You're never fully dressed without a S-M-I-L-E!! (Annie [1999] (DVD))

Member Name: polochon2000

Product:	Annie [1999] (DVD)
Date:	13/08/01 (355 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Funny, Entertaining, Great music

Disadvantages: none

It's not often you get a musical that will appeal to all the family - the likes of "Evita" and "Martin Guerre" go right over young childrens heads. "Annie" however, is one of the few that the whole family can settle down to.

I realised this when I was babysitting my 2year-old cousin, who was being a little boisterous. I sat her down in front of the TV and not a peep from her for 2hours - she was entranced!

The musical "Annie" originated from the stories of "Little Orphan Annie", and was a hit in Broadway before being made into the movie version.

"Annie" herself is an red headed orphan who lives in Miss Hannigans Orphanage for Girls in New York City. Annie, although not the oldest in the group, is by far the boldest and shows no fear in standing up to Miss Hannigan, who is constantly drunk on gin. Not surprisingly Annie is not Miss Hannigans favourite girl and she spends a lot of time in a dark closet in Miss Hannigans office.

Annie dreams of getting out of the orphanage and searching for her parents. The only clue she has to help her is half a silver locket that her parents left with her at the orphanage.


When Mr Bumble, the laundry man, comes to collect their washing, Annie steals away in his laundry basket. Once outside she befriends a stray dog who she calls "Sandy"

After a run in with the police, Annie finds herself back at the orphanage and back in the closet.

While she is in there, the personal assistant of Oliver Warbucks, the billionaire, comes into the office and asks Miss Hannigan if she can offer an orphan a home for Christmas as part of a new image for Mr Warbucks. Miss Hannigan says that she can have any one of the orphans apart from Annie, but as soon as Grace sets eyes on Annie she knows that she is the right one.

Miss Hannigan reluctantly lets Annie go, with Sandy, and soon they are living the
life of luxury at Oliver Warbucks mansion - Annie can hardly believe it!

When Mr Warbucks gets home, he is angry that Grace has brought home a girl as he had thought that all orphans were boys. That is all soon forgotten though as he succumbs to Annie's charms and soon the two are best of friends.

He offers her anything and everything - but the main thing that Annie would like is to find her family.

Warbucks goes on the radio and offers a large cash reward if Annie's parents come forward.

Miss Hannigan, her brother Rooster and his girlfriend hear this on the radio and hatch a plan to pose as Annie's parents to get the money. They have one advantage above everyone else - Annie's parents are actually dead and when they died the other half of the locket was sent to the orphanage.

Thousands of people turn up, hoping to be believed as Annie's parents but none of them are. Annie, Grace and Oliver are all beginning to lose hope when Rooster appears with his girlfriend.

They fool them into believing that they are Annie's parents and they set off with Annie and the cheque.

Unbeknown to them though, Annie's friends at the orphanage have overheard Rooster and Miss Hannigan talking about their plan, and they escape from the orphanage with the intention of rescuing Annie.

The car with Annie in it passes them on the streets of New York and they realise that Annie has been kidnapped. They run to Warbuck's mansion on 5th Avenue and tell him the whole thing.

Warbuck's calls out a search party to look for her. Annie manages to escape from their clutches but Rooster is soon in pursuit and soon chases her up a steep rigging.

Warbuck's butler manages to rescue her and Rooster is arrested.

Warbuck's throws Annie a big party where he officially adopts Annie and he also proposes to Grace.

Daddy Warbuck's as Annie now calls him,
gives Annie a brand new gold locket to signify their new life together.

Great songs in this musical including "Tomorrow", "Maybe", "It's a Hard Knock Life" and "Let's Go to the Movies"

Aileen Quinn is brilliant in the role of the cheeky-yet-loveable red head and Carol Burnett is excellent as the drunken Miss Hannigan. Also featuring Bernadette Peters, Tim Curry and Albert Finney as Daddy Warbucks.

Summary: