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Anastasia (1997 film)
Encyclopedia
Anastasia is a 1997 American animated
musical film
produced and directed by Don Bluth
and Gary Goldman
. It was the first feature film to be released by Fox Animation Studios
.
The idea for the film originates from Fox's 1956 live-action film version of the same name
. The plot is loosely based on an urban legend which claimed that Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last monarch of Imperial Russia, in fact survived the execution of her family
, and thus takes various liberties with historical fact.
Nicholas II
hosts a ball at the Catherine Palace
to celebrate the Romanov tricentennial. At the ball, his mother, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna (Angela Lansbury
), gives the eight-year-old Grand Duchess Anastasia (Kirsten Dunst
/Lacey Chabert
) a music box and a necklace reading “Together in Paris” to ease her favorite granddaughter’s loneliness while Marie is away in Paris
. The ball is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Grigori Rasputin
(Christopher Lloyd
/Jim Cummings
), a power-mad sorcerer who was banished from the palace by the Tsar. Rasputin sells his soul in order to cast a curse on the Imperial family that sparks a revolution as revenge. The Romanovs are forced to flee from the palace for their lives, but only Marie and Anastasia are able to escape the siege alive thanks to a young servant boy named Dimitri, who shows them a secret passageway in Anastasia's room. Rasputin's minion Bartok (Hank Azaria
) immediately alerts him to Anastasia's escape, and Rasputin confronts Marie and Anastasia on their way to the train station, only to fall through the ice and drown. At the train station, however, Anastasia fails to board the moving train and becomes separated from Marie after she falls and hits her head on the platform.
In 1926, Russia is under communist
rule and the tsar is dead. Marie is offering a monetary reward for the safe return of her granddaughter. Dimitri (John Cusack
/Jonathan Dokuchitz
), now a con man, and his partner Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer
) are searching for an Anastasia lookalike to present to Marie so that they can collect the reward and end their financial troubles. Elsewhere, the eighteen-year-old Anastasia (Meg Ryan
/Liz Callaway
), now under the name Anya, is suffering from amnesia
because of her head injury ten years prior. Anya turns down a fish factory job in favor of going to St. Petersburg after her necklace inspires her to seek out her family in Paris. Accompanied by a stray puppy named Pooka, she encounters Dimitri and Vladimir, who are impressed by her resemblance to the Grand Duchess and recruit her as their unwitting “fake” Anastasia.
Bartok realizes that the two con men’s “fake” Anastasia is, in fact, the real Anastasia when Rasputin's dormant reliquary (which contains his soul) is revived. The reliquary hauls Bartok to limbo, where Rasputin has existed as a living corpse for the past ten years, unable to truly die since his curse is unfulfilled. When Bartok returns the reliquary to Rasputin, Rasputin’s powers are restored, and he sends out his demonic minions from within the reliquary to kill Anastasia.
After two narrow escapes from Rasputin's minions during their travels, Anya, Dimitri, and Vladimir arrive in Paris to present Anya as Anastasia to Marie. Marie, however, has recently called off the search for Anastasia. Nonetheless, Sophie, Marie's first cousin and lady-in-waiting, agrees to interview Anya as a favor to Vladimir, whom she flirts with. When Anya dimly recalls Dimitri opening the secret passageway, Dimitri realizes that he and Vladimir have found the missing Grand Duchess. Sophie then arranges for Anya to meet Marie after the Russian Ballet, but Marie continues to stand firm on her decision until Dimitri convinces her to see Anya after presenting her with the music box that Anastasia had left behind during the siege of the palace. Marie remains guarded upon meeting Anya until Anya begins to remember personal childhood moments, and when Anya uses her necklace to wind the music box and recites the lullaby, the two women realize the truth and are reunited at long last.
