The first release of Walt Disney’s The Parent Trap was released in 1961. Haley Mills the lead actress of this film played teenage twins that found each other at a summer camp. After discovering that they were twin sisters they join together and create an elaborate plan of switching places to get to know their estranged parents and get them back together.
As you can see in the above poster on the left, the designers of the 1961 Movie Poster The Parent Trap, Walt Disney pictures had a specific audience in mind. Young teenage girls and their parents were the films primary focus. On this poster are cartoon characters of the teenage star Halley Mills playing twins in this film. Each cartoon of Hayley Mills are showcased in a cute and fun fashion. Looking at each other as if they are singing together. One twin character adorably feminine whiles the other twin a bit of a tom boy but no less cute. Together it appears as if they are singing to their hearts content, enjoying the festivities of getting there parents back together. The twins parents played by Maureen O’hara and Brian Keith, very big names of that day. The film uses these big names to bring in their preferred audience. While the use of color, text, and the cartoon picture of the parents on a wild ring ride; brings a certain feel that although this film is dealing with difficult marital issues into the mainstream light, that you will have a fun time doing so.
A video clip gives the perfect feel of exactly what this poster is trying to convey in the song, Lets Get Together,written by written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman.
Although the basis of the story is the same the use of the posters is quite different. Not only does the movie poster seem to be more serious but its demographics or the audience it is trying to reach is quite different. Because Walt Disney casts Lindsey Lohan as a young girl around the ages of eight to ten, I believe it safe to assume that is the age they are targeting to come and see the film is also the same. Also there are much larger images of the parents in the background embracing each other. As the viewer looks at this poster the viewer is lead to believe that this film is a love story. Based on the look of the poster, this film is mostly directed at the parents of the youth that Disney is targeting. Here is a short trailer of the second release of The Parent Trap in 1998.
While both movie posters are very different and targeting a different demographic, both films are a beautiful tale about how families that are torn apart can be brought back together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-0gWnXdBZI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxtyAC59AeE
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