Annie

Annie is a young orphan living in a rundown New York orphanage run by the cold Miss Hannigan. Her attempts to run away keep failing, but a chance arrives when she is invited to spend the Christmas holidays at the home of the wealthy businessman Oliver Warbucks. The cheerful girl soon wins him over, and he considers adopting her, but Annie still hopes to find her real parents. When Warbucks offers a reward to anyone who can locate them, others see an opportunity not to be missed.

This 1999 Disney television musical, based on the long-running stage show, was directed by Rob Marshall in his feature debut and produced by Brad Krevoy and John Whitman. Alicia Morton plays Annie, with Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan, Victor Garber as Warbucks, Alan Cumming as Rooster, Audra McDonald as Grace Farrell and Kristin Chenoweth as Lily St. Regis. The film runs ninety minutes and was made for around 8 million dollars. Marshall went on to direct Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha, Nine, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns and The Little Mermaid.

Audiences have received it favourably, with a rating of 6.7 out of 10 on IMDb from more than 6,400 votes and 6.5 out of 10 on TMDB from over 200 votes. Those figures suggest a modest but enduring following for this small-screen adaptation of the familiar story.