With all the different screen versions of Annie the musical, it's nice that there is a film that feels like the forgotten comic series that started it all. There were two Little Orphan Annie films in the 40s that I have been dying to see since I was 9. I'm 18, as of this review. Other than those lost films, the other Annie films have been remakes of the tired musical version. I love the 1982 version for various sentimental reasons, and even the Kathy Bates one, but this one is really something new, and unlike the others. I first saw this when I was 7, back in 2012, in a double pack with the 1982 Annie, and I have many fond memories of watching it quite a bit as a kid. For one, the beautiful, amazing Joan Collins is in here, and she is clearly having fun as the villain, and just as glamorous as ever. Also, I think the actress playing Annie is really spunky and likable. I won't go into the plot other than Annie takes a trip to the U. K. and helps solve a crime. That plot sounds exactly like one of the comics, right? I used to collect Little Orphan Annie things when I was 9-12, so I read a lot of the original comics, and listened to some of the radio plays. I'm sure most people nowadays have never heard of the original Little Orphan Annie stories, and they only know of Annie the musical, so that is why they are put off by this film, seeing as there is only one musical number, but watching this will give you an idea of what Annie was like in the beginning, mixed with just a little bit of the musical.
Review of Annie: A Royal Adventure!
Annie: A Royal Adventure!
(1995 TV Movie)
More like the original comics, rather than the musical, and I'm glad.
30 November 2023