A kid with Annie's moxie deserves more. Or perhaps less. What she deserves is an atmosphere of innocence, warmth and inventiveness, to let the film generate the joy that must have enveloped theater audiences over the past five years.

Aileen Quinn is a delightful Annie, with good feet, an infectious smile, and a perfectly pitched voice. It's not her fault she is used mainly as a performing prop, as is the spectacularly graceful Ann Reinking, playing Warbucks' secretary.

Producer Ray Stark and director John Huston have relied more on the rigid style of the comic strip than on the high-steppin' pizazz' of the Broadway show. They've transformed a big-hearted hit that won seven Tonys into a small-minded musical.

Leapin' Lizards, "Annie" is a wonderful movie.