Annie (2000 film)

Annie is a 2000 direct-to-video animated film released in the year 2000. It is an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan, which in turn is based on Little Orphan Annie, the 1924 comic strip by Harold Gray, with a cast of anthropomorphic animals instead of humans. The characters' voices are generally performed by popular singers at the time.

The film was produced by Columbia TriStar Home Video, Hanna-Barbera Productions, and Adelaide Productions. Annie marks the first film collaboration between Hanna-Barbera and Columbia Pictures since Screen Gems, Columbia's television division, distributed Hanna-Barbera's animated TV series from 1957-1965. This was Hanna-Barbera's last animated production to not be based on one of their cartoons.

Plot
In 1933, during the Great Depression, a young orphan cat named Annie is living in a cat orphanage in the animal side of New York City. She remains optimistic that her parents, who left her on the doorstep as a baby, will return for her, clinging to half of a locket left with her. The orphanage is run by Miss Hannigan, a cruel alcoholic cat who forces the orphans to clean the building daily. Annie sneaks out with help from laundry dog, Mr. Bundles, adopting a stray mouse which she names Sandy. Annie is returned to the orphanage shortly after by a police panther.

Shortly after, Grace Farrell, the cat secretary to billionaire fox Oliver Warbucks, arrives to invite an orphan to live with Warbucks for a week to improve his public image. Annie is chosen, she and Sandy travelling to Warbucks’ mansion, meeting his many servants including his bodyguards Punjab, the magician dog, and Asp, Punjab's assistant snake. Warbucks is at first dismissive of Annie, preferring a male cat, but Annie charms him into letting her stay. He takes Annie and Grace to a movie theatre to watch a movie, Warbucks developing affection for Annie. Grace convinces him to adopt Annie, Warbucks convincing Miss Hannigan to sign the adoption papers.

However, upon revealing his plans to Annie, even offering her a new locket, Annie declines, explaining the purpose of her broken locket, hoping her parents will return with the other half. Warbucks appears on the radio show of Bird Healy, offering $50,000 to find Annie’s parents, causing mass hysteria with many would-be parents appearing to claim the money. To escape the madness, Warbucks flies Annie to the White House, introducing her to President's dogs Franklin D. Rottweiler and his wife Eleanor. Rottweiler informs them of his plan to introduce a social welfare program to help America’s impoverished, asking Warbucks to head it, who is encouraged by Annie to help. Upon returning home, Annie is disheartened when Grace reveals none of the potential parents knew about the locket.

Miss Hannigan is visited by her friend, Rooster, a con artist chicken, and his girlfriend Lily St. Robin, plotting to pose as Annie’s parents to gain the reward. The trio search the orphans’ belongings, Miss Hannigan revealing Annie’s parents died, and she possesses the other half of the locket. Annie’s friends overhear the conversation and try to sneak out, but are caught and locked away. Rooster and Lily proceed with the plan, but Annie’s departure from Warbucks is sombre. Annie is kidnapped minutes after leaving. Her friends reach Warbucks, informing him of the ruse. Warbucks informs the police, who begin a city-wide search, Punjab looking from the sky in Warbucks’ helicopter.

Annie convinces the felons to pull over, only to escape and tear apart Warbucks’ cheque. Rooster chases Annie up a bridge in an effort to kill her after Miss Hannigan fails to stop him in remorse. Punjab rescues Annie and she reunites with Warbucks and Grace, Rooster and Lily being arrested. Later, Annie is officially adopted by Warbucks, throwing a party which the orphans, a redeemed Miss Hannigan, and the Rottweilers attend. Warbucks gives Annie a new locket, who embraces her new father.

Cast

 * Andrea Libman as Annie
 * Frank Welker as Sandy
 * Ringo Starr as Oxford Warbucks
 * Julie Kavner as Miss Abyssinian Hannigan
 * Robert Goulet as Rooster Hannigan
 * Amy Grant as Lily St. Robin
 * Vanessa Williams as Grace Farrell
 * Brian Stokes Mitchell as Franklin D.  Rottweiler
 * James Earl Jones as Punjab
 * David L. Lander as The Asp
 * Tara Charendoff as Molly
 * Kathleen Barr as Pepper
 * Ashleigh Ball as Tessie
 * Tabitha St. Germain as Kate
 * Cree Summer as Duffy
 * B.J. Ward as Elanor Rottweiler
 * Casey Kasem as Bird Healy
 * Greg Burson as Mr. Bundles
 * John Stephenson as Police Panther

Soundtrack

 * 1) "Tomorrow (opening titles)" - Andrea Libman and Chorus
 * 2) "Maybe" - Andrea Libman
 * 3) "It's the Hard Knock Life" - Andrea Libman, Tara Charendoff and Chorus
 * 4) "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" - Andrea Libman and Vanessa Williams
 * 5) "Little Girls" - Julie Kavner
 * 6) "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" - Arnold Stang, Chorus and Orphans
 * 7) "Tomorrow (White house version)" - Andrea Libman, Ringo Starr, B.J. Ward and Brian Stokes Mitchell
 * 8) "Easy Street" - Julie Kavner, Robert Goulet and Amy Grant
 * 9) "I Don't Need Anything But You" - Andrea Libman and Ringo Starr
 * 10) "Tomorrow (closing titles)" - Andrea Libman and Chorus

Trivia

 * This animated musical film features anthropomorphic animals being the characters which is much similar to Disney's Robin Hood and MGM Animation's Tom Sawyer.
 * Sandy is a mouse instead of a dog due to the dogs in this movie being anthropomorphic.
 * In this version, the Asp is not a chauffeur, he is a watchman.