Hayley Mills stars as Pollyanna Whittier, the cheerful orphan girl sent to live with her wealthy but embittered Aunt Polly (Jane Wyman).

Pollyanna quickly makes friends with Jimmy Bean (Kevin Corcoran), a fellow orphan, and together they spread their common sense and sunny optimism all over town, bringing out the best in various gloomy locals including lonely Mr Pendergast (Adolphe Menjou), hypochondriacal Mrs Snow (Agnes Moorehead) and hellfire-and-brimstone Reverend Ford (Karl Malden). Unfortunately, however, it takes more than a sunny disposition to warm up the terminally humourless Aunt Polly.