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''The Parent Trap II'' is a 1986 American made-for-television
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...
and a
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
to
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's 1961 film '' The Parent Trap'' (which was based on the 1949 book '' Lisa and Lottie'' by
Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including '' Emil and the Detectives''. He receive ...
) and the second installment in ''The Parent Trap'' series. It premiered on the
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...
on July 26, 1986 as a part of the channel’s “Premiere Films” banner.
Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...
is the only actress that returned from the original film. She continues to portray Susan and Sharon, the twins who were separated at age one, met up twelve years later at summer camp, switched places and went on to reunite their divorced parents. The film focuses on Sharon's daughter, Nikki, who tries to hook her mother up with her best friend Mary's father, portrayed by
Tom Skerritt Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in ''M*A*S*H'', ''Alien'', '' The Dead Zone'', '' Top Gun'', '' A ...
. It was a success for the Disney Channel and it later spawned two more made-for-television sequels, both produced in 1989.


Plot

The film takes place twenty-five years after the original film. Sharon Ferris (née McKendrick) is divorced and living as a single mother in
Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough ...
. Her daughter, Nikki, is not happy about their impending move to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and Sharon's decision to send her to an all-girls school in the fall. While in summer school, Nikki makes enemies with Jessica Dintruff (Tannen) but befriends Mary Grand. Mary's father, Bill Grand, has been widowed for four years. To stop Nikki from moving to New York City and to see their parents happily married, the girls scheme to set them up. Nikki and Mary trick their parents into meeting each other by sending Sharon flowers that are supposedly from Bill, but they do not just fall madly in love with each other as the girls had hoped, so they contact Sharon's twin sister, Susan Carey (née Evers). She is married and still living in
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. She is convinced by the girls to fly to Tampa to help them by posing as Sharon and going on a few dates just to get things started. Susan, disguised as Sharon, "accidentally" bumps into Bill at a bar called the Press Box and watches a few innings of a baseball game with him. The real Sharon detests baseball, and is confused when Bill drops by her workplace the next day and mentions how much fun they had. Susan and Bill cross paths a couple more times over the next few days. Florence (Cromwell) Bill and Mary's maid, begins to suspect that something is awry. Sharon discovers the girls' scheme and decides to trick them instead. She contacts Brian Carey (Harvey) Susan's husband, who is a pilot for
Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with F ...
, and involves him in her scheme. While Susan and Bill are on a date, the real Sharon and Brian pretend to also be on one, with Sharon dressed as a different woman. Susan becomes distracted and clumsy on her date while watching her husband. Finally having had enough, she announces to Bill that the man she is watching is her husband. She storms over to their table, but begins laughing when she sees her sister underneath a black wig. Susan and Sharon clear up the situation for Bill, and Sharon says that she does not have romantic feelings for him, and would like it if they just remained friends. A going away party is thrown for Sharon and Nikki on the boat of her boss, Mr. Elias. Sharon and Bill meet in the cabin while Nikki and Mary go get something from the car. The girls release the ropes from the boat and push it away from the dock. The guests begin arriving and watch helplessly as the boat drifts away. Sharon and Bill are enjoying each other's company, but wonder where everyone is. They go to the deck, see how far out they are from the shore, and then, Bill kisses Sharon. The scene switches to the wedding. Mary and Nikki are finally step-sisters and Nikki doesn't have to move to New York City.


Cast

*
Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...
as Sharon Ferris / Susan Carey *
Tom Skerritt Thomas Roy Skerritt (born August 25, 1933) is an American actor who has appeared in over 40 films and more than 200 television episodes since 1962. He is known for his film roles in ''M*A*S*H'', ''Alien'', '' The Dead Zone'', '' Top Gun'', '' A ...
as Bill Grand *
Carrie Kei Heim Carrie Kei Heim (born December 7, 1973) is an American lawyer, writer, and former child actress. She is best known for her roles as Cornelia in '' Santa Claus: The Movie'' (1985) and Nikki Ferris in ''The Parent Trap II'' (1986). After completi ...
as Nicole "Nikki" Ferris *
Bridgette Andersen Bridgette Andersen (July 11, 19751997) was an American child actress and child model. She starred in 1982's ''Savannah Smiles'', for which she received her first of four Youth in Film Award nominations. Personal life Andersen was born on July ...
as Mary Grand * Alex Harvey as Brian Carey * Gloria Cromwell as Florence * Judith Tannen as Jessica Dintroff


