seen it at least 100 times and I still love it. It's full of wonderful songs and a beautiful story about family and community. Based on the book Mother Carey's Chickens, Summer Magic is the story of the Carey family, the mother Margaret and her three children: Nancy, Gilley, and Peter.

The Carey's have found themselves in dire financial straights after the death of Mr. Carey and are forced to leave their Boston home. Nancy has decided that they should move to a home that they saw once on a vacation; the yellow house in Beulah. The Carey's have a bit of difficulty adjusting to country life, but are aided by the "yellow house's" kindly caretaker, Osh Poppum (the wonderful Burl Ives).

As life begins to settle down, an orphaned cousin, Julia, arrives to create a stir. Through it all, the family learns that being together as a family is what's most important, and that with a lot of love and a little luck, they can make the best of any situation.

There are many memorable songs throughout the film, including: "Flitterin'", "Beautiful Beulah", "Summer Magic", "On the Front Porch", and my two favorites: "Pink of Perfection" and "The Ugly Bug Ball". We haven't had a chance to watch this movie recently (we misplaced our copy in our last move and still haven't found it) but I highly recommend it. It's a great family film and a lot of fun to watch.

Tomorrow, the last of my favorite classic Disney films: Pollyanna and Bedknobs and Broomsticks.