Rating: 
Summary: Disney should be embarrassed.
Review: I would like to state that I have never seen Annie performed live. I've loved the original movie for years, but I wanted to give Disney's Annie a fair shot. I had to fast forward through most of the second half. It was just awful. I like the actors and actresses, but they seemed to walk through the movie. Also, there was no emotion in 99% of the singing. I think that I might like the live musical. It must just translate poorly to movie format.
Rating: 
Summary: An orphan spends christmas with a billonaire
Review: In 1933, 11 years old Annie is in orphanage. The movie opens, when we meet Annie looking out a window and an orphan can't sleep and wakes up the other girls. Annie thinks her parents out in the world and reunite with them some day. But the other girls (execpt for one) does believe that Annie is an orphan. Even Ms. Hennigan who runs the joint doesn't belove Annie either. Annie was left with a note and half a locket. So that night Annie tries to run away but gets caught. The other girls get waken up in the middle of the night just to clean the room. They begin by washing the floor. It is a couple of weeks to Christmas! When the laundry man comes, the other girls get Annie with the the laudrey (without Ms. Hennigan seeing her). Ms. Hennigan doesn't let any of the girls out of the orphanage. Ms. Hennigan has the girls say "I love you Ms. Hennigan." But during the roll call the other girls tells Ms. Hennigan that Annie isn't there. Later on that day, a woman shows up at the orphanage for Oliver Warbuck's invition for a orphan to spend Christmas with him. Warbucks is a billonaire. And Annie is the orphan invited to spend christmas with Oliver Warbucks. Oliver aslo invites the president of the United States, Franklin Roosevelt for Christmas dinner. (Remember it is 1933). The perfect time to buy this movie is Christmas time. Or close to Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Fresh Version of The Broadway Show!
Review: Wow! It was great! The acting was descent. The singing was superb. And who can forget the music. Annie is an orphan who has been treated bad her whole life. But now, A billionair, Oliver Warbucks, Is inviting an orphan to stay with him for a week for publicity. And that lucky orphan is Annie. But when Ms. Hennigan, the owner of the orphanige, gets jealus, her and her brother, Rooster, discuise themselves as Annie's parents that gave her up for reward money. Now Warbucks has to save the child he's grown to love before it's to late. Youre whole family will love it. Buy it today or tomorrow!
Rating: 
Summary: "Top-notch acting lifts a familiar script to joyous heights"
Review: So, has Kathy Bates EVER been in a film where she didn't do just an outstanding job? As the dasterdly Miss Hannigan, she teams again with Titanic co-star Victor Garber (Daddy Warbucks)to lift a familiar script to new heights! Her closing "Little Girls" borders on temporary insanity--a fitting tribute to Mrs. Hannigan's preparation for '...the nut house'! As with most remakes, you'll either love this one or think it pales in comparison to the Carol Burnett version. This one is better. Audra McDonald (Grace) is perhaps the most pleasant surprise with her wonderfully melodious voice and an ultimate class that supercedes even Warbucks himself! Alicia Morton (Annie) does a fine job considering the talent and experience of the actors that surround her. The precocious 'brat' never seems intimidated, and in no way disappoints Annie die-hards. Neither do the orphans. The high point in the film is the poignant Warbucks-Annie "Something Was Missing" scene where the world's richest man pours out his heart in song to the child orphan who has stolen his heart. The subsequent dance sequence to the accompaniment of this beautiful musical score is memorable. Garber never loses sight of the tenderness that Oliver Warbucks surely would've possessed. All in all, a strong cast of Tony-winning performers at every turn delivers the goods in this Disney version of Annie. It takes an award-winning cast of this magnitude to make a story this familiar work again. And though we might be just a bit tired of another reprise of "Tomorrow", we will never tire of this wonderfully happy tale that is now offered to a new generation!
Rating:
Summary: This is truly a disney classic!
Review: Alicia Morton will win your heart as the spunky red-headed orphan,Annie. With her hard knock pals, to the lap of luxury..this is a disney classic! It's the rags to riches story everybody knows and loves. Who can forget songs like Tomorrow and Hard Knock Life? The Miss Hannigan is too nice in this version, but otherwise this movie is great!
Rating:
Summary: Leave it up to Disney to screw up a classic movie
Review: This movie was a disgraced to the orginal. Yes, the stars in this trash are Broadway stars but they can't act their way throught a paper bag. The kid that played Annie was a whining little wus,nothing compared to the tough,spunking and charming Aileen Quinn. Lets just say since Disney took over Broadway in New York with their cutsy kiddie shows, movie musicals are going to go down the toilet.
Rating: 
Summary: 2.5 stars- Success as a musical/ flawed in acting...
