Annie premiered on ABC on November 7, 1999. The program, which was a rare partnership between Columbia TriStar Television and Walt Disney Television, proved to be popular during its initial airing, with an estimated 26.3 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched Disney film ever to air on ABC behind Cinderella (1997). This version earned two Emmy Awards and a George Foster Peabody Award. It would be followed by a third film adaptation of the musical in 2014 and a fourth adaptation that was a live NBC production of the musical.
Plot
In 1933, during the Great Depression, 11-year-old orphan Annie Bennett was left on her own at the NYC Municipal Orphange Girls Annex when she was an infant. The only two things that she received from her family was half a heart-shaped locket with a key hole, and a note from her parents saying that they would come back for her. The orphanage is run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan, who starves the orphans, and forces them to do child labor in order to help them gain work experience until she ultimately releases them by giving them various jobs in New York City once they reach adulthood. In the middle of the night, after getting tired of waiting for her parents, Annie tries to escape to find them, but is caught by Miss Hannigan in the process. When Miss Hannigan gets distracted, Annie hides in the dirty laundry bin and she finally succeeds in running away.
While out on her own, Annie befriends a dog, whom she names Sandy. But police officer Lt. Ward catches her and returns her to the orphanage, where Miss Hannigan punishes Annie with extra chores. When billionaire Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to take in an orphan for Christmas, his secretary Grace Farrell chooses Annie. Annie and Sandy are brought to his wealthy estate and bathe in a grand life.
Although at first uncomfortable with Annie, Daddy Warbucks is soon charmed by her. He desperately wants to adopt Annie, but Annie still wants to find her real parents, so he announces on the radio a $50,000 reward for anybody who can prove they are her biological parents. The orphans accidentally tell Miss Hannigan, causing her to hire her younger con artist brother Rooster, and his dimwitted girlfriend Lily St. Regis to get the reward by posing as Ralph and Shirley Mudge (Annie's "so called" parents) and retrieve Annie.[1]
Lily is left with the orphans after Miss Hannigan and Rooster leave, but Lily accidentally tells the secret. The orphans make her tell them what is going on, and she realizes that Rooster could leave her hanging as he has done before in the past. She and the orphans come to Warbucks' mansion where Lily demands her part in the cut while the orphans reveal the scheme. While fleeing from the orphans, Miss Hannigan and Rooster are intercepted upon the arrival of President Franklin D. Roosevelt along with his Secret Service. President Roosevelt reads the papers that identify Miss Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily leading to Rooster and Lily getting arrested by the Secret Service. This enrages Miss Hannigan, who blames Annie for foiling her brother's plot to bring her back to her for corporal punishment. As Miss Hannigan is about to beat Annie up, she is carted off to a psychiatric hospital as the criminal mastermind behind Rooster's plot, causing her orphanage to ultimately go out of business.
President Roosevelt then presents the evidence to Annie that her real parents are actually David and Margaret Bennett, who died from a fire when Annie was a baby, which explains why they never returned for her. Although Annie is saddened that her real parents are dead, she is cheered up when Daddy Warbucks officially adopts her. President Roosevelt ensures a happy ending for all as he promises that each of the other orphans will be adopted by a stable and happy family. Daddy Warbucks and Grace become engaged, and Annie lives happily with her new parents and Sandy.
Cast
Victor Garber as Mr. Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, a lonely billionaire businessman who opens his heart to Annie and becomes her adoptive father.
Alicia Morton as Annie Bennett Warbucks, an optimistic 11-year-old orphan searching for her biological parents. She gets adopted by Oliver and Grace.
Audra McDonald as Miss Grace Farrell, Personal Secretary (later wife) to Daddy Warbucks. She eventually fell in love with Daddy Warbucks and becomes Annie's adoptive mother.
Kathy Bates as Miss Agatha Hannigan/Mrs. Shirley Mudge (disguise), the cruel owner of the orphanage where Annie lives.
Alan Cumming as Daniel Francis "Rooster" Hannigan/Danny the Dip/Mr. Ralph Mudge (disguise), Agatha's dastardly younger brother and con-artist.
Kristin Chenoweth as Lily St. Regis/Sadie Algonquin/Phyllis the Filcher, Rooster's girlfriend.
The Orphans
Erin Adams as Tessie, the 8 year old orphan with mood swings. Tessie goes from being happy one minute to worrisome the next. She also gets adopted by Oliver and Grace and becomes Annie's 8 year old sister.
Sarah Hyland as Molly, the youngest of the orphans. Molly is 7 years old and has a cute doll. She also gets adopted by Oliver Warbucks and Grace Farrell and becomes Annie and Tessie's little sister.
