Heartwarming period coming-of-age tale with typical Disney gloss

It's so saccharine it's difficult to take seriously.

Sickeningly sweet and a tad overlong, Pollyanna is a different kind of Disney live action movie. Whereas Old Yeller dealt with "adult themes" of death and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is an action film, Pollyanna wants the audience to believe there are idealic communities where one person can change everyone's attitude at the same time. Hayley Mills is relentlessly upbeat-until the finale, and the dour attitude goes away in the blink of an eye. The characters change because the script demands it, not because its organic over time. Each of the crusty townspeople gets a moment to show why they're deplorable on their ultimate way to redemption-I can almost see chapters in a book devoted to their stories before the overall story moves on. Even though Pollyanna is likely to give you a toothache from all the sugary sweetness, Mills and the cast eventually win you over. It's very hard to hate a little girl who is always smiling and trying to bring light into other people's lives.

corny to be sure but also throughly enjoyable on that level