I remember seeing the Lil Orphan Annie comic in the newspaper with characters with eyes like breath mints, but I never actually read it. I knew about the musical and the song Tomorrow. This version plays with expectations with a red-haired Annie in the opening scene, followed by the actual black protagonist. I like creations that can be enjoyed in themselves and as a kind of conversation with its predecessors. This one has a very contemporary feel and awareness of the inherent weirdness of musicals. And as an adoptive parent, stories involving orphans immediately have a nail-biting quality to them.