Anastasia (1997)

Directors:

Don Bluth
Gary Goldman

Writers:

Susan Gauthier (screenplay) &
Bruce Graham (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 November 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Family | Musical

Tagline:

Discover the Adventure Behind the Greatest Mystery of Our Time

Plot:

The only surviving child of the Russian Royal Family hooks up with two con men while the undead Rasputin seeks her death.

Plot Keywords:

Czar | Granddaughter | Grandmother | Russia | Ball

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Meg Ryan	...	Anastasia (voice)
John Cusack	...	Dimitri (voice)
Kelsey Grammer	...	Vladimir (voice)
Christopher Lloyd	...	Rasputin (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Bartok (voice)
Bernadette Peters	...	Sophie (voice)
Kirsten Dunst	...	Young Anastasia (voice)
Angela Lansbury	...	The Dowager Empress Marie (voice)
Rick Jones	...	Czar Nicholas / Servant / Revolutionary Soldier / Ticket Agent (voice)
Andrea Martin	...	Phlegmenkoff / Old Woman (voice)
Glenn Walker Harris Jr.	...	Young Dimitri (voice) (as Glenn Walker Harris, Jr.)
Debra Mooney	...	Actress (voice)
Arthur Malet	...	Travelling Man / Major Domo (voice)
Charity James	...	Anastasia Impostor (voice)
Liz Callaway	...	Anastasia (singing voice)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Russian | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | Netherlands:6 (re-rating) | Malaysia:U | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-8/5 | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (w) | Hong Kong:I | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Iceland:L (original rating) | Mexico:A | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:G | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G (certificate #35550)

Filming Locations:

Fox Animation Studios - 2747 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

The musical number "Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)" includes cameos by various historical characters from the time, including Maurice Chevalier, Sigmund Freud, Charles Lindbergh, Josephine Baker, Claude Monet, Isadora Duncan, Auguste Rodin, and Gertude Stein.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Marie never went to Paris after the Russian Revolution. She fled via the Crimea to London and ultimately returned to her native Denmark.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dowager Empress Marie: There was a time, not very long ago, where we lived in an enchanted world of elegant palaces and grand parties. The year was 1916, and my son, Nicholas, was the czar of Imperial Russia.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 55th Annual Golden Globe Awards (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Once Upon a December

Wonderful movie, amazing music :D

Anastatsia is without doubt one of the best animated movies ever made, for several reasons. It's an amazing story, filled with adventure, romance, smart dialog and wonderful music. The story is set in Russia and other parts of Europe, both in the wonderful palaces of the Czar family and the french countryside. It tells the story of the lost princess Anastasia, and uses the rumors that she as the only one of the Romanov family survived the massacre during the Russian revolution. Anya, a girl with no memory of her past, meets with two men of questionable professions that promise to take her to Paris, if she's willing to try to convince the Dowager Emperess that she might be Anastasia... Unfortunately, the evil sorcerer Rasputin (the man who killed the Romanov family) also knows that Anya is alive, and swears to kill her, whatever the cost... So Anya is taken on a magical adventurous ride through Europe, to find her family.

One of the best things about the movie is the characters. They seem so real, like real persons, not platonic, "a beautiful damsel in distress", "a handsome hero" end of story... The music is wonderful, better than in many Disney movies, and the story very good.

The only things I don't like about the film, is the things that's dangerous about making movies about real historical events. The Romanov Family weren't the innocents victims they're painted out to be, and the fact that the story is based on that... But I've only started to think about this now when I'm older, so... Anyone who likes a good movie, rent or buy Anastasia. It's worth it.

I should recommend the Swedish version, if someone here was to see it. Helen Sjöholm is the singer of Anya's role, and she is one of the best singers in Sweden...