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Blu-Ray : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
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Release Date: October 2nd, 2012 Movie Release Year: 1982

Annie: 30th Anniversary Edition

Overview -

The charismatic little orphaned Annie's luck changes for the better when billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Albert Finney, Erin Brockovich) arrives at the orphanage looking to take one of the children for a short time. Annie soon charms the billionaire with her lively, warm nature, and together they set out to search for Annie's parents. With the mean head of the orphanage, Miss Hannigan (Carol Burnett, The Secret World of Arrietty) attempting to hinder their plan, Annie's search will prove to be quite a heartwarming journey.

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
Blu-ray/Ultraviolet Digital Copy
Video Resolution/Codec:
1080p/AVC MPEG-4
Length:
127
Aspect Ratio(s):
2.40:1
Audio Formats:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
Danish, English, Finnish, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish, Turkish
Special Features:
Original trailers and TV spots
Release Date:
October 2nd, 2012

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

“Do I hear happiness in here?”

Traditionally, I am just not a musical kind of person. It’s a different story when you’re watching a live stage show where there’s an expectation for limitless songs and pageantry. When it comes to a movie, I have a tough time staying in the moment when people are singing to each other a conversation that could easily be spoken with their indoor voices. The good thing for those worrying what kind of soul I have resting in my body, I am not a lost cause. ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ ‘Hello Dolly!,’ ‘The Music Man,’ among others have wormed their way into my heart. Even better news ­ John Huston’s 1982 production of ‘Annie’ ranks among the best of the bunch. You’d have to be a real cynic to find fault with this darling of a show.

‘Annie’ follows the adventures of a scrappy redheaded orphan and her wily best friend dog named Sandy. Originating in the early 1900s as a newspaper cartoon strip, ‘Annie’ quickly became the queen of all media as she took over the radio, Broadway, and in 1982 shone brightly and proudly on the silver screen. Featuring a stellar cast in Aileen Quinn as the titular Annie, Albert Finney as the gruff Daddy Warbucks, Ann Reinking as Mrs. Ferrell, the always hilarious Carol Burnett as the lush Mrs. Hannigan and Tim Curry as her less than honest brother Rooster, ­this movie is entertainment gold as each principal player gives it their all.

By now most everyone are aware of the general story about a willful orphan who awaits the return of her parents and is temporarily adopted in a PR maneuver to better the public image of weapons developer Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks. The busy Mr. Warbucks couldn’t care less about the child he’s taken in ­seemingly preferring a boy ­but given his busy schedule any child would be hard pressed to earn his attentions let alone crack his tough outer shell and expose the tender heart inside. But that isn’t going to keep Annie from trying!

This movie as a whole plays like an updated version of ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ nice soft-­hearted young girl calms the loud and angry creature that resides in a secluded mansion. Sure, Annie could be entertained with any frivolous feature found in Warbucks’ mansion, but instead she sets her sights on him, recognizing right away that for a man who has everything, he isn’t having much fun in life. Where this movie really works is in the reflections of everyone’s hopes and dreams. On one end of the spectrum you have the orphans from the Hudson Street Home For Girls and their minder Mrs. Hannigan, on the other you have “Daddy” Warbucks, Mrs. Ferrell, and even President Roosevelt (the late Edward Herman),­ together they’re a pack of dreamers longing for a more meaningful life. While it offers no solid answers or solutions to life’s mysteries, ‘Annie’ is a movie that celebrates the dreamer and the idea that anything can happen so long as you’re open to new people and experiences.

John Huston did the right thing by trusting his cast for this production. The life and death of any show hangs on solid performances, and ‘Annie’ features a rock solid assortment. Aileen Quinn carries the movie on her charm, energy, and freckles alone. Then you have Albert Finney as the cantankerous “Daddy” Warbucks, delivering some of the finest deadpan comedy you could ever see. However, I would be doing the movie a monstrous disservice if I failed to single out Carol Burnett as the perpetually drunk Mrs. Hannigan. As anyone who has seen her television shows or even short clips on YouTube knows, Carol Burnett is the queen of physical comedy. On top of these amazing performances you have Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters who do their best work as dopey, sleazy shills out to get theirs.

In this modern age of remakes, needless sequels, and franchise reboots, it makes rediscovering a gem like ‘Annie’ something wonderful to experience. I hadn’t watched this movie earnestly except for passing fleeting moments in probably 25 years and I was more than happy to feel that joyful smile I wore as a kid stitch its way back onto my face. And that’s something no remake can recreate. If this version of ‘Annie’ hasn’t yet made its way into your home, make room for it today.

The Blu-­ray: Vital Disc Stats

‘Annie’ comes packaged with a traditional keepcase, with transparent images on the inside of the artwork sleeve. No trailers delay the disc’s loading to the main menu options, and if you must stop the show early, the disc remembers where you left off. 

Video Review

Ranking:

30 years can show a lot of age on some movies but ‘Annie’ is a breath of fresh air for a catalog title. The film’s 2.40:1 framed production design and muted color scheme shines bright and clear with a beautiful restoration. The picture maintains a wonderful film­-like appearance with a solid grain structure that maintains depth and detail without compromising black levels. There is slight softness in the overall image, but I’d wager that is by intention as fine detail doesn’t suffer. For a musical it offers a lot for the eyes to see and enjoy.

Audio Review

Ranking:

Boasting a crisp and clear English 5.1 DTS­HD MA track ­ the audio never falls flat. For all of the song and dance numbers, the voices come through with fantastic dynamic range that doesn’t over power and is nicely spread around for a clean and even surround mix.

Japanese, French, German, Spanish, and Italian options are also available.

Special Features

Ranking:

There may not be a lot of mind blowing extras here, but what is available isn’t too bad.

My Hollywood Adventure With Aileen Quinn (HD ­ 12:04) ­ This is a pleasant little retrospective featuring a now fully grown Aileen Quinn discussing her history with the production, how she got the part, her experiences on set, and life after the show.

Music Performance by Play: “It’s a Hard-­Knock Life” (HD ­ 3:20) ­ This is a simple rather bland pop remake of the song and should probably be avoided if you like your ears.
   
Original Trailers and TV Spots (HD) Consists of the original theatrical trailer, behind the scenes teaser trailer, and 3 TV spots.

‘Annie’ is one of those wonderful movies that is truly of its era. It was magic in a bottle that would be hard to ever capture again, as two remakes of this amazing film have now proven. From it’s cast to it’s production design to it’s assured direction from screen legend John Huston, 'Annie' is a cinematic wonder that everyone in the family from the littlest to the biggest should enjoy. With only a smattering of extra features, this Blu-­ray disc boasts a stellar picture with pitch ­perfect sound. This is highly recommended.