Marie rewards Dimitri with ten million rubles and her gratitude. Dimitri, however, refuses the money and makes preparations to return to Soviet Russia because even though he loves Anastasia, his social class, as well as his shame at having initially conned her, forces him to part ways with the Grand Duchess. Later, at a celebration being held in Anastasia’s honour, Marie informs Anastasia of Dimitri’s actions, and promises her granddaughter that they will always have each other even if Anastasia chooses a life with Dimitri. When Pooka suddenly bounds for the garden maze, Anastasia runs after him and is trapped by Rasputin, who tries to kill her in a battle on the Pont Alexandre III
. Dimitri returns to save her, but is injured and knocked unconscious. In the end, Anastasia manages to destroy Rasputin's reliquary by crushing it under her foot. This releases the minions Rasputin sold his soul for, and they promptly reduce his body to dust. Afterwards, Dimitri and Anastasia reconcile and send a farewell letter to Marie and Sophie. The newly eloped couple promises Marie and Sophie that they will see them again in Paris, and Anastasia and Dimitri sail away on a boat with Pooka. Meanwhile, Bartok also finds true love with a female bat and shares a passionate kiss with her.
was composed, co-orchestrated, and conducted by David Newman
, and the songs were written by Lynn Ahrens
and Stephen Flaherty
. The film's soundtrack was released in CD and audio cassette format on October 28, 1997.
of Anastasia in New York City
on the weekend of November 14, 1997 grossed $120,541. The following week, the wide release of Anastasia in the United States made $14,242,807, which placed it as the second highest-grossing film between November 21-23, 1997. By the end of its theatrical run, Anastasia had grossed $58,406,347 in the domestic box office and $81,398,001 worldwide. The worldwide gross totaled $139,804,348, making it Don Bluth's highest-grossing film to date.
gave the film 3½ out of 4 stars describing it as "...entertaining and sometimes exciting". The movie also currently stands with a 85% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes
. Carol Buckland of CNN Interactive praised John Cusack for bringing "an interesting edge to Dimitri, making him more appealing than the usual animated hero" and stated that Angela Lansbury gave the film "vocal class", but described the film as "OK entertainment" and that "it never reaches a level of emotional magic." Owen Gleiberman
of Entertainment Weekly
said that the film "has the Disney house style down cold", but that the film feels "a touch depersonalized".
in 2000 by the Russian Orthodox Church. Some of Anastasia's contemporary relatives also felt that the film was distasteful, but most Romanovs have come to accept the "repeated exploitation of Anastasia's romantic tale ... with equanimity."
moves to Orlando and opens a crocodile farm with a guy named Mort." At the same time, however, Atchison recognized the possible benefits of Anastasia, noting that "if 900,000 kids go to 'Anastasia' and of that, 10,000 kids become really interested in Russian history and go on and find the truth and pursue it, it's worth it."
in the categories of "Best Original Musical or Comedy Score
" and "Best Original Song" for "Journey to the Past
". The R&B
singer Aaliyah
performed her pop single version of "Journey to the Past" at the 70th Academy Awards
.
created a direct-to-video
spin-off
called Bartok the Magnificent
(1999), featuring Rasputin's albino bat crony. A video game based on the film, titled Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok, was released for the PC
by Fox Interactive
in 1997.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
produced and directed by Don Bluth
Don Bluth
Donald Virgil "Don" Bluth is an American animator and independent studio owner. He is best known for his departure from The Walt Disney Company in 1979 and his subsequent directing of animated films such as The Secret of NIMH , An American Tail ,The Land Before Time , and All Dogs Go to Heaven ,...
and Gary Goldman
Gary Goldman
Gary Wayne Goldman is an American Film Producer, Director, Animator, Writer and voice actor, he is well known for working on films with Don Bluth like Anastasia, An American Tail and The Land Before Time...
. It was the first feature film to be released by Fox Animation Studios
Fox Animation Studios
Fox Animation Studios is an American animation production company located in Phoenix, Arizona and is a division of 20th Century Fox. After the bankruptcy of Sullivan Bluth Studios in Ireland in 1994, animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman returned to the United States and were hired by 20th Century...
.
