Search - Annie [Special Anniversary Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Excellent For Children Movie Release: 1981 DVD Release: 01/13/2004 Format: DVD - Pan and Scan - Closed Captioned Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 7 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Comedy, Musical, Children's/Family, Period Film, Musical Comedy See Also: Annie

This family classic is adapted from the Broadway musical, which was based on the comic strip -Little Orphan Annie. During the Great Depression in New York City, a plucky red-haired scrapper named Annie (Aileen Quinn) is the voice of hope for her fellow orphans who live under the supervision of drunken floozy Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett). Annie's spirit is fueled by the belief that her real parents dropped her off at the orphanage with a half of a locket, promising to return for her with the other half. One day, the dingy orphanage is visited by the sophisticated Grace Farrell (Ann Reinking), personal secretary to conservative politician Oliver Warbucks (Albert Finney). In order to improve his image, Grace brings Annie to the Warbucks estate for a weeklong visit. Annie quickly wins the hearts of servants and politicians alike, eventually even bringing her song of hope, "Tomorrow," to President Roosevelt in Washington. Warbucks and Grace even go so far as to perform a public search for Annie's parents, creating an opportunity for Miss Hannigan, Rooster (Tim Curry), and Lily (Bernadette Peters) to scam their way to the reward money. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Albert Finney - Daddy Warbucks
Carol Burnett - Miss Hannigan
Aileen Quinn - Annie
Ann Reinking - Grace Farrell
Bernadette Peters - Lily

John Huston's big-screen adaptation of the Broadway smash Annie arrives on DVD with a standard full-frame transfer that fails to preserve the original theatrical aspect ratio of the film. Though fine for what it is, the full-frame transfer cramps the film in a way that will bother film lovers. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while French and Spanish soundtracks have been recorded in Dolby Digital Surround. English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Thai, and Korean subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include a ten-minute featurette with the now grown Aileen Quinn, who discusses the wonderful time she had making the movie and how difficult the process of getting the part was. Another extra allows youngsters to sing along with the songs in the film. A music video from the Swedish pop band Play performing "It's the Hard-Knock Life," and a selection of trailers rounds out this release. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide