I had been really looking forward to the new Annie Movie since I first saw the trailer a few months ago. My sister and I were huge fans of the original Annie movie as kids. We used to watch it nearly every morning when we were about 3 and 4 years old and we used to act out scenes with our dolls, turning our Sindy House into Annie’s orphanage so we were really interested to see what the new version would be like.
With a movie that we had such fond memories of, a remake could have gone either way – ruining our memories, or being as great as the original one and bringing a new lease of life to the story. Luckily the new Annie movie is the latter and I’m happy to say we loved it!
The casting in this movie is perfect, and all characters worked really well. I was so impressed with Quvenzhane Wallis in the main role, she did a great job and made a brilliant Annie. This is the first movie I’ve seen her in, but can see her with a long career ahead of her after such a strong performance at such a young age.
Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan worked really well too, bringing lots of humourous moments to the movie.
If you’re not already familiar with the story of Annie, it’s the tale of a little girl growing up in New York without her parents – in an orphanage in the original movie and as a foster kid in the new version. Annie dreams of being reunited with her parents but in a twist of fate she ends up moving in with one of the richest business men in the country. At first, this is just a strategic move but as time goes on a real bond is formed.
As the original movie is a musical, the remake just wouldn’t have been right without keeping that element and the new soundtrack has the perfect balance of old and new. There are new original songs from Sia as well as the cast members Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz and of course Quvenzhane Wallis, which will quickly get stuck in your head and old favourite songs like Tomorrow and Maybe which have been updated but remain pretty close to the originals.
Check out the video for one of the new songs “Opportunity” on my Facebook page
You can listen to the full soundtrack here on Spotify if you can’t manage to wait until you get to the cinema.
I was sent a kit to make some #AnnieMovie cake pops, so I’ve been singing and dancing around my kitchen to all of the songs while baking. I have to say, my husband is not quite as keen on the sound track but my sister also loves it so it might be more of a girls thing, or something that you will love more if you have grown up with “Annie” but I do think that you could enjoy the new movie without being familiar with the old one.
I went to the preview screening without the kids, but my 6 year old Mr Z is quite keen to see the movie too and I’m happy to see it more than once so I think we will be back to see it again once it’s out in cinemas (out on the 19th). The movie will suit children of about 6+, it’s a heartwarming story with nothing too “adult” included but preschoolers may struggle to follow the whole plot through.
Here are my Annie Cake Pops – chocolate dipped into red frosting, with some added glitter.
Speaking of red, it was great to see some little touches that were a nod to the previous version of the film such as the big red dress that Annie wears while performing “Opportunity.” I noticed lots of little details and similarities included throughout, even though the setting and context of the story have been updated to the modern day.
The story of Annie and how she finds her new home and family with Mr Stacks is timeless and works just as well for this generation as it did when we were kids. It’s a real heart warming feel good movie for Christmas time.
Here’s the trailer if you’re yet to see it:
Thanks to Mumsnet for having us at their preview screening / Thanks to Annie Movie’s pr team for the cake pop kit
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
It looks like a great film and those cake pops look really tasty!
Haha I can imagine your poor dh may be wincing at having the soundtrack booming through the house though personally I do love it (apart from moonquake lake song which I’m not so keen on!)
Quvenzhane Wallis is so good. We should watch beasts of the southern wild film that she got Oscar best actress nomination for and she was 6 years during the filming!
I can’t wait to see Annie! I’ve been excited since seeing the trailer. Great review xx
we’ve bought our tickets for Saturday, I’ve bought the soundtrack and it’s all wrapped up under the tree for one more week – can’t wait! I was a twelve year old Annie obsessive, loved the 1982 film so much, even though it was miles away from the stage show (especially the ending and the songs they dropped) – I know I’m going to love this one!
Im glad you enjoyed the film as I saw the trailer a couple of weeks ago and thought it looked interesting. I do like a nice story and this will have to go on my things to watch over the holidays list!
I just watched the original last night and now I really can’t wait to watch this one too. Very jelaous of you.
AJ x