Lalaine as Katherine "Kate", the tomboyish Mexican-American orphan who is friends with Annie. Kate is shy, is 11 years old and wears glasses. She also gets adopted by Oliver and Grace and becomes Annie, Tessie and Molly's sister.
Nanea Miyata as July, the oldest orphan at age 13. She is motherly to the other orphans and has a doll too. Also, she gets adopted by Oliver and Grace and becomes Annie, Tessie, Molly and Kate's 13 year old sister.
Marissa Rago as Pepper, the second oldest orphan at 12 years old. She is bossy and thinks that she's too old to be adopted. Eventually, Pepper gets adopted by Oliver and Grace and becomes Annie, Tessie, Molly, Kate and July's 12 year old sister.
Danielle Wilson as Duffy, the loud and confident 10 year old African American orphan with a talent for singing. She dreams of being famous. She, also gets adopted by Oliver and Grace and becomes Annie, Tessie, Molly, Kate, July and Pepper's 10 year old sister.
Recurring cast
Andrea McArdle as Star-To-Be (McArdle originated the role of Annie in the musical)
The film's soundtrack was released on November 2, 1999, by Sony Classical.
The songs in this version reflect those of the original 1977 production, but does not include "We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover", "Tomorrow (Cabinet Reprise)", "Annie", or "New Deal for Christmas". However, it does include a reprise of "N.Y.C." and of "Little Girls" that takes place at the end of the film, rather than after the song itself.
"You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" (Reprise) - Orphans
"Something Was Missing" - Warbucks
"I Don't Need Anything But You" - Warbucks and Annie
"Maybe" (Reprise 2) - Grace
"Tomorrow" (Reprise) - Grace
"Little Girls" (Reprise) - Miss Hannigan
"Finale: I Don't Need Anything But You" (Reprise) - Warbucks, Grace, and Annie
Production
ABC began work on the film following the success of Cinderella.[2] Although the stage musical, Annie, had already been adapted as a film in 1982, the film was considered to be a critical and commercial failure.[3] Zadan and Meron saw remaking the musical as an opportunity to rectify the previous adaptation's errors.[3] They enlisted Cinderella's choreographer Rob Marshall to direct and made the orphans ethnically diverse.[3] Zadan and Meron were both so impressed by Rob's work throughout Cinderella (saying he acted like a director) that they both asked Marshall to direct and choreograph. At first he turned it down, saying, "I'm not a director, I'm a choreographer. I don't know why you're even offering me this movie." Then Zadan and Meron asked if he ever thought about directing a movie, to which he then said, "No. I don't know anything about film." After long discussions, Rob finally agreed to direct it, but Disney executives didn't want him. They said, "Annie is too valuable a property. We're not gonna give it to a guy who's never directed a movie." Yet, because Zadan and Meron both really believed in him, they told the executives for weeks that they wouldn't produce it. They knew that since Cinderella was so successful, the last thing Disney wanted to do was make another musical not produced by them. So they kept calling, saying, "Let's go over a list of directors," but Zadan and Meron kept saying, "no," because they really wanted Rob Marshall to do it. Disney eventually conceded and allowed him to direct and choreograph.[4] Filming began in June 1999 and took place entirely on location in Los Angeles.[5]
When it came to casting Lily St. Regis, the network wanted Ginger Spice to play the part. Yet, it was Rob Marshall who successfully fought for Kristin Chenoweth despite her mainly being a Broadway name at the time.[6]
McDonald recalled in a 2017 interview that there was a reshoot of the final scene that showed her character, a black woman, getting engaged to Daddy Warbucks; she suggested the reason for the reshoots was that Disney and ABC were "a little uncomfortable" having a black woman being engaged to a white man.[7] However, the other members of the cast and crew were not happy about having to do the reshoot, and Garber intentionally performed the scene badly so that it couldn't make it into the final cut.[7]
The dancers' costumes and the stage set of the Broadway section of "N.Y.C." are taken directly from the "Broadway Melody" ballet in Singin' in the Rain.
This was the second time Kathy Bates and Victor Garber starred alongside each other in a film. They had previously appeared in James Cameron's 1997 disaster epic film Titanic.
The program proved to be popular during its initial airing, with an estimated 26.3 million viewers, making it the second-most-watched Disney movie ever to air on ABC behind Cinderella (1997).[8][9] This film was praised for its casting and for being closer to the stage production than the 1982 film.[10]
^Michael Scheinfeld. ""Annie" (1999) review". Common Sense Media. Retrieved November 2, 2007. ...the conniving Hannigan and her unscrupulous brother pose as Annie's parents...
