Pollyanna (Hayley Mills) is the 12-year-old orphaned daughter of missionaries who arrives in the fictional small town of Harrington to live with her rich aunt, Polly Harrington (Jane Wyman), early in the 1900s. Pollyanna is a cheerful, radically optimistic youngster who focuses on the goodness of life. In doing so, she makes a wide variety of friends in the community, including the hypochondriac Mrs. Snow (Agnes Moorehead) and the acidic recluse Mr. Pendergast (Adolphe Menjou).
After Pollyanna finally calls Mrs. Snow out on wasting all her time planning for her death when she should be enjoying life, and then runs out of the room, both Mrs. Snow and the undertaker (with whom she was having a discussion) feel terrible after seeing the look of despair on Pollyanna’s face, so much so that it snaps Mrs. Snow out of her finalist mindset.
Aunt Polly’s wealth controls the town, and, when Harrington citizens want a derelict orphanage razed and rebuilt, Aunt Polly opposes the idea. The townspeople defy her by planning a carnival to raise funds for a new structure; however, because of the control Aunt Polly asserts over every facet of the town, many people feel reluctant to show their support. Aunt Polly becomes furious over what she views to be their audacity, and she forbids Pollyanna to participate.
A group of citizens, led by Dr. Edmond Chilton (Richard Egan), do their best to persuade the town’s minister, Reverend Ford (Karl Malden), to publicly declare his support for the bazaar; Pollyanna also does so by reminding him that “nobody owns a church.” While conversing with Pollyanna when she delivers a note from Aunt Polly with recommendations about his sermon content, Reverend Ford is reminded of the truth in that statement.
At church the following Sunday, in defiance of Aunt Polly, the preacher declares his support for the bazaar and encourages all to attend. On the evening of the carnival, Pollyanna is coaxed out of the house by her playmate Jimmy Bean (Kevin Corcoran), who reminds her that she will lead “America, the Beautiful” at the high point of the event. With misgivings, she slips away and goes to the carnival, where she has a wonderful time. Also, after remembering Pollyanna telling her a story about how she always wanted a doll for Christmas but never got one, Mrs. Snow decides to grant Pollyanna’s wish by sneaking under the stand when Pollyanna goes to a stall where everyone gets a surprise toy and making sure Pollyanna gets the doll she wanted. (This is, quite possibly, the most heartwarming defrosting of an ice queen character if there ever was one.)
After returning home, Pollyanna manages to avoid Aunt Polly by climbing the same tree to her attic bedroom (which she used to sneak out of the house). When she reaches her bedroom window, she slips and falls to the ground; she is severely injured, losing the use of her legs.
Her spirits sink with the calamity, jeopardizing her chances of recovery. Upon hearing that, Aunt Polly realizes that she never showed her niece the love she wanted, and feels a strong sense of sadness and guilt over Pollyanna’s injury (as she believes it was her fault for not allowing Pollyanna to go to the carnival in the first place). When the townspeople learn of Pollyanna’s accident, they gather en masse in Aunt Polly’s house with outpourings of love. Pollyanna’s spirits gradually return to their usual hopefulness and love of life. She leaves Harrington with Aunt Polly and Dr. Chilton (who has fallen in love with Aunt Polly) for an operation in Baltimore that, it is hoped, will correct her injury.
Subplots include the return of Aunt Polly’s girlhood sweetheart, Dr. Edmond Chilton, to the town, the freeing of Reverend Ford of himself from Aunt Polly’s dictates and the union of Aunt Polly’s maid (Nancy Olson) with her sweetheart (James Drury).
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