Production


Writing

The idea of a second film was announced in 1985. On her interview with ''
Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. ...
'' that year, Mills wasn't sure about reprising her role as the twins: "I was astonished. I thought what they wanted to do was try to repeat the original film in some way. I wasn't too sure that was a very good idea. It was a good film, and it has passed the test of time", Mills said to the ''
Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the '' Chicago ...
''. She also further explained about her involvement in the sequel: "I did hesitate before saying yes, first because it was always my favorite film and I wasn't sure about making a sequel. Second, because it's taken me so long to try to break away from my Disney image. It's been a real impediment toward getting the kind of roles I want. But everyone at Disney was so enthusiastic about the project that I finally agreed to do it. And I think it's turned out well".A GROWN-UP HAYLEY MILLS FINDS PARENTING NO `TRAP Mann, Roderick. Los Angeles Times 22 Feb 1986: 1. The film was written by Stuart Krieger. In the original draft of the script, Sharon was originally going to have a son, instead of a daughter like she does in the film. This was changed when rewrites of the script were ordered. The names of Nikki Ferris and Mary Grand are the same names of the characters that Mills portrayed in the Disney films ''
The Moon-Spinners ''The Moon-Spinners'' is a 1964 American mystery film starring Hayley Mills, Eli Wallach and Peter McEnery in a story about a jewel thief hiding on the island of Crete. Produced by Walt Disney Productions, the film was based upon a 1962 suspense ...
'' and ''
In Search of the Castaways ''In Search of the Castaways'' (french: Les Enfants du capitaine Grant, lit=The Children of Captain Grant) is a novel by the French writer Jules Verne, published in 1867–68. The original edition, published by Hetzel, contains a number of ill ...
''. Director Ronald F. Maxwell revealed that this was a homage to Mills' films with
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on Octobe ...
. The characters of Walter and Lillian Elias are named after
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
and his wife (Disney's full name was Walter Elias Disney; Lillian was his
wife A wife (plural, : wives) is a female in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until the marriage is legally Dissolution (law), dissolved with a divorce judgement. On the death of her partner, ...
's name).


Filming

Ronald F. Maxwell was chosen to direct this sequel, taking over from the original's director David Swift. When the film premiered on the
Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Comp ...
, a documentary titled ''On Location: Parent Trap II'' accompanied it. The documentary included footage of Mills as she describes the production of the film and her history with the
Disney films This is a list of films produced by and released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner (known as that since 1983, with ''Never Cry Wolf'' as its first release) and films released before that under the former name of the parent company, Wal ...
. Filming took place for three weeks in the Tampa area. The exteriors of Robert E. Lee Elementary and the interiors of Mitchell Elementary were used as the summer school that Nikki and Mary both attend. The film was shot in 18 days. Mills said that "I never worked so hard in my life". A local Publix was used as the grocery store where Susan and Sharon narrowly miss meeting each other. It has been remodeled drastically since filming had wrapped.


Music

The film's score was composed by Charles Fox. The theme song is "Let's Keep What We've Got", written by Fox and
Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...
and performed by
Marilyn McCoo Marilyn McCoo (born September 30, 1943) is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group the 5th Dimension, as well as hosting the 1980s music countdown series '' Solid Go ...
. It appears in the opening credits while clips from the original ''The Parent Trap'' movie play, and is reprised in the closing credits when the final scene (Nicki and Mary, as junior bridesmaids/flower girls, walk up the aisle after their parents' wedding) is frozen. Other songs in the film include "Nothin' At All", sung by Andrea Robinson, who would later voice Ariel's mother, Athena, in Disney's '' The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'', and "Stand Back", sung by Phyllis St. James.


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parent Trap II, The 2 1986 television films American comedy television films Disney Channel original films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Ronald F. Maxwell Films scored by Charles Fox Films set in Tampa, Florida Films about twin sisters Films about weddings Films about families Films about widowhood Television sequel films Twins in American films 1980s American films