Anastasia

Let others carp about the disservices to history: this Anastasia rises above its flaws to offer an engaging, emotionally resonant story of a girl's search for identity. Within its historical, quasi-factual context, the film presents a situation almost everyone can relate to--that of trying to find one's place in the world. Orphaned Anya's quest for her past (and, consequently, her future) strikes universal emotional chords: singing "Journey to the Past," she sets out with both trepidation and hope to find her identity and her place in the world. The haunting, poignant "Once Upon a December" sequence, one of the finest scenes in any recent film, is unforgettable, as we watch Anya's yearnings take the form of a ghostly dance with memories of a vanished life. And the final reunion where hostility melts gradually into acceptance, is one of the most moving and satisfying moments in film. Everything about the film bespeaks loving attention and quality: the magnificent animation and design re-create lavish Russian and Parisian locations (complete with recognizable artworks and cameos by celebrities of the '20s), and the screenplay balances action, humor, and genuine emotion. Villain Rasputin is clearly aimed at children, and some of the repartee between Anya and unlikely hero Dimitri may seem jarringly anachronistic, but viewers of any age should still enjoy this timeless coming-of-age story.

Some of the most beautiful animation and backgrounds in recent history are a central ingredient of "Anastasia", a charming full-length feature based on the famous title character and set against the period of the Russian revolution. Expert vocal work by Angela Lansbury (Dowager Empress), Meg Ryan (Anastasia), John Kusack (Dimitri) and many others, make the characters seem more dimensional than in most animated features. Particularly Dimitri and Anastasia, whose love-hate relationship seems startlingly real given the superb animation.

The score is studded with some Oscar-nominated music and the sinister moments have the kind of villain you love to hate (Rasputin). Some of the scenes might be too intense for small children--as well as a realistic railway scene on a runaway car--but all in all, should delight young and old. Angela Lansbury's voice is especially effective as the Empress. The art of animation doesn't get any better than this! This Don Bluth/Gary Goldman production is as good as anything Disney might have attempted.

In the late 1990s, we had two animated movies that were based on a certain event in a country's history. In 1995, Disney gave us an American "history lesson" (and I use that term loosely) with Pocahontas, but in 1997, 20th Century Fox did exactly what Disney did, except give us a look at a bit of Russian history (again, using the term "history" loosely) about the daughter of Czar Nicholas II, Anastasia Romanov, simply called...well...Anastasia. However, one thing to consider when going into this film is that this is a family picture ("kids movie" for short), so if you're looking for a true-to-life history lesson a la a PBS or History Channel documentary, you might as well throw that out the nearest airlock.

In this film, Anastasia, voiced by Meg Ryan, is a princess that went missing for several years after the attack on the Romanov family during a party, which was led by the Romanov's former confidant Rasputin, voiced by Christopher Lloyd of Back to the Future fame, who is an undead, evil sorcerer in this movie. Anastasia, now with a case of amnesia and dubbed Anya, eventually joins two con men, Dimitri (John Cusack) and Vladimir (Fraiser's Kelsey Grammar), who are convinced that she really is the missing Romanov princess, and travel to Paris, France, where her grandmother, the Dowager Empress, resides, to hopefully reunite them, all while Rasputin is seeking her unfortunate demise.

I won't judge this movie on historical accuracy, as all (or most) of us can tell that the general audience for this film is younger children, though adult audiences will also be entertained, since there was a lot of effort put into the creation of this film. That, and I wouldn't dismiss it as a "Disney knockoff" right away, because the directors of the film, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, were former Disney animators, so it's easy to confuse this for a Disney picture like Beauty and the Beast. As a family film alone, it is pretty damn good. The artwork and animation is great, the songs are enjoyable, and the voice acting is pretty decent.

The film was such a success that it became co-director Don Bluth's comeback after a slew of mediocre to bad animated films he directed throughout most of the decade, and his highest grossing film to date. Not only that, but it warranted a direct-to-video follow up film starring the villain's sidekick, Bartok the Bat (voiced by The Simpsons' Hank Azaria in both films).

Overall, the film serves as a great choice to have playing during a family movie night, unless you're extremely picky on historical accuracy, in which case, go do something else for 97 minutes.

The best way to watch a movie is with suspension of disbelief - Just trust what the producers present you with and don't question it. With that, "Anastasia" is one of the most delightful movies I've seen in some time. It's like an old musical, with people spontaneously erupting into choreographed dance, but with modern dialog (And funny, at that!), an enjoyable romance, and action sequences to keep things moving. The music, while nothing to remember to the point of distraction, was perfect for humming, and even worked to advance the plot - Unlike so many animated songs put in for the sake of having a song. So it wasn't historically perfect - if it were, there'd be no story. Go ahead and feel smug that you know what really happened, but don't turn to comment to your neighbor, lest you miss one minute of the wonderfully unfolding plot.

This is my personal favourite of the Don Bluth movies. I also recommend American Tail, Land Before Time and All Dogs Go To Heaven. Anastasia is just beautiful, and was one of the most requested films when we had our family cinemas. A couple of years ago, I got it on video, and all those memories came back. I love this movie so much. The animation is gorgeous. The characters are well drawn, and the backgrounds and colours are stunning. There is a lot of wit between the characters. Not to mention a truly sweet romance between Anastasia and Dimitri. Whoever hated this movie, must be told, that this is so much more watchable than Richard Rich's King and I. Anastasia herself is so beautiful. The highlights were Anastasia's dream and the scene on the train. The songs are what make this movie. My favourite is "Once Upon a December" as it is so nostalgic, haunting and poignant. All the other songs are well done and move the story forward. Even "Dark of the Night". As for the story, yes it is historically inaccurate, but so is Pocahontas, and this is marginally better. It was so well told. In some Don Bluth movies, they lose the essence right from minute one, but not here. As for the voice talents, they were all impeccable. Meg Ryan was suitably feisty as Anastasia, and Liz Callaway did her singing voice beautifully. John Cusack put an immense amount of charm into his voice-over, although Dimitri was for me was the weakest character in the movie. Kelsey Grammar has great fun as Vladmir, and also check him out as Zozi in Bartok the Magnificent. Christopher Lloyd voices villain Rasputin with over the top menace, and the villain loses his body parts here. We have all had days like that. Hank Azaria is also great as Bartok.Underrated Broadway actress Bernadette Peters has a great french accent, and I had so much fun with her singing "Paris hold the key to your heart." For me, Angela Lansbury provides a completely human and poignant character in the Dowager Empress. Her prologue was so well paced, and there was a side to the great character actress that I never knew she had. In conclusion, a sweet and beautiful animation that is essential to all animation lovers. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox