In with the old, out with the new?
Annie has come out quite a few times over the years, 1982,1999, and now 2014. The little singing orphan that tapped danced into many hearts over her years running took a turn into the new age as of December 2014, bringing in $84.3M with it's opening weekend.
The little Annie actress, Quvenzhané Wallis, has been nominated 3 times for her performance in the 2014, while Annie in 1982 won 7 Tony awards.
I've grown up with Annie, watching both old time movies as I've grown. The little red headed girl that could sing, and tap dance, as well as deal with some struggles in her life that most girls don't have to, being an orphan. So when I heard they were remaking Annie, it was going to be updated, the story was going to be tweaked, and it was going to have a new age feel to it, there was no doubt in my mind I was going to see it.
Sadly enough the new Annie got a bit of grief from a few outside sources for a very simple fact. Annie was known as a little white, red headed girl, but in the new version she has a skin tone change, and many people had an issue with that. They thought it was made more to 'appease the community', instead of looking past that to see the new ideas that were brought in to give a different twist to an old classic.
Annie's story: The 2014 story follows just about the same as the 1982 Annie. A young girl with no parents is stuck in a home with a dreadful woman named Hannigan. She sneaks o
ut to explore quite often, and eventually has a run in with a rather powerful man, who wants an orphan/foster child in his car to up his political image. All the while Annie is trying to find her parents, her real parents, having only half a locket on her neck and a note saying they would return. So now she's temporarily moved in with this powerful man to better his image, going out on public outings, and letting Annie enjoy having a bit more in her life than the dingy home she came from.
Story Comparison: Now the story lines are just about the same, but there are a few differences. The older Annie she referred to herself as an orphan, but in the new movie when Annie was referred to as an orphan she took offense and corrected the term to 'Foster kid'. This also meant that she was in a foster home, this foster home only housed about 5 girls, while the 1982 was an orphanage for quite a few young ladies. Not only that but, besides the slight name change (Oliver Warbucks to Will Stacks) the main man prefers to live alone in the 2014, having a fully updated apartment, while the 1982 lived in a home with quite a few servants. Though these are just a few differences, and they are small and almost insignificant, one of the biggest changes in the story line is who becomes the main protagonist. Hannigan was half of one in the second movie, she had the biggest character change from 1982 to 2014 (I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it). But in the old movie Hannigan's brother conspires with her to kind of mess up Annies new life, though in the 2014 movie she doesn't have a brother and has a new partner in crime.
Music & Visuals: Of course the 2014 Annie had updated music, a few songs added in, a new way to perform them, but for the most part the same classic tunes were sung. They had different beats, new little dance numbers and an amazing new vibe. We're in a new age, updated with technology and it showed in the new movie, it was brought in and explored in a big way since Will Stack was a business man and he sold cell phones. While the 1982 used the technology it had at hand in most of the same ways the newer movie used, the 2014 is better appealed to our world and how it's advanced over the years.
New or Old: Should you go see the new Annie? My answer would be yes, it's a fresh new outlook at a timeless classic. It's updated, it's a new twist and it's rather run to sing along to. But that doesn't mean it's better than the old. The 1982 Annie will always be a classic, and if you want to see the original story of Little Orphan Annie, the 1982 is what you should see. It's the classic, the original, it's songs are fantastic, the acting is superb. So when Annie 2014 comes out on DVD and you are holding up the 1982 in the right hand, and the 2014 in the left hand, your right hand would be the winner. The classic Annie is the right choice.