Rating: 
Summary: Special Edition....special enough?
Review: Growing up, Annie was one of my all-time favorite movies. I sang all the songs, played runaway orphan with my friends, and watched the movie over and over on Betamax (for those of you born a bit later, that's like a VHS tape, only smaller). I was tempted to buy Annie as soon as it came out on DVD, but chose to wait for a version with some decent special features. Lo, it is here, but there is one thing that I'm really surprised is missing.... where's the behind-the-scenes feature, "Lights, Camera, Annie!" which aired on TV back in 1982. It included auditions for the role of Annie, dance rehearsals, cast/crew interviews, choerography and blocking of "It's a Hard Knock Life", a screen test of Aileen Quinn and Albert Finney and vocal rehearsals of "Easy Street" with Peters, Curry and Burnett. That's the kind of thing that should be on a Special Edition DVD, so I'm surprised that since the footage exists (I still have my Beta tape, and surely it exists elsewhere), that they didn't use it. As much as I appreciate that there is a new version, it seems to be primarily catering to kids. It would appear they neglected the adults who grew up with the movie and still think of it fondly, and would have appreciated more special features of the behind-the-scenes, as opposed to contemporary interpretations of songs and sing-alongs. Incidentally, why is this being presented as an "Anniversary Edition"? Annie came out in 1982, so it's the...22nd Year Anniversary? I still love the movie, but just can't give this version a full 5 stars given my disappointment in the special features.
Rating:
Summary: Charming!
Review: I have to disagree with the Amazon.com reviewer, I didn't find Annie charmless and dull at all, in fact I found it charming and peppy, but then everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I liked the stage play the movie is based but I also liked the movie from the first time I saw it on the big screen in our mall's movie theater and a few years ago bought the video and now proudly own the DVD. Carol Burnett was simply fantastic as Miss Hannigan as was Albert Finney as Oliver Warbucks, Aileen Quinn as Annie and Tim Curry as Rooster and Bernadette Peters as Lily. The DVD is nice and I like in the select wide screen or full frame feature how they show you exactly how much is edited out for full frame, definitely prefer the widescreen! I wish the DVD had more extras then the few little ones it has. I heard or read somewhere that John Huston had to delete footage because the movie would have run about 3 hours if he hadn't and I think it would have been nice if the deleted scenes were included on the DVD. If you have fond memories of seeing this in a movie theater during it's original release or of watching it on a cable movie channel then I highly recommend the DVD because even though it's lacking of extras it's still better having a DVD with the option of being able to watch Annie in widescreen then a video tape that only offers full frame.
Rating: 
Summary: This movie shines like the top of the Chrysler Building!
Review: This movie shines like the top of the Chrysler building!
I absolutely loved this movie. Aileen Quinn is the perfect Annie, and no one could play the part as well as her. They say that she really has brown hair, but I can't imagine without that curly red mop of hers. To me she will always be Annie.
The reason I gave this movie 4 stars instead of 5 is because of 2 reasons:
1. Miss Hanigan's drunk scenes. Aren't they, um, a bit inappropriate for kids?
2. The dances keep showing their underwear in the dances. They might have at least gave them petticoats or such, or been a bit more careful. You can do a 'kicking dance without showing your unmentionables. Oh well!
Other than that I just loved this video, and its super songs have gotten me singing them all day.
"...No one cares for you a smidge, when you're in an orphanage, it's a hard knock life..."
Rating: 
Summary: NO WIDESCREEN . SHAME ON YOU SONY
Review: There are a few reviews out there that say full frame is just fine and we should stop crying and just say how good the movie is. Well I can't when the movie is no longer good. Full screen doesn't just take away almost half the movie, it brings an added grain to the movie that makes them unwatchable. If you believe this is not true then just watch the special feature that is included on "Die Hard" the five star edition. I tried watching "Annie", but I couldn't because it was no longer the crisp and clear version I remember seeing at the movie theater.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie. The DVD is a Dud!
Review: There is no doubt in my mind that Annie is a delightful movie and I must say that I even prefer it over the play which was also pretty good. Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, Ann Reinking and Aileen Quinn are all terrific but what a total disappointment to find out that Columbia gave the shaft to us fans who were expecting to own the special Anniversary Edition in widescreen only to find out they only put it out in the dreaded pan & scan only! My advice is to look for a used copy of the old out of print DVD that included both widescreen and fullscreen and just rent this pan & scan DVD to view the extra features! The old DVD may not have had the best picture quality but at least they had the courtesy to include widescreen! Lets hope that Columbia will be nice to the widescreen fans and put out a Anniversary Edition widescreen DVD for us!
Rating:
Summary: Gotta love Annie...
Review: My childhood favorite movie. I actually wore out several VHS's as a kid because I watched it over & over. I still really enjoy it & now I'm able to watch this with my daughter & see how much she enjoys it. Wide Screen would've been nice but I think for the little ones Full Screen is better so I'm not going to complain about that much. The features are great & Annie is darling. Music is awesome & I think any little girl would fall in love with this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: NOT WIDESCREEN!
Review: please be aware that there's no widescreen format included in this dvd. i bought it assuming that the "anniversary edition" would have it, but it didn't. i seriously felt cheated.
so, here it is: content - five stars (it's a great musical; smartly written, great performances by an awesome cast, funny and endearing.
technical - one star (crappy full screen only)
Rating:
Summary: NO WIDSCREEN!!!!!!!!!
Review: Really small on the back cover you'll find your purchased an all new anniversary FULL SCREEN version of this movie. Only released this way apparently. Wasn't until I popped it in that I found this out. If I could return it I would and go buy the original release which apparently has both full and wide.
Rating:
Summary: Annie (Special Anniversary Editon)?
Review: Nope. Why? Where is the widescreen? Why is this movie missing nearly half the picture on this DVD? Now, I did not buy it on that account. I have the original release of the wide/fullscreen DVD, but I'd enjoy hearing its new dts sound. And why no commentary (or is it not listed)? I've heard the director is sadly deceased, so no commentary from him. Aren't those who played the orphans out there (April"Kate"Lerman, Rosanne"Pepper"Sorrentino, Lara"Tessie"Berk, Lucie"July"Stewart, and of course Aileen"Annie"Quinn)? No documentary entitled "Lights, Camera, Annie"?When I found this movie was re-released on DVD in the condition it is on vhs, I suddenly had a feeling of spontanious combustion, yet I kept my mind and finally got the old,used and better version of Annie (the way it was ment to be and the way I wanted to see it-2.35:1). So much for SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY EDITON's. Now my jaded personality wants widescreen with 5.1 channels of sound and a commentary track (maybe 2 tracks). Is that too much to ask?
Rating:
Summary: Annie (special anniversary edition?) DVD
Review: I maybe ridiculed for this but, I don't even own this editon. Reason: NOT IN WIDESCREEN !!! NEEDS TO BE IN ORIGINAL FORMATT!!!
Annie deserves widescreen!!! - 2.35:1 !!! Fan,
Lance Lust
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