DVDizzy Forum

Disney's Divinity gave me the idea for this thread when he mentioned Hayley Mills's films in the covers thread several months ago. I thought of creating it back then, but finally I haven't done it until now.

Hayley Mills appeared in six theatrical films from Disney in the '60s:

- Pollyanna (1960)
- The Parent Trap (1961)
- In Search of the Castaways (1962)
- Summer Magic (1963)
- The Moon-Spinners (1964)
- That Darn Cat! (1965)

According to Wikipedia, in the late '80s she returned to Disney and starred in four TV movies (three sequels to The Parent Trap and a drama titled Back Home) and a TV series called Good Morning, Miss Bliss, which is the prequel to the much more famous Saved by the Bell (I didn’t know that until now).

Which of her Disney movies have you seen? How would you rank them? You can include the TV movies too in your rankings if you want. By the way, I've also added a poll where you can select just your favorite.

I still haven't seen Summer Magic and In Search of the Castaways, waiting for them to be included on Disney+.

1) Pollyanna
2) The Moon-Spinners
3) The Parent Trap
4) That Darn Cat!

Pollyanna is a gem of a film.

I'll admit that I rank The Moon-Spinners so highly (even above The Parent Trap) because I've always had a crush on Peter McEnery. It's a good film too even if it's not exactly the Hitchcock film that Walt wanted to make.

The Parent Trap is a great film as well and unlike the original Freaky Friday, it's not dated compared to it's Lindsay Lohan predecessor.

That Darn Cat! was just okay. I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The cat shenanigans go on too long and are tonally at odds with the opening of the film which portrays those bloodthirsty criminals and their kidnapped victim. Also any film with a character unironically named "Canoe" automatically loses points for me.

I haven't seen The Moon Spinners or That Darn Cat yet.

I have watched these on DVD.
1. Summer Magic (so wonderful, and entertaining.I want to live with Nancy (Hayley) and her family, )
2. Pollyanna
3. The parent trap
4. In search of the castaways (a strong 4, Hayley is good in this, but this one is more storydriven, so she has not as many moments to breath as much with the enivorment)

1. The Parent Trap
2. That Darn Cat
3. Summer Magic
4. Pollyanna

I haven't seen the others, unfortunately. Except for Summer Magic, I saw the other three above since I was a child; my family owned Pollyanna and The Parent Trap on VHS, and I would often watch That Darn Cat on the Disney Channel. Summer Magic I only saw a year or two ago through Netflix. TPT is so much fun.

The Parent Trap
Summer Magic
Pollyanna
That Darn Cat!
In Search of the Castaways
The Moon-Spinners

It's hard...Parent Trap & Summer Magic are both great films, and different. I really love Summer Magic, but I guess because I grew up with Parent Trap, I voted that #1. I'd like to give The Moon-Spinners another go; I rented it back in college & didn't like it much, but maybe I'd feel differently now...

1- Pollyanna
2- The Parent Trap
3- Summer Magic
4- That Darn Cat!
5- In Search of the Castaways
6- The Moon-Spinners

Pollyanna is among my very favorite Disney films. It's a delightful character study which succeeds at basically everything it aims for. Hayley won the last Juvenile Oscar for her work here, which was totally deserved IMO.

But The Parent Trap is tough competition- I love how clever and vivid the supporting cast is. Just about everyone gets a couple of good, memorable bits in. It's a return to screwball comedies from the 30's, with slightly slower pace, but a lot of that undeniable charm. Another thing that does well for both films is David Swift's directing. He's great at getting strong reaction shots from his cast, and gets the best out of every scene.

Summer Magic is a really nice, quaint musical that's a good compliment towards Pollyanna. There are one or two regrettable songs, but those are balanced out with some of the Sherman Brother's catchiest and sharpest tracks. It's well worth discovering IMO.

That Darn Cat's mix between wacky comedy and heavy crime drama isn't for everyone, but I like the surprising juxtaposition. I think it works a decent amount of the time, and it has some strong bits. It's also noteworthy as a passing of the torch of sorts- it was Hayley's last film for Disney during Walt's time, and Dean Jones' first film for the studio. They both have fun with their roles.

I admittedly haven't seen the latter two in a while. The Moon-Spinners is the one movie of hers that I don't own at all, but I hope to catch it on Disney+. I remember it being a decent thriller. I do own In Search of the Castaways, and remember it being an enjoyable adventure too, but it's been too long since I've seen it.

Pollyanna
The Parent Trap
That Darn Cat
Summer Magic

1. Summer Magic
2. That Darn Cat!
3. The Parent Trap
4. Pollyanna
5. The Moon-Spinners
6. In Search of the Castaways