In 1933, amid the Great Depression, Annie Bennett Alicia Morton is left alone at the NYC Municipal Orphanage Girls Annex. The only two keepsakes from her biological family are a half heart-shaped locket with a key hole and a note promising they will return. The orphanage is run by the stern and controlling Miss Hannigan Kathy Bates, who starves the children and keeps them busy with backbreaking chores as a grim prelude to adulthood in a cold city.
One night, Annie grows tired of waiting and makes a break for freedom. She is chased, but she manages to hide in a dirty laundry bin and slips away into the streets. There, she befriends a scrappy stray dog she names Sandy. A police officer catches up with her, returning her to the harsh routine of the orphanage, where Miss Hannigan imposes extra chores as punishment.
Enter Oliver Warbucks [Victor Garber], a billionaire who wants to adopt an orphan for Christmas. His sharp-eyed secretary, Grace Farrell [Audra McDonald], selects Annie, and she and Sandy are brought to Warbucks’ vast, opulent estate. The contrast between the luxurious life and Annie’s past is striking, yet Warbucks is gradually won over by her warmth and resilience.
Warbucks, eager to provide stability for a child, announces on the radio a reward of $50,000 for anyone who can prove they are Annie’s parents. The plan to locate her birth family becomes a catalyst for a deeper, darker scheme. Miss Hannigan enlists her crafty brother Rooster Hannigan [Alan Cumming] and his partner Lily St. Regis [Kristin Chenoweth] to claim the reward by posing as “Ralph and Shirley Mudge” and returning Annie to the mansion. Rooster hopes to cash in and even entertain more lethal ideas to guarantee the payoff.
Lily, left alone with the orphans after Hannigan and Rooster depart, accidentally reveals the ruse. The orphans rally around Annie, and the group travels to Warbucks’ mansion, where they shout in solidarity: “We love you Miss Hannigan.” The moment is broken by a political interruption as President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s arrival with his Secret Service interrupts the scheme and puts an end to Hannigan and Rooster’s plans. The President’s paperwork publicly identifiers Miss Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily, and they are taken into custody.
Amid the upheaval, Annie learns a painful truth: her real parents, David and Margaret Bennett, have died, explaining why they never returned. The revelation does not diminish the sense of belonging she has found, especially as Warbucks commits to adopting her. Warbucks’s generosity extends beyond Annie to the other orphans, with Roosevelt ensuring that each child finds a nurturing home. Warbucks and Grace also grow closer, with their engagement marking a hopeful future.
In the end, Annie steps into a new life that blends warmth, security, and love with her beloved dog Sandy by her side. A city that once seemed indifferent now feels like a stage for new beginnings, where resilience, kindness, and community can rewrite a life’s path.
