A terrific, outstanding cast couldn't save this one.  Rule #1 in transferring musical to screen--never, EVER tamper with the numbers.  For some reason, the musical was completely retooled for the film, with half of  its best numbers dropped.  If you've never heard or seen the original  musical production, this version has nothing to do with the actual broadway  show.  Consequently, it's way inferior.  What made the musical great was  that it wasn't just about "Annie," but Christmas and the Great  Depression.  There's nothing about that in here, so the movie loses all the  poignancy of the original.