User Reviews

I adore Disney's peak era animation films: The Lion King, The Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid. Anastasia, by Fox Studios, sets out to capture that same blockbusting brilliance, and achieves some of it. Anastasia has a strong visual look, headstrong protagonist, entertaining sidekicks and a memorable villain.

The film isn't very original, the best stuff feels like a rehash of aforementioned Disney classics. The thing I like best is its realistic feel - the story takes place in 20th century Europe, not some faraway fairy kingdom. There is some magic connected to Rasputin, the bad guy, but it fits in the setting.

The songs are alright. The ending has some pretty complex and emotional conflicts, not everything is black and white.

Although communists had killed the entire imperial Romanov family in July 1918, including the Grand Duchess Anastasia by shooting squad, for years, afterwards, communist disinformation fed rumors that members of the Tsar's family had survived. The conflicting rumors about the fate of the family allowed impostors to make spurious claims that they were a surviving Romanov. The most famous, being Anna Anderson who claim to be, the long-lost child of Tsar Nicholas II, Anastasia. Because of this claim, the purported survival of Anastasia has been the subject of both cinema and made-for-television films for years, now. After all, the earliest adaptation of this myth, was made in 1928, was called 'Clothes Make the Woman', follow close by 1956's 'Anastasia' and 1986's television film, 'Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna'. However, since 1997's 'Anastasia', is the most famous adaptation movie of this myth. Its gets the most criticize. Produced by Fox Animation Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox, this animation musical directed by Don Bluth & Gary Goldman tells the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia (Voiced by Meg Ryan) escaping the execution of her family, during the height of February Revolutions of 1917; only to find herself, an orphan living with amnesiac. With the help of a couple of con men, Dimitri (Voiced by John Cusack) & Vlad (Voiced by Kelsey Grammar), she hopes to reunited with the last reminding family member, still alive, Empress of Russia, Maria Feodorovna (Voiced by Angela Lansbury) in Paris, France. However, the banished mystical former royal adviser, turn sorcerer, Grigori Rasputin (Voiced by Christopher Lee) thinks, otherwise, wanting to destroy the last member of the House of Romanov for revenge. Without spoiling the movie, too much, since the film is more, about the urban myth of Anastasia than true actual historical events. I allowed myself to enjoy the movie, because I took it, with a grain of salt and also the fact that, at the time, this movie was made. Anastasia's body hasn't yet, been discovered. Her body wouldn't be found until 2007, if you were wondering. Because of that, I was able to get through this film. However, I can see, why some historians can't look pass that. There were some moments in the film, even I, somewhat found, pretty jarring. First off, the film's urban legend of Anastasia's survival does not related, with the real-world supposedly 'real' reports of Anastasia's escape. After all, Anastasia was indeed, presented, during the Yekaterinburg massacre, as seen in historical Cold War archive photos. If anything, if the real Anastasia would had survived the shooting, due to the diamond corsets, her body would be still, cover with bayonet scars, bullet holes, and some sulfuric acid burns. It wouldn't be a pretty sight. Since this movie couldn't show that, it felt more like white-washing, changing history than showing what could possibility happen. It's wasn't the best choice in my opinion. After all, the whole, attempted train escape with her grandmother, Maria Feodorovna from the Winter Palace, felt a little too far deep in the fictional settling, since both of the characters weren't in St. Petersburg in real-life. In truth, during the February & October Revolution, Maria wasn't really near the royal family. She heard of the murders of her son's family, while hiding out in Crimea. Maria didn't escape until 1919, after the urging of her sister, Dowager Queen Alexandra. She fled to London, then to her home country of Denmark, not Paris, France. None of this, was ever explain in the film. Not only that, does the movie, not explain, what happen to Anastasia's family. The movie also makes Anastasia, way too close to her grandmother than their own murdered family that she rarely cares to find out. In truth, Anastasia rarely saw the former Empress, as Maria was spending a lot of time abroad when Anastasia was a child. They have little to no connection. Another big inaccuracy is the age of Anastasia, during the Revolutions. She wasn't eight years old, when the events happen. She was seventeen year old, when her family was executed on July 18, 1918. However, the biggest historical accuracy is what they did to Rasputin. Rasputin wasn't a sorcerer nor was he, a Communist. If anything, WWI, fatigue, and harsh punishment for protesters, were the leading factors to the Romanov's downfall. In real-life, Rasputin kinda love the family, and the Romanov love him, back, after he help them with the problems with Nicolas II's son, Alexei's hemophilia. After all, the Romanov's children kinda died with amulets full of Rasputin photo in their pockets in Yekaterinburg. Was he, a child molester, rapist, & womanizer? Who knows? All, I know, is that he wasn't as evil, as this film make it, out to be. In the end, the Royal family never truly betrayed him. Instead, a group of nobles coaxed Rasputin out of his house, and murdered him, by poison, shooting, and tossing him, in an icy river. Despite the fact that this movie shat all over Russia's history, the animation is stunning. Another is the voice acting. It was all wonderful. Meg Ryan and the writers got Anya right. Lively, mischievous, and sharp. Full witty remarks sometimes hit sensitive spots. That's sounds like the real Anastasia. However, the real Anastasia was nasty to the point of being somewhat evil, like tripping people and throwing rocks. Despite that, the supporting cast was just as great. Another thing, all of the music from the film is beautiful to listen to. I love the songs, 'Once Upon A December', 'Journey to the Past', and 'In the Dark of the Night'. They're all in my IPOD playlist. Overall: While, this movie indeed carbon copy, of the Disney Princess formula. I still love it to death. I think the movie gave enough actual history and respect to allow this film to fly pass the levels of 1999's 'The Legend of the Titanic', awkwardness. So go check it out! It's a lot of fun.

