"When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will."

Dr. Chilton: [finding Pollyanna hidden behind a plant] Hello. Is this the town meeting?
Pollyanna: Oh, no. It's in there. In the conservatory, for heaven's sake.
Dr. Chilton: Oh. Are you one of the Ladies Aide?
Pollyanna: Oh, no. I'm just a child. I'm not even supposed to be here! Shh!
Dr. Chilton: What's your name?
Pollyanna: Pollyanna Whittier. That's my aunt over there, the pretty one. This is her house, and I live with her. Shh!

Disney’s Pollyanna may be the perfect film.

Before you write me off as a hopeless romantic (which I am) and think I’m ridiculous (which I very well may be), let me explain.

First I will synopsize. Or, I will let IMDB do it. “A young girl comes to an embittered town and confronts its attitude with her determination to see the best in life.” So, she has a “Pollyanna” attitude and she wins over the town, specifically her stuffy, rich Aunt Polly, who incidentally finds love once she can turn in to a Real Woman with Feelings. (I made that last part up myself!) Of course, Pollyanna suffers a crippling accident and it really shows them all, those sourpusses! But it all turns out all right in the end. I mean, it has to! It’s Pollyanna!

I didn’t grow up with Pollyanna. I had heard of it, and I had grown up with Hayley Mills – I can wax on the perfection of The Parent Trap (50s clothes! Maureen O’Hara! Ub Iwerks special effects! The Sherman Brothers! Stafford!) later. But I never saw Pollyanna. In fact, I don’t actually own Pollyanna now; the copy I’ve had for years has been, ahem, “borrowed” from my best friend. (Guess I’ll have to get my own copy now…) She bought it and lent it to me, and I liked it quite a bit. And then I watched it with my mom. And my sister. And oh, how it has grown on me. Once I started thinking about everything I loved about the movie, I kept finding more and more reasons.

Guys, this movie has everything.

1)     There is food, or the mention of food, in almost every scene.

This is true. I think I first noticed this when watching the DVD commentary with Hayley Mills and director David Swift. When Pollyanna first arrives to her Aunt Polly’s home, she is told what time to come to dinner, asks about steak and ice cream, and carries around a glass of milk. The next day she gets taken out for strawberry frappe and sneaks snacks from the town meeting luncheon “in the conservatory, for heaven’s sake.” She walks around with a pocket full of fresh peas on Sunday, delivers charity food to the needy, and at the glorious Bazaar, oh, the treats to be had! Corn on the cob, giant slices of watermelon, and cake slices as big as your head. If you watch the movie, you will now notice all of the food, so you’re welcome. And I’ve definitely left a lot of stuff out, so enjoy looking! YUM.

Giant cake! Bonus props to Reta Shaw just for being in this photo, because I love her.

       2)     There is a fashion/makeover scene. Also the clothes are fabulous.

Makeover scene! It’s every chick flick movie and America’s Next Top Model watcher’s dream! Of course Hayley Mills is cute even in her bumpkin dress, but it’s so sweet when she gets excited about buying store-bought clothes “out of an actual store,” including “stockings and underpants,” and eventually parades her new finery, looking even more adorable and precocious. Of course, all the costumes are fantastic – dresses, suits, and hats hats hats! I swoon! Honorable mention goes to James Drury as George Dodds in his fancy suit and straw boater and all his shirtsleeves. Once I started researching I found out that Walter Plunkett (you know, Gone With the Wind, Singin’ in the Rain? I can’t even.) was the film’s costume designer, so of course it made perfect sense that they were all stunning and extraordinary and lovely.

Don’t worry! She buys the hat AND the dress but doesn’t wear them together.

3)     The cast is absolutely fantastic.

When I read reviews about Pollyanna, the ensemble cast is always mentioned as arguably the best live-action cast that Disney has ever put together. Everyone gave a strong, believable performance for the film they were making. Yes, there is a fair bit of sweetness and cheesiness. Likewise, some characters come off as overly callous and cynical. But by golly you believe it when they’re giving it to you. I’m not going to go through every actor and write about how marvelous they were, because I’d still be here tomorrow morning, and I have to be at work instead. But I will write their names in all caps so you can see how sincere I am about it. JANE WYMAN. RICHARD EGAN. KARL MALDEN. NANCY OLSON. ADOLPHE MENJOU. AGNES MOOREHEAD. KEVIN CORCORAN. JAMES DRURY. ANNE SEYMOUR. RETA SHAW. MARY GRACE CANFIELD. DONALD CRISP. EDWARD PLATT. JENNY EGAN. LEORA DANA. HAYLEY MILLS, HAYLEY MILLS, HAYLEY MILLS.

Anne Seymour is incredible as Mrs. Tarbell and oh oh oh! That hat!

"You're impertinent - I don't like you at all! When are you coming back?"

4)     It’s just like Main Street, USA.

Maybe this is why I can just turn on Pollyanna while I write or clean and just be happy, or why it’s my go-to movie when I’m sad. Not because she inspires me to look on the good side and play the Glad Game, but because it reminds me of my favorite place in the world. The music especially – you could imagine hearing that music coming from a window in one of the Disney Parks.

      5)     Everything else.

Other miscellaneous things I love about this movie: Peter Ellenshaw’s matte art, countless cute “kid moments,” explaining Hayley Mills’ accent by saying her father was a minister in the “British West Indies,” dogs, the classic Misunderstood Lady story, Forbidden Love, fire and brimstone, Ben Tarbell telling off his wife, the amazing made-up quote from Abraham Lincoln, hairbows, the dance sequence, and the fact that the movie was 134 minutes long, but Walt Disney had fallen in love with it and refused to let director/screenwriter David Swift make any cuts. That is a long movie, folks. But Walt loved it. And that makes me love it even more.

Part of Pollyanna is about growing up. She experiences a tragedy and finds it difficult to do what she has been trying to inspire all of these crabby adults to do for 134 minutes: to look on the bright side and get though life’s challenges with a smile. I think we all get to a point in life where we feel as though we must become “realistic,” rejecting the Pollyanna principles as inherently impractical and naïve. That’s part of growing up, but it doesn’t have to be. With help, Pollyanna finds the strength to face her problems with positivity, and it’s heartening to watch. Also, I think I mentioned that there are lots of hats.

Get it, girl.

Sooo...I guess what I mean is that Pollyanna is a wonderful film for the sentimental Disney fan who enjoys vintage Disney, childhood, and the nostalgia of it all.

And also that it may be perfect.