Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #820 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-04-19
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Formats: Collector's Edition, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, English, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 122 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Though it's not in the same league as the classic screen musicals, Annie's heartwarming rags-to-riches storyline, social comment (shallow as it may be) and catchy songs make for an entertaining and unpretentious 90 minutes' viewing. Aileen Quinn is the irrepressible titular orphan, by no means as irritating as she looks in the cover picture; Albert Finney is Oliver Warbucks, the tyrannical tycoon (with a hidden heart of gold, of course) who adopts her for a week in the interests of good PR. The real show-stopper, though, is Carol Burnett as the gin-soaked harpy Miss Hannigan, ruling with an iron fist over an orphanage full of unruly girls, flirting with every man in sight and eventually scheming with her unscrupulous brother (Tim Curry) to kidnap Annie and reap a fat Warbucks reward cheque. While the songs--including "Tomorrow", "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" and "It's a Hard Knock Life"--are excellent, the kids' voices are shrill and the production pretty low-rent: Annie is very obviously a stage show brought to screen on a low budget. But while it lacks the polish that make the Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner and Loewe musicals so special, it's funny and sweet and has a rough charm all its own.

On the DVD: The film is presented in widescreen, preserving its original 2.35:1 aspect, and is enhanced for 16:9 widescreen TVs; the soundtrack is Dolby surround, though as noted above the music score is relatively rough and ready so top-notch sound isn't actually as important as it would be in other musicals. The extras are pretty disappointing--an uninspired interactive menu features only the obligatory multi-language subtitles, (very) short biographies of the key cast members, a few publicity cards and posters, the theatrical trailer and--most interestingly--an isolated musical score. No commentary from director John Huston, no documentaries, nothing about the 1930s cartoon strip that was, apparently, one of the most popular of its day. There's actually more information in the accompanying booklet than there is on the disc. --Rikki Price

DVD Description
The irresistable orphan of comic-strip and box office fame comes to life in this acclaimed musical production. In her search for her true parents, Annie has many adventures and encounters a number of colourful characters.

Special Features

• Theatrical trailer
  
• Vintage advertising. 8 lobby cards and 3 posters
  
• Isolated Score
  
• Filmographies: John Huston (Director), Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Aileen Quinn, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, and Ann Reinking

DVD Technical Information:

• Running Time: 122 minutes
  
• Languages: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish
  
• Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portugese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
  
• Audio: Dolby Surround
  
• Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic - 2.35:1
  
• Disc Type: DVD5

Customer Reviews

Ok, so it's not set at Christmas, but we can overlook that!

With songs such as Hard Knock Life, You're Never Fully Dressed (without a smile) and Let's Go to the Movies, 'Annie' is sure to put a smile on your face. The story is well known... little orphan Annie is living in a 1920's orphanage in New York, run by the drunken tyrant Miss Hannigan. Local millionaire Oliver Warbucks invites an orphan to stay at his mansion for a week as a humanitarian gesture (in other words to get good publicity) and yes, our friend Annie is the lucky thing that stays there and proceeds to win his heart. However Annie's heart lies with finding her real parents, which prompts Miss Hannigan and her brother Rooster into forming a dastardly plan which is set to tear Annie and Daddy Warbucks apart...

This is an uplifting and heart-warming film which should delight children and adults alike. A worthy addition to any DVD collection, should this kind of film be your cup of tea.

My Childhood
Annie was a film that I had enjoyed right throughout my young years, to the extent that I had worn out three VHS tapes of the show. I love this film to to this day and always felt it emanated a feeling of warmth and security into a childs heart, with the unknowing contrast of a child who is comfortable in a well off society to that of the lives of little Annie, Molly and Duffy. This production allowed me as a child to see the poorer side of life, not in a frightened manner but one which could be filled with ones own happiness.

A truly delightful film for all to watch, it touched my heart then and continues to. The songs are great too, my favorite being Maybe, the thoughts of an orphans dream of meeting her parents. I love it!!!

Great!!
I rented this off another DVD rental site purely because when this film came out I was 8 and loved it! My middle daughter is the same age now and I knew both her and my other kids would enjoy it too (son is 11 watched it twice! and daughter 3 watched it as much as my 8 yr old, ie lots until I sent it back! I am now going to buy this for my daughters for christmas, I think it is a bit silly now at my age but stil enjoy it!a fun family film with a feel good factor, though a bit 'american' for adults!!ie lots of slush! WE LOVE YOU MISS HANNIGAN! I still remembered this after 24 years!!!!