The Parent Trap (1998)

The Parent Trap is a 1998 American family romantic comedy film directed by Nancy Meyers, in her feature directorial debut, and produced by Meyers' then-husband Charles Shyer. It stars Lindsay Lohan in her film debut in a dual role of identical twins who have been separated at birth and, upon meeting by chance at summer camp, decide to work together to reunite their divorced parents, played by Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson. The Parent Trap is a remake of the 1961 film of the same name and an adaptation of Erich Kästner's 1949 German children's novel, Lisa and Lottie (Das doppelte Lottchen). David Swift, who wrote and directed the original 1961 film, is credited, along with Meyers and Shyer, as co-writers of the 1998 film.

Principal photography took place from July 1997 to December 1997, in both California and London, with cinematographer Dean Cundey. During post-production, editing was completed by Stephen A. Rotter, and the score was composed by Alan Silvestri. The Parent Trap utilized special effects to make Lohan's dual role seamless, with many shots requiring extensive planning and precise execution during filming and compositing in post-production.

The Parent Trap premiered in Los Angeles on July 20, 1998, before being theatrically released in the United States nine days later by Walt Disney Pictures. Its London premiere took place on November 8, 1998, as a Royal Film Performance attended by Queen Elizabeth II. The Parent Trap was distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution and was a box-office hit, grossing $92.1 million worldwide against a budget of $15 million. It received positive reviews from critics, with Lohan's performance in particular earning high praise. She won the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film – Leading Young Actress at the 20th Youth in Film Awards in 1999, and is widely considered to have been a significant factor in the film's success, marking her breakthrough role and launching her to stardom.