Everything You Need To Know About “Annie”
“Annie” is musical comedy-drama film directed by Will Gluck and produced by Jay-Z and Will Smith. It stars Quvenzhané Wallis in the title role and Jamie Foxx in the role of Will Stacks, an update of Daddy Warbucks. It is a contemporary adaptation of the musical of the same name, which was based upon the 1924 comic str
ip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray.
The fourth film adaptation following Columbia Pictures’ 1982 theatrical film, the 1995 television sequel “Annie: A Royal Adventure!” and Disney’s 1999 made-for-television film, it began production in August 2013 and will be released tomorrow, Friday.
The film tells the story of ten-year-old Annie, a foster child living in Harlem, and her friendship with and subsequent adoption by Stacks, a cell phone mogul and billionaire.
The soundtrack features songs from the original Broadway production, written by composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Martin Charnin, and arranged by Sia and Greg Kurstin. The album includes songs from the film as performed by Wallis, Diaz, Foxx, and other cast members. Sia and Kurstin wrote three new songs for the soundtrack, including “Opportunity”, “Who Am I”, and “Moonquake Lake”. Sia additionally co-wrote “The City’s Yours” With Stargate.
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- The most prominent change is that in the original musical, 1982 and 1999 film adaptations, Annie is Caucasian. Here, she is African-American.
- Several songs had updated/altered lyrics, including “It’s the Hard Knock Life”, “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here”, “Little Girls”, “Easy Street”, and “I Don’t Need Anything But You”. Many songs were omitted from the 2014 film, mostly due to the lyrics having to do with the 1933 setting (i.e. “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover”, “A New Deal for Christmas”) or for unspecified reasons (“N.Y.C.”). “Something Was Missing”, although absent from the film, was recorded by Jamie Foxx and is featured on Target exclusive releases of the soundtrack. “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” is no longer a character number and is now a song played in the background.
- A very noticeable change from the musical is that Miss Hannigan’s brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily are absent. In the musical and previous adaptations, Rooster and Lily posed as Annie’s parents in order to steal the $50,000 reward offered by Warbucks for the arrival of Annie’s parents.
- Different versions depict Miss Hannigan’s fate: in the musical, Miss Hannigan is arrested along with Rooster and Lily; in the 1982 film, Rooster and Lily are arrested, and Miss Hannigan absolves herself, trying to stop Rooster from hurting Annie; in the 1999 TV film, Miss Hannigan pleads insanity and is taken away to an insane asylum; and in this version, she redeems herself just like in the 1982 film.
