Anastasia (1997)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

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 | Ball | Russia

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 real Anastasia once wore a dress almost exactly like the one Anya wears in the last scenes of the movie. This same dress was seen in Anastasia (1956).

Goofs:

Factual errors: At the beginning of the movie, in 1917, Anastasia is eight years old. In reality, she was 16.

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:

Referenced in Chacun son cinéma ou Ce petit coup au coeur quand la lumière s'éteint et que le film commence (2007)

Soundtrack:

Journey to the Past

DA!

I absolutely LOVE this movie! I am a little amused by all the people having a problem with this movie not being historically accurate. Need I remind people that this is a cartoon, not a documentary? I was actually impressed with the attention to details: Nicholas looks very much like he did in life, Anastasia's little brother's sickness is not overlooked (he is walking with a limp), 'Once upon a December's words 'Someone holds me safe and warm... ' sound so much like a Russian Gypsy song!

That said, I do have to say that there are a few things that could have been prevented by hiring one Russian speaking person. Examples: When Dimitry and Anya first meet, he has a problem pronouncing her name. That would never happen. Anya is a very common name in Russia and would not be mistaken for anything else. Also, when Sophie opened the door she says something that IS NOT a Russian name, very silly. Another example would be Anastasia looking through her family album, when they make her memorize thing, remember the picture of uncle Vanya? ("Loved his vodka, got it Anya?") Well, he just looks like a common peasant, not a member of royal family.

Bartok…. I wonder who thought of the name…. It is not a Russian name… My guess is that it was meant to be 'BRATOK' which means 'little brother', used to address a companion, a friend.

So.. those are my thoughts. All in all, I highly recommend the movie. Not as an educational historical reference, but as a wonderful entertaining musical animated movie! The fact that is NOT Disney is actually a big plus for me!

Enjoy!