Annie (1982)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
An orphan girl finds a new life and a wealthy father figure in the heart of the Great Depression.
The story
Set during the Great Depression in 1933, the film tells the story of Annie, an orphan from New York City who is taken in by America's richest billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Annie lives in the Hudson Street Orphanage under the care of the cruel Miss Hannigan. When the wealthy Warbucks seeks to improve his public image, he invites an orphan to live with him for a week. Annie is chosen and travels to his mansion with his secretary, Grace Farrell. While Warbucks is initially dismissive of her, he soon becomes charmed by her spirit, leading to a growing bond between the wealthy man and the young girl.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1933, Annie lives in a New York City orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. She possesses only half of a locket and hopes her parents will return for her. She is chosen by billionaire Oliver Warbucks to live at his mansion for a week. Warbucks, initially dismissive, becomes charmed by her. He takes her to Radio City Music Hall and begins to develop affection for her. To find her parents, Warbucks offers a large reward on the radio, causing a frenzy. He takes Annie to the White House, where they meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Meanwhile, Miss Hannigan's brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily plot to pose as Annie's parents to claim the reward. They succeed in the ruse, and Annie is kidnapped. However, her friends escape and reach Warbucks, who alerts the police. During a chase, Rooster tries to kill Annie but is stopped by a rescue from Warbucks' bodyguard. Rooster and Lily are arrested, and Annie is officially adopted by Warbucks and Grace. The film ends with a celebration where Warbucks gives Annie a new locket.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Huston
- Writers
- Carol Sobieski · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Aileen Quinn · Annie; Albert Finney · Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks; Carol Burnett · Miss Agatha Hannigan; Ann Reinking · Grace Farrell; Tim Curry · Daniel Francis "Rooster" Hannigan; Bernadette Peters · Lily St. Regis; Edward Herrmann · Franklin D. Roosevelt; Geoffrey Holder · Punjab
- Genres
- musical; comedy; drama
- Themes
- adoption; orphanhood; hope
- Tone and mood
- musical; whimsical
- Premise and plot tags
- Great Depression; orphan; billionaire
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1977 Broadway musical; Little Orphan Annie comic strip
- Franchise connections
- Annie
- Content notes
- child abuse
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising the performances and production while others criticized the pacing and adaptation choices.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 50% · scale: percentage · review count: 38; Metacritic · score: 39 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Art Direction · Nomination; Academy Award · Best Song Score · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was the first film adaptation of the musical.; Aileen Quinn was chosen from 9,000 girls for the title role.; The film was one of the most expensive films at the time.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…