Let me start by saying I was unhappy with the 1982 version. I've hated the way they've handled the songs and replaced the original Broadway ones with generic ones. So, obviously, I was hoping this version was going to be better, well, it wasn't. Actually, the only thing it has better than the 1982 version are how the songs are handled, the rest is just better on the older one.
My first issue with this movie is the casting. I understand Annie was originally played by a blond (Andrea McArdle). Yet, the Broadway musical still liked to remind us that the character was, indeed, red headed. Why did they cast a brunette to play Annie? Then, we have the racially diverse orphans and Grace, who's now black. Seriously, this story is set on the 30's, it was completely unlikely for the time to have racially diverse orphanages, much less racially diverse romance between powerful figures. Finally, who was the genius that decided to cast Kathy Bates to play Miss Hannigan? She does not look like her original incarnation on Broadway, much less the 1982 incarnation. I also find it impressive how all the orphans remain beautiful, pink-cheeked, well-dressed girls, even though they're supposed to be poor.
My second issue with the movie is the plot alterations. Why didn't they include Miss Hannigan being an alcoholic? It makes no sense, later on the movie, Rooster pulls off a knife and outright implies he's gonna slit Annie's throat. Then, we have Lily, who does absolutely NOTHING in the movie, she's just there. The role of Annie's fake mom is given to Hannigan, which makes even less sense than the previous change. How did Annie, the girl who spent her entire life hating this woman and knows what she's like, not notice she was posing as her mother? I will never know. But wait, but there's more. Instead of giving Lily an actual role, they have decided she was gonna be the one to ruin Rooster and Hannigan's plan. Way to go, writers! Oh, and also, Sandy does absolutely nothing in this film, he just follows Annie around, barks at fake Annie's parents, and that's it. This just blows compared to the 1982 version, where he actually helped saving both Annie's and Warbuck's lives.
Now, my biggest issue with this movie: It has zero character development. Things happen so fast, it's almost unbelievable how characters like each other. When Grace comes to pick Annie up, she just decides to take the first girl she sees, Annie does NOTHING to win her over. Then, Annie and Mr. Warburck's relationship. It starts with Annie asking to watch him working, then cut to a musical number, then they're suddenly all Father-Daughter figure. To top it off, Sandy comes in right at the end and jumps over Mr. Warbuck's car. Grace just says "Well, sir, you've always wanted a dog!" and that's it: Warbucks and Sandy are great friends! Really, now? But despite all the issues, I think this movie is still really enjoyable. It would've been perfect, had it followed 1982's version and fixed the musical numbers. Sadly, it didn't happen. But at least, most of it was very faithful to the original Broadway production, which I respect Disney for.
My first issue with this movie is the casting. I understand Annie was originally played by a blond (Andrea McArdle). Yet, the Broadway musical still liked to remind us that the character was, indeed, red headed. Why did they cast a brunette to play Annie? Then, we have the racially diverse orphans and Grace, who's now black. Seriously, this story is set on the 30's, it was completely unlikely for the time to have racially diverse orphanages, much less racially diverse romance between powerful figures. Finally, who was the genius that decided to cast Kathy Bates to play Miss Hannigan? She does not look like her original incarnation on Broadway, much less the 1982 incarnation. I also find it impressive how all the orphans remain beautiful, pink-cheeked, well-dressed girls, even though they're supposed to be poor.
My second issue with the movie is the plot alterations. Why didn't they include Miss Hannigan being an alcoholic? It makes no sense, later on the movie, Rooster pulls off a knife and outright implies he's gonna slit Annie's throat. Then, we have Lily, who does absolutely NOTHING in the movie, she's just there. The role of Annie's fake mom is given to Hannigan, which makes even less sense than the previous change. How did Annie, the girl who spent her entire life hating this woman and knows what she's like, not notice she was posing as her mother? I will never know. But wait, but there's more. Instead of giving Lily an actual role, they have decided she was gonna be the one to ruin Rooster and Hannigan's plan. Way to go, writers! Oh, and also, Sandy does absolutely nothing in this film, he just follows Annie around, barks at fake Annie's parents, and that's it. This just blows compared to the 1982 version, where he actually helped saving both Annie's and Warbuck's lives.
Now, my biggest issue with this movie: It has zero character development. Things happen so fast, it's almost unbelievable how characters like each other. When Grace comes to pick Annie up, she just decides to take the first girl she sees, Annie does NOTHING to win her over. Then, Annie and Mr. Warburck's relationship. It starts with Annie asking to watch him working, then cut to a musical number, then they're suddenly all Father-Daughter figure. To top it off, Sandy comes in right at the end and jumps over Mr. Warbuck's car. Grace just says "Well, sir, you've always wanted a dog!" and that's it: Warbucks and Sandy are great friends! Really, now? But despite all the issues, I think this movie is still really enjoyable. It would've been perfect, had it followed 1982's version and fixed the musical numbers. Sadly, it didn't happen. But at least, most of it was very faithful to the original Broadway production, which I respect Disney for.