Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

The Parent Trap Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 10, 2019

Disney as a moviemaking company is obviously best known for its parade of indelibly classic animated films of yesteryear, including 1950's Cinderella, 1953's Peter Pan, and 1961's 101 Dalmatians, but the studio also released a large number of live action family films in those same decadess. One of the most iconic of that era, alongside 1957's Old Yeller and 1964's Mary Poppins, is 1961's The Parent Trap, Director David Swift's adaptation Erich Kästner's 1940 novel Lottie and Lisa about two long-separated sisters who scheme to reunite their long-seaparated parents.

It would seem that it's just going to be another summer at the all-girls Camp Inch, run by Miss Abbey Inch (Ruth McDevitt). But things quickly take a turn for the surreal when two campers who hail from opposite ends of the country -- Sharon McKendrick (Hayley Mills) from Boston, Susan Evers (also Mills) from California -- quickly realize that they are not just dead ringers for one another but long-separated sisters. They concoct a wild plan to swap places and return "home" in the other's stead to get to know the parent and life they never knew and attempt to get their parents back together.

The film is fully capable of playing up the chaos at camp and the charade on the coasts. The movie's pleasure comes in watching when and how the girls come to realize who they are and how they grow acclimated to their new surroundings and family members while trying to hold back the truth and hold in the secret as long as possible. Mills inhabits both parts with spunk and spirit and plays the long-separated twins with enough similarity and distinction both to carry the story, even if strokes of predictability pop up throughout. But the fun, the spark, and the anticipation for the reveal and eventual reunion make it well worthwhile the first time, and every time, even decades removed from its debut.

The Parent Trap Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Parent Trap ensnares Blu-ray viewers with a high yield 1080p transfer. The presentation is impressively filmic; a light and complimentary grain structure is retained for the duration. Detailing is excellent. Clothing fabrics -- particularly heavier suits and hats -- are stout and complex. Facial features are impressively complex in close-up and hair shows fine definition at the individual stand level. Environmental details are excellent, whether the natural world around the camp, the wooden planks and screens that define the cabins, the ranch in California, or the mansion in Boston. Natural or manmade, the feel for location clarity and precision is first-rate. Colors are well rounded but contrast is not always perfect. Natural greens aren't pushed hard, but some examples of more resplendent clothes or location details are more deep and punchy: the girls' grandmother in Boston wears a purple suit that is quite robust and the blue bedroom walls in the ranch are impressively rich and accurate. Skin tones and black levels look nice.

The Parent Trap Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Parent Trap's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is very shallow at reference volume. The track requires an upward volume boost of at least several decibels to begin to appreciate its wares, which are minimal, anyway. Despite the 5.1 encode, theres very little stretch into the rears. At a high volume, listeners will begin to appreciate the light ambient width that the track enjoys, such as at a dance in chapter three. There's not much feel for authentic and immersive environmental detail, manmade or natural, and various effects -- such as all of the chaos to follow in that same dance scene -- play with adequate detail but never find any depth or substantial feel for the noise. There's some decent weight to a plane propellor in chapter nine but the effect lacks finesse and greater stage and spacial awareness. Musical clarity is sufficient but it's not particularly aggressive in presentation, either in stage dominance or stage engagement. Dialogue drives the film, and at proper upwardly adjusted volume it's fine for center placement, clarity, and prioritization.

The Parent Trap Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of The Parent Trap contains no supplemental content. The main menu offers only options for "Play" and "Scene Selection." No DVD or digital codes are included (but it does include a Movie Rewards code). This release does not ship with a slipcover.

The Parent Trap Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Parent Trap may not rise to the level of absolute, bonafide classic, but it is an iconic picture for Disney and one of several that Hayley Mills helped make famous. The picture holds up well decades removed from its debut and was remade in 1998 to lesser results. Disney's featureless Blu-ray, which is currently exclusive to its online movie club, delivers excellent 1080p video, a passable 5.1 lossless soundtrack, and no extras. Recommended.