Customer Reviews

Annie (Widescreen/Full Screen)

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(40)

 

 

There is no doubt in my mind that Annie is a delightful movie and I must say that I even prefer it over the play which was also pretty good. Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Tim Curry, Bernadette Peters, Ann Reinking and Aileen Quinn are all terrific but what a total disappointment to find out that Columbia gave the shaft to us fans who were expecting to own the special Anniversary Edition in widescreen only to find out they only put it out in the dreaded pan & scan only! My advice is to look for a used copy of the old out of print DVD that included both widescreen and fullscreen and just rent this pan & scan DVD to view the extra features! The old DVD may not have had the best picture quality but at least they had the courtesy to include widescreen! Lets hope that Columbia will be nice to the widescreen fans and put out a Anniversary Edition widescreen DVD for us!

This musical in general does nothing for me... however if it were up to my 2 and 4 year old daughters, we would watch this DVD 24 hours a day! My 2 year knows all the words to the songs, and I wake up every morning to her belting out "Tomorrow." So, if you have kids, I definately think this movie is for you. I do however, like... love Carol Burnett in this role. I don't see what all of the bad reviews are about.

This movie is one that you can truly say has everything.
The dialogue is fabulous. It defines the era well, makes the characters believable, and will keep you rolling with laughter. The songs are pleasant and fun and have become standards and the choreography is wonderful. The story is as exciting as it is heart warming. There's a pleasant mix of suspense, adventure, humor, and sentiment.
Even with so much already going for it, the highlight of the movie is the characters, and the actors who portray them. Carol Burnett is hilarious as Miss Hannigan. She delivers a very memorable performance, and makes one of the most loveable movie villains ever. Albert Finney does a perfect job with Daddy Warbucks, and its great fun to watch him tranform from a stern business man to a father with a heart of gold. There's also a strong supporting cast that all add to the flavor of the movie.
This movie is good fun for all ages, and no matter how many times I've watched it, I've never gotten sick of it... in fact I've only found more things to appreciate about it over the years.

I have done reviews for the new "special edition" DVD of "Annie" and also the Disney remake from 1999. Both of these were only worthy of 1 star but the actual film from 1982 really deserves 5 stars in my opinion. "Annie" was my favorite movie when I was a kid. It was always a special treat when my Dad would allow me to stay up late to watch it. At one point I had actually memorized the entire film line for line. For a little girl it's a fun movie with great songs. Now that I am older I can watch the film with new appreciation and really wonder why it didn't get better reviews when it came out. I may have figured out why that is though. I believe it had to do with the comparison between the movie and stage musical. The people who loved the live show seem to be partial to that where as most people who have only seen the movie, like me, think it's great. I believe the movie stands on it's own when not being compared to anything and had that comparison not been an issue it probably would have received proper reviews. I understand how people can be partial though. I definitely am when it comes to this film because it's what I know. Still, I can't see how certain aspects could go unnoticed. As I was older I was really able to appreciate Carol Burnett's performance as Miss Hannigan. I can't imagine anyone making this character come more alive. She's detestable while being entertaining at the same time. Disney really missed the mark on this character when they remade to movie. Another element I can really appreciate as an adult is the relationship between Annie and Daddy Warbucks and how it developed naturally throughout the movie. He starts out incredibly hard hearted, but through the charm of a dirty, almost homely, little orphan he sees there is more to life than just money and power. She truly wins him over. Because of all these things I still love watching this movie through the eyes of my inner child. It can cause me to get a little misty eyed, but maybe it's because I am a sentimental sap. There is just so much to enjoy from beginning to end. I am especially glad I was able to get a copy of this DVD edition before it went out of print because believe me, widescreen is really necessary with this movie. All my life I only saw it full screen and watching it on this DVD I was able to see all kind of little things I missed. It's worth trading in the extras for.

My childhood favorite movie. I actually wore out several VHS's as a kid because I watched it over & over. I still really enjoy it & now I'm able to watch this with my daughter & see how much she enjoys it. Wide Screen would've been nice but I think for the little ones Full Screen is better so I'm not going to complain about that much. The features are great & Annie is darling. Music is awesome & I think any little girl would fall in love with this movie.

please be aware that there's no widescreen format included in this dvd. i bought it assuming that the "anniversary edition" would have it, but it didn't. i seriously felt cheated.
so, here it is: content - five stars (it's a great musical; smartly written, great performances by an awesome cast, funny and endearing.
technical - one star (crappy full screen only)

Please, most of the reviews I've read of this movie are so critical. Might I remind people this is a children's movie. I loved it as a girl and my daughter of just 4 months loves the music too.
Not every movie should be critiqued, perhaps we can just appreciate how good it makes us feel.
Just my opinion,
Heather

There are a few reviews out there that say full frame is just fine and we should stop crying and just say how good the movie is. Well I can't when the movie is no longer good. Full screen doesn't just take away almost half the movie, it brings an added grain to the movie that makes them unwatchable. If you believe this is not true then just watch the special feature that is included on "Die Hard" the five star edition. I tried watching "Annie", but I couldn't because it was no longer the crisp and clear version I remember seeing at the movie theater.

Really small on the back cover you'll find your purchased an all new anniversary FULL SCREEN version of this movie. Only released this way apparently. Wasn't until I popped it in that I found this out. If I could return it I would and go buy the original release which apparently has both full and wide.

This movie shines like the top of the Chrysler building!
I absolutely loved this movie. Aileen Quinn is the perfect Annie, and no one could play the part as well as her. They say that she really has brown hair, but I can't imagine without that curly red mop of hers. To me she will always be Annie.
The reason I gave this movie 4 stars instead of 5 is because of 2 reasons:
1. Miss Hanigan's drunk scenes. Aren't they, um, a bit inappropriate for kids?
2. The dances keep showing their underwear in the dances. They might have at least gave them petticoats or such, or been a bit more careful. You can do a 'kicking dance without showing your unmentionables. Oh well!
Other than that I just loved this video, and its super songs have gotten me singing them all day.
"...No one cares for you a smidge, when you're in an orphanage, it's a hard knock life..."