Movies Like Annie
Annie is a young, happy foster kid who's also tough enough to make her way on the streets of New York in 2014. Originally left by her parents as a baby with the promise that they'd be back for her someday, it's been a hard knock life ever since with her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan. But everything's about to change when the hard-nosed tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks—advised by his brilliant VP and his shrewd and scheming campaign advisor—makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in. Stacks believes he's her guardian angel, but Annie's self-assured nature and bright, sun-will-come-out-tomorrow outlook on life just might mean it's the other way around.
Ranked by shared directors, cast, themes, genre, and era — not just generic recommendations.
Annie
The original film adaptation of the same musical — same story, same characters (Annie, Miss Hannigan, Daddy Warbucks), same songs. Closest possible match.
Annie
TV-movie version of the same musical with Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan. Identical source material and story beats.
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical
Modern family musical with a plucky girl protagonist escaping a cruel guardian — same uplifting tone and song-and-dance structure as Annie.
The Great Gilly Hopkins
Feisty foster girl tries to find her birth mother — directly mirrors Annie's foster-child-searching-for-parents premise in a contemporary setting.
Instant Family
Heartwarming foster-care comedy-drama also starring Rose Byrne — same family-formation arc and emotional payoff as Annie's adoption story.
Oliver & Company
Animated musical riff on Oliver Twist set in NYC — orphan finds family through unlikely benefactor, same rags-to-riches musical DNA as Annie.
Curly Top
Shirley Temple classic about a wealthy man adopting a curly-haired orphan — the prototype for the Annie formula, including musical numbers.
Newsies
Filmed Broadway musical about scrappy NYC orphans fighting back — same theatrical musical sensibility, NYC setting, and child-leads premise as Annie.
Foster
Family comedy-drama about a couple who unexpectedly take in a young foster child — shares Annie's foster-family heart without the musical numbers.
Anne of Green Gables
Spirited orphan girl is adopted into a new home and wins over her guardians — same orphan-finds-family arc with a similarly headstrong heroine.
13: The Musical
Coming-of-age family musical with a kid lead navigating a NYC-adjacent upheaval — same tween-musical lane Annie occupies.
Better Nate Than Ever
Family comedy musical about a stage-struck kid heading to NYC — shares Annie's musical-theater heart and youthful big-city dreaming.
Problem Child
Family comedy about a couple who adopt a young child from an orphanage — same adoption-comedy framework, played broader than Annie.
Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway
Will Gluck's other family-comedy follow-up with Rose Byrne — same director's lighthearted, kid-friendly sensibility.
Peter Rabbit
Will Gluck and Rose Byrne reunite for another bright, family-targeted comedy — same crew and tonal palette as Annie 2014.
UglyDolls
Bright modern animated musical about being different and finding belonging — shares Annie's optimistic family-musical spirit.
Uptown Girls
NYC-set comedy-drama about a precocious young girl and an unlikely caretaker forming a family bond — echoes Annie's odd-couple adoption dynamic.
Uncle Buck
Classic family comedy about a reluctant adult-kid pairing that grows into real affection — same warm odd-couple parenting beats Annie leans on.
Popeye
Big-budget live-action movie musical adapted from a beloved cartoon — same musical-adaptation DNA as Annie, similar broad family tone.
Dumbo
Classic animated family musical about a small underdog separated from a parent finding their place — shares Annie's underdog-makes-good emotional core.
How Good Is Annie?
Ratings across IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and TMDB, plus our verdict.
Audiences rate this 3.4 points higher than critics — a crowd favorite that critics undervalued.
Where to Watch Annie
Streaming, rental, and purchase options across 40+ countries.
United States
USFree with Ads
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YouTube FreeRent
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Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Fandango At Home
Spectrum On DemandBuy
5Amazon VideoApple TV StoreFandango At Home
Barnes & Noble
Amazon DVD / Blu-rayAvailable in 91 countries
Frequently asked about Annie
Common questions people search for, with answers written by us at MoviesPack.
Why does Annie keep waiting outside the Italian restaurant in Annie (2014)?
Annie's parents left her at Domani as a baby with a handwritten note promising they would return, along with half of a locket. She visits the restaurant every Friday because that was the night they dropped her off, clinging to the hope that they will one day come back for her. This ritual establishes how desperately she wants a real family, which is what makes Will Stacks' eventual adoption so meaningful.
Why does Will Stacks initially take Annie in?
Stacks is a cell-phone mogul running for mayor of New York, and his polling numbers are terrible until a viral video shows him pulling Annie out of the path of a truck. His campaign manager Guy convinces him that fostering the photogenic orphan will humanize him and boost his numbers with voters. His motivation is purely political at first, and only later does he develop genuine affection for her.
Who are the fake parents who show up to claim Annie, and what is their plan?
The couple claiming to be Annie's biological parents are actors hired by Guy, Stacks' campaign manager, after he decides Annie has become a political liability. Miss Hannigan initially helps Guy by providing the other half of Annie's locket, but she has a change of heart and tips off Stacks before the imposters can drive away with her. The scheme is exposed during a citywide chase, ending Guy's manipulation and Stacks' mayoral run.
Why does Miss Hannigan run the foster home if she clearly resents the kids?
Hannigan is a bitter former backup singer whose music career never took off, and she uses the foster system mainly to collect government checks while drinking and wallowing in self-pity. She treats the girls with contempt because they remind her of her own failed dreams of stardom. By the end she helps save Annie, suggesting she still has some conscience underneath the cynicism.
What happens to Annie's real parents in the 2014 film?
Unlike older versions of the story, the movie never reunites Annie with her biological parents or reveals their identities. The locket and the note turn out to be the only traces of them, and the half-locket Hannigan produces is a fabrication used in the kidnapping scheme. The film closes with Stacks formally adopting Annie, framing chosen family rather than blood relatives as the real resolution.
Recent Updates
New Trailer: Annie
Annie now streaming on Pathé Home (FR)
Annie now streaming on Premiere Max (FR)
Annie now streaming on VIVA by videofutur (FR)
Annie now streaming on Amazon Video (FR)