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Something that makes her and the 1982 musical that bares her name, a well-mounted but only vaguely satisfying experience. Could it be the music? There are only three memorable songs in the film: the wonderful It's the Hard-Knock Life, the classic Tomorrow and the bittersweet Maybe. The rest are nice enough, but hardly hum-worthy. And to cloud matters further, some songs (for instance, Lets Go To The Movies) were written specifically for the film, replacing better songs from the original 70s stage production.

Could it be the screenplay? Screenwriter Arlene Phillips (The Toy) had the original book as a starting point, but her resulting effort, while good enough not to be bad, lacks sparkle and memorable dialogue. Subplots involving Daddy Warbucks' secretary and Miss Hannigan's brother seem half-assed. Plus, the climax, with Annie dangling from a bridge, seems added so the film will have a cinematic denouement.

Could it be the director? The great John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, Prizzi's Honor) was an odd choice and he tries mightily to make himself appropriate to the material. There is some top-notch shot composition and he uses nice, long takes during the dance numbers. However, he just doesn't have the light touch to really make the film fun.

Could it be the cast? The cast is the only aspect of the production that cannot be faulted. Aileen Quinn is all spunk and smile in a difficult lead role, while Albert Finney, as Daddy Warbucks, gives the whole production wonderful heft. The supporting players are well-cast. The beautiful Ann Reinking, along with Carol Burnett, Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters are terrific.

So why does Annie leave the viewer so tepid? Call it death by pinprick. There is nothing overwhelmingly bad about the film, but everyone was off their game just enough. Oddly, with the expectations of moviegoers in 1982 long forgotten, Annie holds up well and does not feel dated. In fact, today's viewer may enjoy it more than audiences did upon its original theatrical release, when the film failed to make back its astounding (for the time) $50 million budget.

The original Annie comic was created by Harold Gray in 1924. He would continue to draw the strip until his death in 1968. In 1976, a musical version of Annie premiered to scathing reviews, but the show was continually reworked until it hit Broadway in 1977. By the time the film came out, expectations were as high as the budget. The film is, using comic-to-film terminology, an origin story. Annie is living a joyless existence in an orphanage run by the evil and drunk Mrs. Hannigan (Burnett). When billionaire Daddy Warbucks (Finney) decides to polish his image by adopting an orphan for one week, Annie is the lucky girl. Warbucks takes a shine to Annie and decides she should stay with him permanently. Complications ensue when Mrs. Hannigan's brother Rooster (Curry) and girlfriend Lilly (Peters) pose as Annie's birth parents, in an attempt to collect a bounty and kidnap the precocious tyke.

Kids will enjoy Annie's colorful adventures as she's plucked from oblivion and made the center of a loving father's universe. Adults will sit through it willingly, even enjoying the performances (especially Finney) and a couple of the better songs. It ain't West Side Story or South Pacific, but the little ones will hardly care that the film does not live up the reputations of those who made it.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Annie is presented in 1.33:1 full frame, which for a big-budget musical is heresy. The original DVD was a 2.35:1 effort, and badly presented (read review) so God knows what Columbia Tri-Star was thinking. My only guess would be that a full screen picture would be more pleasing to small children, who care not about anamorphic anything. If that's the case, why not include both versions? It's not like they needed every ounce of disc space for a crystal clear transfer.

Indeed, the print is in below average shape. Grain is evident in any scene with even a moderately dark shade. The overall picture is soft, with adequate fleshtones. Colors are dull, which is appropriate to the material, however when colors do come into play (Annie's signature red dress, for example), it's hardly dynamic. Not surprisingly, exteriors with flat, unchallenging lighting were smooth, if dusty. Blacks are deep, but sprinkled with grain and shadow detail tends toward murky. If nothing else, there were no edge enhancements, pixelation or other transfer-specific problems. Overall, there's nothing particularly special about this Special Anniversary Edition.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

If the video is surprisingly bad, the audio is surprisingly good. There are DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 options and both are better than expected. The only quibble would be with the general lack of dynamic range. Most of the dialogue and music lack any substantial bass action. In fact, the dialogue, although always understandable, can be a bit hollow or tinny. Otherwise, there is nice effort put into the lefts and rights, with little surprises waiting in each chapter, be it a directional voice or nifty sound effect. Dialogue comes mainly from the center speaker. The musical numbers were full and enveloping, although the aforementioned lack of dynamic range was a bummer. The DTS track is a little more engaging, but both are lively and fun.

Subtitles are available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai. There are also audio tracks available in Spanish and French.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Columbia Tri- Star Home Video has tailored the supplements to the kids, a smart move considering the film just isn't interesting or historic enough to warrant an audio commentary or full-length documentary.

My Hollywood Adventure with Aileen Quinn is the nice, if unenlightening return of the actress who played Annie. The adult Quinn, who looks terrific and can read a teleprompter with the best of 'em, relates how she got the gig and how fabulous the cast was. Since it's aimed at youngsters, there is no gossip and the information is rudimentary ("Movie studios do a screen test when they want to know exactly what you look like on film."). Still, there is some sweet vintage footage (including Quinn's final screen test with Finney) and it's fun to see Quinn all grown up.

Next are three Activities aimed squarely at entertaining your little monster. First is The Age of Annie Trivia Game, in which kids must answer questions about the film. If correct, they're treated to some historical trivia relevant to that answer. Kids will learn about the creation of the Empire State Building and life in the 1920's. It's a good, educational supplement that's well put-together.

The next activity is Sing Along with Annie. It takes the songs, It's the Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow and Maybe and presents them in karaoke form so your kids can sing at the top of their lungs and annoy the crap out of you. Lyrics are on the bottom of the screen, accompanied by a red, bouncing ball.
The final activity is Act Along with Annie. Viewers get the chance to play Annie in three scenes, with acting tips provided by Aileen Quinn. First, the scene is played as it appears in the film, with Annie's lines subtitled. Then, the viewer can play the scene with Annie's audio removed, allowing the viewer to recite her dialogue. As with Sing Along with Annie, it's a good activity for the wee ones.

Next, the teen pop group Play regales us with their hopped up rendition of It's the Hard Knock Life. Presumably, a music video from these pre-fabricated cuties means something to someone. However, adults having no idea what's going on will still enjoy their neo-Cyndi Lauper clothing and complete lack of screen presence or singing ability.

Finally, there are theatrical trailers for Daddy Cay Care, Matilda, Stuart Little 2, Baby Sitter's Club and the Swan Princess Collection.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

There are no ROM extras on the disc.

Parting Thoughts