Review: This production of Annie is, as others have stated, more faithful to the orignal broadway musical as a whole. The songs are better- and the characters have better singing voices then the previous cast. As a musical, and as a play, it IS a success. But compared to the 1982 version, which I do admit leaves out many songs and well-danced numbers, is on the whole much better acted than this version. The characters in the 1982 version are portrayed with such spunk, such energy and spirit, that, although their voices are lacking in certain places, their personalities come through with full force. Daddy Warbucks, Miss Hannigan, Molly, Grace Ferrell, Rooster, Lily, and especially Annie are given strong portrayls which are both provocative and heart-rending. I agree with a previous reviewer who stated that although some of the best musical numbers are sung in this version (''NYC'', ''Something was missing'', a better version of '' Easy Street''), and although the setting of New York, and the Depression are protrayed better- everything American, everything which makes the story so much than that of one lonely orphan, is removed. The characters are played as they would be on stage - as well-sung, but lacking as people. Annie, here portrayed by Alicia Morton, has a lovely voice, and a nice smile, but as a character, and a symbol of hope, honesty, and courage, she is severly lacking. She seems too perpetually ordinary- too sad. She may have more ''street-smart'' to her than Aileen Quinn's Annie did, but she lacks the very spunk, energy, and fire which makes Annie rise above the poverty of the depression. Instead Annie is given an entertaining, but ordinary protrayl- not that there is anything wrong with protraying a character as normal and down-to-earth, but Annie is supposed to be anything but ordinary. Aileen Quinn's Annie had spunk and spirit, and I can see her leading and standing for her country in such depressing times. Alicia Morton just doesn't fit that description. Grace Ferrell, while played by a woman with a wonderful voice, does not the motherly love towards Annie that Ann Reiking's Grace did. The relationship of love and tenderness, or Daddy Warbucks telling Annie she was ''special'', and showing her such, is not portrayed to any great extent in this film- Andrew Garber, while having a gifted singing talent, doesn't have either the stone-meaness, or the soft tenderness that Albert Finney did. As for Miss Hannigan- I have to say that almost no one can compete with the entertaining, deliciously evil Carol Burnett , and Kathy Bates, while definately talented in other roles (see her in ''Titanic''), cannot protray either the meanness, insecurity, or power that Miss Hannigan had to hold over the orphans, in order to make herself feel human. Instead she is, like Alicia Morton, a perpetually ordinary woman. But as I have said in the beginning, the film has wonderful singing talent, and wonderful dancing numbers, and that alone makes it worth seeing. But it is a two-dimensional showing of the characters which were intended to be so much more than just common people. ( The possible exception to all of the above is Alan Cumming, who, as Rooster, while not as necessarily evil as Tim Curry, nicely protrays a schemeing con-artist, and amoral convict.) I wish the director, and producers of this movie has combined with the cast of the old movie. In short, I would recommend this movie to all who like broadway musicals, but it seems much more like a fraction of the story that Harold Ikes wanted told than a complete three-dimensional retelling of a story of an optomisitc young girl.
Rating:
Summary: Filmed Stage Show
Review: This film looked as though it was filmed at the Theatre. It is a very subdued version of Annie. Kathy Bates' Miss Hannigan is much too nice, Bring back Carol Burnett! Although the 80's film had its faults it has grown on me over the years. This film looked very dull beside it.
Rating:
Summary: Disney Version better than other movie version
Review: When I found out that they would remake Annie, I was very glad because the Carol Burnett version was horrible. I agree with the reviewer who said that the people that compared it to old movie version were lost. This version is based on the play which is a lot better than John Huston's(Carol, Bernadette) mess. This was done right with some of the songs that were left out of John Huston's version put back in. In his version Tomorrow was thrown away. In this version the song is done full speed ahead. Reportedly John Huston didn't like the song Tomorrow and that has to be the biggest number and it is in this version. People who want action should keep their Carol Burnett version, but people who like music and cultured Broadway entertainment should get this one. I will admit that Kathy Bates is a little too nice and I would have liked it if the movie were longer and they had kept the Depression story line in. Annie does have red hair in this but don't know if they styled it right in this. I was in a stage version of the Broadway play and realized then how much better the play is than John Huston's movie. The writers of that movie are the ones who tampered with the plot of the Broadway show and not the other way round. It made me mad to read some of the bad reviews that were given by some of the people on Amazon. They don't have any idea what they are talking about because they must have never heard the Broadway recording with Andrea McArdle. Andrea makes a cameo on NYC in this version and sings wonderfully well. She is the original Annie and the best of all of the versions, but the Annie in this one can sing well and they don't have that dumb song from the other movie version -Dumb Dog. So if you like good music well done, buy this one. If you want action, buy that awful movie version that wasted the talents of Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters, and Tim Curry with its claustraphobic set and action paced plot that was nothing like the musical which took place at Christmas and not Fourth of July. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 was because it wasn't long enough and they left out We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover and the whole Depresssion which was crucial to the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Great, fast-paced adaptation of the musical
Review: My young kids were taken by this video when they saw it on TV for the first time. I have red-headed daughter so we bought it for her as a Christmas present. In one month we must have average two viewings a day. I didn't realize how much I liked this version until I saw the first movie recently. This version moves faster and eliminates some of the less worthy songs of the broadway musical. Those looking for a strict adaptation of the musical, will not like it. But for kids this movie is great. Lots of singing and dancing and a good amount of energy. Victor Garber is a much better Warbucks than in the original movie. You can actually believe his transition from workaholic to father. Kathy Bates is a welcome relief to the over-the-top performance by Carol Burnett. And Alicia Morton is lovable and convincing as Annie. This is a great movie for family viewing (in my opinion) and worthy of all the praise.
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