The idea for the film originates from Fox's 1956 live-action film version of the same name
Anastasia (1956 film)
Anastasia is a 1956 American historical drama film directed by Anatole Litvak for 20th Century Fox. The film stars Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, and Helen Hayes. Supporting players include Akim Tamiroff, Martita Hunt, and, in a small role, Natalie Schafer...
. The plot is loosely based on an urban legend which claimed that Anastasia, the youngest daughter of the last monarch of Imperial Russia, in fact survived the execution of her family
Shooting of the Romanov family
The shooting of the Romanov family, of the Russian Imperial House of Romanov, and those who chose to accompany them into exile, Dr. Eugene Botkin, Anna Demidova, Alexei Trupp, and Ivan Kharitonov, took place in Yekaterinburg on July 17, 1918 on the orders of Vladimir Lenin, Yakov Sverdlov, and the...
, and thus takes various liberties with historical fact.
Plot
In 1916, TsarTsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
hosts a ball at the Catherine Palace
Catherine Palace
The Catherine Palace was the Rococo summer residence of the Russian tsars, located in the town of Tsarskoye Selo , 25 km south-east of St. Petersburg, Russia.- History :...
to celebrate the Romanov tricentennial. At the ball, his mother, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna (Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
), gives the eight-year-old Grand Duchess Anastasia (Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Dunst
Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories...
/Lacey Chabert
Lacey Chabert
Lacey Nicole Chabert is an American actress and voice actress, known for her roles as Claudia Salinger in the television drama Party of Five and as Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls...
) a music box and a necklace reading “Together in Paris” to ease her favorite granddaughter’s loneliness while Marie is away in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The ball is suddenly interrupted by the arrival of Grigori Rasputin
Grigori Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin was a Russian Orthodox Christian and mystic who is perceived as having influenced the latter days of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their only son Alexei...
(Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
/Jim Cummings
Jim Cummings
James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
), a power-mad sorcerer who was banished from the palace by the Tsar. Rasputin sells his soul in order to cast a curse on the Imperial family that sparks a revolution as revenge. The Romanovs are forced to flee from the palace for their lives, but only Marie and Anastasia are able to escape the siege alive thanks to a young servant boy named Dimitri, who shows them a secret passageway in Anastasia's room. Rasputin's minion Bartok (Hank Azaria
Hank Azaria
Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
) immediately alerts him to Anastasia's escape, and Rasputin confronts Marie and Anastasia on their way to the train station, only to fall through the ice and drown. At the train station, however, Anastasia fails to board the moving train and becomes separated from Marie after she falls and hits her head on the platform.
In 1926, Russia is under communist
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
rule and the tsar is dead. Marie is offering a monetary reward for the safe return of her granddaughter. Dimitri (John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
/Jonathan Dokuchitz
Jonathan Dokuchitz
Johnathan Dokuchitz is an American actor who works mainly on Broadway. He has starred in The Who's Tommy as Captain Walker, and also created the singing voice for John Cusack in Anastasia .- Featured productions :...
), now a con man, and his partner Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer
Kelsey Grammer
Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
) are searching for an Anastasia lookalike to present to Marie so that they can collect the reward and end their financial troubles. Elsewhere, the eighteen-year-old Anastasia (Meg Ryan
Meg Ryan
Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982...
/Liz Callaway
Liz Callaway
Liz Callaway is an American actress and singer, famous for providing the singing voices of many female characters in films, such as Anya in Anastasia, Odette in The Swan Princess, and Kiara in The Lion King II:Simba's Pride....
), now under the name Anya, is suffering from amnesia
Amnesia
Amnesia is a condition in which one's memory is lost. The causes of amnesia have traditionally been divided into categories. Memory appears to be stored in several parts of the limbic system of the brain, and any condition that interferes with the function of this system can cause amnesia...
because of her head injury ten years prior. Anya turns down a fish factory job in favor of going to St. Petersburg after her necklace inspires her to seek out her family in Paris. Accompanied by a stray puppy named Pooka, she encounters Dimitri and Vladimir, who are impressed by her resemblance to the Grand Duchess and recruit her as their unwitting “fake” Anastasia.
