Orphaned Annie? A Look Back at the Forgotten 'Annie' Adaptation
Alicia Morton and Kathy Bates in the 1999 Annie
The new remake of Annie that hits theaters this weekend takes pains to wrangle the 1920s-set musical into the modern era. The result is a vast departure from the beloved 1977 Broadway musical. Then again, so was the first Annie movie, directed by John Huston and released in 1982, which added a dramatic kidnapping plot and swapped out multiple songs.
The most faithful stage-to-screen adaptation of Annie is, in fact, the made-for-TV movie that aired on ABC in 1999, which you can watch below (via YouTube). The 1999 Annie was the directorial debut of Rob Marshall, who coincidentally directed this winter’s other big studio musical, Into the Woods. The TV movie feels a little stagey, but that’s okay: It’s very much in the spirit of the play, which is full of knowing winks to the audience. Kathy Bates puts in a terrific performance as villainous orphanage manager Miss Hannigan, rivaling the great Carol Burnett.
Best of all, the film is cast almost entirely with mega-talented Broadway performers like Audra McDonald, Victor Garber, Alan Cumming, and Kristin Chenoweth, who make the hard-knock business of singing and dancing onscreen look as fun and effortless as it should. Future Modern Family star Sarah Hyland is adorable as the littlest orphan; Alicia Morton makes a fine screen debut in the title role; and there’s a great cameo by Andrea McArdle (the original stage Annie) in the song “NYC,” which has been unjustly cut from every other movie adaptation.
