Annie

Think of a classic musical movie...

The ones that probably spring to your mind are "Grease", "West Side Story", "The Sound Of Music", "The Wizard Of Oz", etc.

...But, aren't you forgetting that cute little redheaded orphan Annie?

Annie is about a group of orphans, the main focus being Annie of course, at an all-girls orphanage run by the drunk Miss Hanigan, perfectly played by Carol Burnett.

She makes them clean all day long, and they eat cold mush. Warm mush if they're lucky!

One day, the secretary of billionare Oliver Warbucks goes to the orphange looking for a child to live with him for a week for publicity. Miss Hanigan objects when Grace (the secretary) says she wants Annie, because she knows that Annie is special. Mr Warbucks also objects at first, claiming that he wanted a boy instead. Eventually, the adorable orphan wins his heart and he decides to adopt her.

Annie is not only a family comedy, but a musical. The dancing is actually pretty impressive, with little 10 year old girls doing backhandsprings and aerials (no handed cartwheels). The songs are also unforgettable, notably "The Hard Knock Life", "Let's Go To The Movies", and "Tomorrow". All the parts are very well acted, especially the role of Miss Hannigan.

Carol Burnett has you laughing every minute that she is on screen. One of the funny parts was when Grace goes to the orphanage, and Miss Hannigan is a little drunk. She goes to sit down, but misses the chair entirley and lands on the floor.

Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, played by Albert Finney, starts off as a cold-hearted billionare, but eventually Annie wins him over entirely. And Annie herself is so adorable! She sings, dances, the whole works. She also is a very nice girl, who always thinks of other people before herself.

Grace Farrell, the secretary, is also played wonderfully by Anne Reinking, who was actually a dancer and choreographer. Surprisingly, she is a rare case of a professional dancer with great acting ability. She immediately falls in love with Annie, and is the one who encourages Oliver to adopt her.

Miss Hannigan's brother, Rooster, and his girlfriend, Lilly St. Regis ("Named from the hotel"), are played by Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters. They are the crooks of the movie, along with Burnett.

Before Annie's parents died, they left one half of a locket given to Annie to Mss Hannigan. She finds it and gives it to Rooster and Lilly, as fake evidence that they are Annie's parents, so that they can adopt her to get money from Oliver. Of course the ending is a happy one, and Miss Hannigan actually turns out to be a hero...

A family favorite as well as a film classic, Annie made about $57,000,000 at the box office, and has delighted audiences around the world for more than 20 years now.