Entertainment
In Netflix's The Princess Switch, a familiar story gets a royal and a Christmasy twist. The movie stars Vanessa Hudgens as two characters: a duchess named Margaret Delacourt and a baker from Chicago, Stacy De Novo. Obviously, the resemblance is uncanny, and so the two women easily pull off an identity-swap when they meet — much like in 1998's remake of The Parent Trap, where Lindsay Lohan played actual twins switching places. In fact, there are tons of Parent Trap references in The Princess Switch, and that can't be an accident.
Margaret has a British accent, like Annie in The Parent Trap. So Hallie has to learn to copy the way that her more "proper" sister speaks. The same goes for Stacy's transformation in Netflix's Christmas masterpiece, and that's just where the similarities begin.
Apparently, drawing comparisons between the two movies flatters The Princess Switch's star, as Hudgens recently told People how much she loves the 1998 movie. “I’ve seen that movie so many times,” she said. She went on, "My sister and I used to act out the scenes from the movie. It’s still such a go-to of mine. If I still love it, hopefully, this will be a classic for my fans and that they’ll still watch it."
Perhaps The Princess Switch will become a classic like Lohan's memorable movie did. Read on to see if you caught all of the two films' crossover moments. Spoilers ahead!
1
When They First Shake Hands & Feel A Connection
Not only did the twins in The Parent Trap feel a connection after their fencing match when they shook hands, but so do the long-distant relatives in The Princess Switch.
2
The Transformation Montage
In each movie, the "twins" have to perform a haircut and teach each other about the other's family's and homes. They even both use a map and a pointer in The Princess Switch, just like Annie did in Parent Trap.
3
Learning How To Talk Like One Another
Remember when Hallie told Annie that she could imitate the latter's British accent by mimicking her, saying, "I have class and you don't?" Stacy also has to practice, but the division isn't quite as pointed.
4
An Uncharacteristically Proper Word
Chessy (Lisa Ann Walter) had to say something after she heard Hallie say "You gave me a fright," and in The Princess Switch, Margaret's tell is using the word "splendid."
5
A Secret Handshake
Probably the biggest connection, besides the overall storyline about people who look alike switching places, is the handshake. You know the iconic Parent Trap shake, but Olivia and Stacy also have a secret handshake — and it looks a lot like Annie and Martin's.
6
The Phone Scene
Margaret doesn't want to hear about Stacy's problems, so she hangs up the phone, just like Hallie did to Annie.
7
The Horseback Riding
In The Parent Trap, Hallie and her dad, Nick (Dennis Quaid) rode horses so the latter could talk about Meredith, but in the new Netflix movie, Stacy (posing as Margaret) rides along with Prince Edward (Sam Palladio). Neither of the horseback riding sessions end well.
8
A Female Assistant Who's In On The Switch
Chessy found out that Hallie is actually Annie after she and Nick go on their riding excursion, whereas in The Princess Switch, Mrs. Donatelli (Suanne Braun) plays the assistant who's in the know.
9
When They Reveal The Switch Together
Kevin (Nick Sagar) does the exact same double take that Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix) did in The Parent Trap when he sees both Stacy and Margaret standing next to each other at the baking competition.
10
Ending With A Wedding
Of course, the happy endings of both movies are like the cherry on top of the already delightful films that they are.
It's such a great time to be a '90s kid, now that newer takes on some of your childhood favorites are right on trend.