This movie was OK I guess, the songs were good and not as annoying as they are in most movies. The main story is about a "former" princess who has to leave Russia to reunite with her grandma after the Russian revolution. For my personal taste the characters are too one dimensional. This made it hard to really connect with the characters. There is one thing that really bugs me about this movie. The villain is kind of a sorcerer what really doesn't fit into the early 20th century setting. The sorcerer has little to nothing to do with the whole plot. Literally all scenes he is in are childish, annoying and are not really essential to the movie. I think in the middle of the picture there are 45 minutes without him appearing. The story of the princess going to Paris overcoming obstacles and finally finding love would've worked better without his distractions. The story is standard from beginning to the end I've seen it done better but I've seen it done a lot worse too. I think if you are really into romantic animated movies with singing and all that stuff you are going to have a great day. If you are not into that (like me) you probably won't have that much fun but you might find yourself actually enjoying some scenes if you don't mind that the movie doesn't give a f... about history.

(Even though I am German I watched the original English version)

In a market so outrageously dominated by Disney, "Anastasia" appears as some kind of lifebelt for other animation studios.

With a price-tag of over $50 million, "Anastasia" is a costly, very ambitious animated musical but it never gets pretentious about his family-pleasing issues or its historical depictions. And that's why it works so well.

One of the few family-oriented animated movies depicting historical characters (something that Disney do not dare to do), "Anastasia" begins in 1916, where we meet young Russian princess Anastasia who gets a special gift from her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, during a prestigious royal party.

Celebrations are abruptly shortened when cruel charlatan Rasputin takes profit of the party to set off his curse upon the Romanov family. Every historical buff knows what happens next: the Bolcheviks take upon the power and recall the country the USSR, but as it's a family movie, it attempts to make the viewer believe that the Russian Revolution is caused by Rasputin's curse.

Anastasia is removed from her grandmother and ends up in a orphanage where she lives for ten years. She then encounters Dimitri and his companion Vlad who decide to guide her to Paris in order to find back her family.

The historical and political contexts would never have been part of a Disney movie. But the production team of Fox Animation Studios do a terrific job with them. It never gets too complicated for the young or even the older viewers and it never gets too simplistic for the educated minds. We see men wearing caps with the hammer-and-sickle logo and we see Soviet passports, while we never get too deep with that. Except for that lovely quote: "That's what I hate about this government. Everything's red." But we hardly see red in this movie. Animation is sometimes half-satisfying but the animators never try to be minimalistic. This is particularly evident when you watch a scene such as the initial party in the St. Petersburg palace. Only a fraction of the people present in the background do appear alive while the others are simply still shadows or drawings. But in a live-action movie, that kind of scene would have requested hundreds and hundreds of extras and a very expensive set.

And with the quality of the animation, we could really feel ourselves in pre-Depression Russia, German countryside and fantastic Paris. The feelings of the 1920s are very present until we arrive in Paris. Once in the City of Light, some of the places look too much modern, such as that Chanel store in a paved street. It feels too much anachronistic, even if it's well drawn.

Three main action sequences are also included. Primo, there is the doomed train ride where Rasputin's evil 'spirits' attack in the snowy forest. I couldn't stop myself from watching the sparks flying, the fire invading the locomotive and the explosion at the end of the sequence.

Second, the boat 'rescue' where reality is mixed with Anastasia's childish dream world until she's saved by Dimitri.

And third, the climatic confrontation between the two main protagonists and the dismembering half-dead Rasputin. The dizzying moves and the animation techniques employed give an almost-real mood to the action.

Those three sequences have something in common: they're all adrenaline performances that will satisfy the action-hungry viewer and they're all gentle enough to fit with young children. The case of the stone winged horse at the end is questionable but the rest isn't.

What definitely makes "Anastasia" a children's movie is the abundance of musical numbers. And while there isn't any song that will become a part of legend, the overall score is enjoyable enough. But, instead of forcing itself to look like a typical Disney musical, the production team seems to care more about the story and the animation, which is a wise move because of the great storyline.

The movie "Anastasia" could be compared to Lenin: it's the leader of the people against the supreme ruler (Nicholas II for Lenin, Disney for "Anastasia). I don't say that for looking anti-Disney though. And with the amount of computer-animated movies made recently, "Anastasia" is one of the greatest late entries of the traditionally-animated movies. Da!

The fact that this movie is not historically accurate does not bother me - it is an entertaining animated movie, not a documentary.

My biggest complaint about this movie is Rasputin. He detracts far more from the story than he adds; if you remove all of his scenes, you are left with a mature, beautifully animated movie. Rasputin and Bartok really do nothing for the story but interrupt it with annoyingly long scenes that look more like a Saturday morning gargoyles cartoon than the rest of the movie. Without these distractions, maybe the more important parts of the movie (Anastasia's and Dmitri's relationship, Anastasia's meeting with her grandmother, etc.) could have been developed more strongly. Rasputin, Bartok, their environment, and the supernatural occurrences attached to them simply do not belong in this movie, which otherwise looks and sounds very sophisticated. Nevertheless, there must be an antagonist - this role could have been filled by another group of con men with a fake Anastasia or by a realistic assassin - or *something* other than Rasputin.

Aside from Rasputin, there is little to complain about - the movie is beautifully and realistically animated and has a great soundtrack, especially the haunting song "Once Upon a December". There are some truly memorable scenes between Anastasia and Dmitri, and every character (besides Rasputin and Bartok, of course) is believable and fully brought to life both as individuals and in their interactions. Definitely worth watching if you can put up with aforementioned shortcomings.