Bartok realizes that the two con men’s “fake” Anastasia is, in fact, the real Anastasia when Rasputin's dormant reliquary (which contains his soul) is revived. The reliquary hauls Bartok to limbo, where Rasputin has existed as a living corpse for the past ten years, unable to truly die since his curse is unfulfilled. When Bartok returns the reliquary to Rasputin, Rasputin’s powers are restored, and he sends out his demonic minions from within the reliquary to kill Anastasia.
After two narrow escapes from Rasputin's minions during their travels, Anya, Dimitri, and Vladimir arrive in Paris to present Anya as Anastasia to Marie. Marie, however, has recently called off the search for Anastasia. Nonetheless, Sophie, Marie's first cousin and lady-in-waiting, agrees to interview Anya as a favor to Vladimir, whom she flirts with. When Anya dimly recalls Dimitri opening the secret passageway, Dimitri realizes that he and Vladimir have found the missing Grand Duchess. Sophie then arranges for Anya to meet Marie after the Russian Ballet, but Marie continues to stand firm on her decision until Dimitri convinces her to see Anya after presenting her with the music box that Anastasia had left behind during the siege of the palace. Marie remains guarded upon meeting Anya until Anya begins to remember personal childhood moments, and when Anya uses her necklace to wind the music box and recites the lullaby, the two women realize the truth and are reunited at long last.
Marie rewards Dimitri with ten million rubles and her gratitude. Dimitri, however, refuses the money and makes preparations to return to Soviet Russia because even though he loves Anastasia, his social class, as well as his shame at having initially conned her, forces him to part ways with the Grand Duchess. Later, at a celebration being held in Anastasia’s honour, Marie informs Anastasia of Dimitri’s actions, and promises her granddaughter that they will always have each other even if Anastasia chooses a life with Dimitri. When Pooka suddenly bounds for the garden maze, Anastasia runs after him and is trapped by Rasputin, who tries to kill her in a battle on the Pont Alexandre III
Pont Alexandre III
The Pont Alexandre III is an arch bridge that spans the Seine, connecting the Champs-Élysées quarter and the Invalides and Eiffel Tower quarter, widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in Paris...
. Dimitri returns to save her, but is injured and knocked unconscious. In the end, Anastasia manages to destroy Rasputin's reliquary by crushing it under her foot. This releases the minions Rasputin sold his soul for, and they promptly reduce his body to dust. Afterwards, Dimitri and Anastasia reconcile and send a farewell letter to Marie and Sophie. The newly eloped couple promises Marie and Sophie that they will see them again in Paris, and Anastasia and Dimitri sail away on a boat with Pooka. Meanwhile, Bartok also finds true love with a female bat and shares a passionate kiss with her.
Voice cast
| Voice Actor | Singing Voice | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Meg Ryan Meg Ryan Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , professionally known as Meg Ryan, is an American actress and producer. Raised in Bethel, Connecticut, Ryan began her acting career in 1981 in minor roles, before joining the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns in 1982... |
Liz Callaway Liz Callaway Liz Callaway is an American actress and singer, famous for providing the singing voices of many female characters in films, such as Anya in Anastasia, Odette in The Swan Princess, and Kiara in The Lion King II:Simba's Pride.... |
Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova |
| Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst is an American actress, singer and model. She made her film debut in Oedipus Wrecks, a short film directed by Woody Allen for the anthology New York Stories... |
Lacey Chabert Lacey Chabert Lacey Nicole Chabert is an American actress and voice actress, known for her roles as Claudia Salinger in the television drama Party of Five and as Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls... |
Young Anastasia |
| John Cusack John Cusack John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,... |
Jonathan Dokuchitz Jonathan Dokuchitz Johnathan Dokuchitz is an American actor who works mainly on Broadway. He has starred in The Who's Tommy as Captain Walker, and also created the singing voice for John Cusack in Anastasia .- Featured productions :... |
Dimitri |
| Kelsey Grammer Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier... |
Vladimir Vanya Voinitsky Vasilovich | |
| Angela Lansbury Angela Lansbury Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins... |
Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna | |
| Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings... |
Sophie Stanislovskievna Somorkov-Smirnoff | |
| Christopher Lloyd Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more... |
Jim Cummings Jim Cummings James Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal... |
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin |
| Hank Azaria Hank Azaria Henry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief... |
Bartok |
Musical Score
The musical score for the filmFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
was composed, co-orchestrated, and conducted by David Newman
David Newman (composer)
David Louis Newman is an American composer and conductor known particularly for his film scores. In a career spanning nearly forty years, he has composed music for nearly 100 feature films.-Life and career:...
