Annie

First of all I really like both the 1982 version and the 1999 version- the reason why I do prefer the 1982 version is because that in particular is a childhood favourite. I do admit there was a time when I didn't really like this, but now considering that it was a TV remake, and that it is a lot more faithful to the stage play, it is not as bad as I initially thought. True it is too short, and despite her truly beautiful voice I just wasn't sure about Audra MacDonald as Grace. For my tastebuds, it was a tad sugary sweet at times for my liking. However, it does look lovely, and the music is marvellous, and the same with the 1982 version. The performances are great too. I really loved Aileen Quinn,(and I wish people would stop making horrible comments about her) but Alicia Morton is closer than what Annie is like in the stage show, in terms of age, and while both girls were wonderful, Morton has got the better voice. Annie's friends were well done too, but the scene stealer has to be Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan, just like the wonderful Carol Burnett. There were times when she was absolutely hilarious, and Victor Garber while just lacking the gruffness of Albert Finney was a delight as Daddy Warbucks. Alan Cumming and Kristen Chenoweth were fine as Rooster and Lily, and I also much enjoyed the portrayals of Tim Curry(who is my favourite actor of all time and vastly underrated as an actor) and Bernadette Peters. This version is closer to the stage musical, and has a real Christmas feel to it. The problem I had with the 1982 version were John Huston's direction, and I know they changed the ending, but to be fair, the 1982 version is NOT the first musical adaptation to take liberties with the stage musical, how about My Fair Lady and Oklahoma! Overall, seeing this again recently proved my initial opinion of it wrong. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The 1982 movie version of Annie was one of my favorite movies as a child. I have heard people criticize it many times calling it an overblown turkey, I do admit at times it does seem that way when I watch it now, especially since I am 22 years old now, but there is no comparison to this new TV version, while the 82 version may have been overblown, this new version is just plain dull and lifeless, I know they were trying to tone it down, but that doesn't mean you have to take all the personality out of it, this movie has neither wit nor humor. Aileen Quinn had spunk and energy, and a better singing voice than the Annie in this movie, when I saw her as a child I wanted to be just like her, the girl in this version didn't do anything for me. The other orphans in this movie are like cardboard cutouts they have absolutely no personality, you couldn't tell the difference between Molly and Pepper. The Hard Knock Life number which I absolutely love in the 82 version, is just flat out boring here, they just scrub the floor for 3 minutes while singing it. There is absolutely no character development in this version. Victor Garber is probably a fine actor but he is given nothing to work with in his role as Daddy Warbucks. I prefer Albert Finney in the 82 version. Warbucks meets Annie sings NYC with her and then wants to adopt her after 3 minutes. You never feel any bond between them. What is this movie trying to say? that when you first meet someone the way to form a bond is to perform a musical number together, and then they will want to adopt you immediately? I mean there should be some realism. Kathy Bates as Hannigan is okay, but cannot be compared to Carol Burnett who was hilarious in the 82 version, I don't think her performance was over the top at all. Alan Cummings was wonderful with what little he had to do, but I definitely like Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters better, they were sleazier and more villainous. The ending in this version was downright awful, they had Miss Hannigan pretending to be Annie's mother, instead of Lily. I mean they made the Annie and Grace into idiots in this movie, like they wouldn't be able to recognize her. Then they had Lily bring the cops in, like anyone would be that stupid, besides that FDR shows up with the cops, like he had nothing else to do, it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!

I heard great things about this version but was very disappointed. Definitely stick with the 1982 movie version.

This movie is a pathetic attempt at revisiting a far superior film released in 1982. For fans of the better version, you will find yourself snoring through this one. The acting ability, musical numbers, set designs, and overall feel of this telefilm is nothing compared to the theatrical presentation on which this one attempts to immitate.

A lot of the reviews are saying that this tv version of Annie was a remake of the 1982 film of the same name. This is simply not true. This version of Annie is a remake of the stage musical. If you have ever seen the stage musical you will realize that it is extremely different than the 1982 film.

That being said, those who have fallen in love with the earlier film will most likely not like this version. Those who are true to the stage musical will probably enjoy it. Falling in the latter category, I like this version better.

To me, Alicia Morton was superior to Aileen Quinn in every way, but most noticeably voice quality. Alicia has a great voice for the part. And I personally wasn't bothered by the fact that she had straight hair as opposed to curly. The rest of the orphans did great too.

Kathy Bates was also a standout. As much as I love Carol Burnett, I thought Kathy Bates did a fantastic job as Ms. Hannigan and Alan Cumming was a nice surprise as Rooster.

One last thing to remember is that since this was for tv, their budget was a lot smaller than a feature film. Taking that into consideration, I think Rob Marshall did a commendable job updating the play Annie for a new generation to view.

Per usual, Disney takes a perfectly good story and botches it. What happened to Punjab. Ms. Hannagan should have been more to her true character, which just happens to be a man wanting alcoholic. Of course Disney had to keep it clean to stamp it's name upon it. I feel cheated after watching this poor excuse of film.