, and the songs were written by Lynn Ahrens
Lynn Ahrens
Lynn Ahrens is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years...
and Stephen Flaherty
Stephen Flaherty
Stephen Flaherty is an American composer of musical theatre. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/bookwriter Lynn Ahrens...
. The film's soundtrack was released in CD and audio cassette format on October 28, 1997.
Songs
- "Once Upon a December Prologue" - Young Anastasia and Marie (Lacey ChabertLacey ChabertLacey Nicole Chabert is an American actress and voice actress, known for her roles as Claudia Salinger in the television drama Party of Five and as Gretchen Wieners in the movie Mean Girls...
and Angela LansburyAngela LansburyAngela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
) - "A Rumor in St. Petersburg" - Chorus, Dimitri and Vladimir (Jonathan DokuchitzJonathan DokuchitzJohnathan Dokuchitz is an American actor who works mainly on Broadway. He has starred in The Who's Tommy as Captain Walker, and also created the singing voice for John Cusack in Anastasia .- Featured productions :...
and Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
) - "Journey to the PastJourney to the Past"Journey to the Past" is a song written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty for the 1997 animated film Anastasia. The song was originally recorded by actress Liz Callaway to be included in the film and was later re-recorded by singer Aaliyah as an pop-R&B single to promote the soundtrack.The pop...
" - Anastasia (Liz CallawayLiz CallawayLiz Callaway is an American actress and singer, famous for providing the singing voices of many female characters in films, such as Anya in Anastasia, Odette in The Swan Princess, and Kiara in The Lion King II:Simba's Pride....
) - "Once Upon a December" - Anastasia (Liz CallawayLiz CallawayLiz Callaway is an American actress and singer, famous for providing the singing voices of many female characters in films, such as Anya in Anastasia, Odette in The Swan Princess, and Kiara in The Lion King II:Simba's Pride....
) - "Learn to Do It" - Vladimir, Anastasia and Dimitri (Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
, Liz CallawayLiz CallawayLiz Callaway is an American actress and singer, famous for providing the singing voices of many female characters in films, such as Anya in Anastasia, Odette in The Swan Princess, and Kiara in The Lion King II:Simba's Pride....
and Jonathan DokuchitzJonathan DokuchitzJohnathan Dokuchitz is an American actor who works mainly on Broadway. He has starred in The Who's Tommy as Captain Walker, and also created the singing voice for John Cusack in Anastasia .- Featured productions :...
) - "Learn to Do It" (Waltz reprise) - Vladimir (Kelsey GrammerKelsey GrammerAllen Kelsey Grammer is an American actor and comedian. He is most widely known for his two-decade portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier...
) - "In the Dark of the Night" - Rasputin, Demon bug chorus (Jim CummingsJim CummingsJames Jonah "Jim" Cummings is an American voice actor who has appeared in almost 100 roles. He has appeared in classic animated movies such as Aladdin and The Lion King, as well as taking on roles in more current films, such as Bee Movie, Princess and the Frog, and Winnie the Pooh.-Personal...
) - "Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)" - Sophie, Dimitri and chorus (Bernadette PetersBernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
and Jonathan DokuchitzJonathan DokuchitzJohnathan Dokuchitz is an American actor who works mainly on Broadway. He has starred in The Who's Tommy as Captain Walker, and also created the singing voice for John Cusack in Anastasia .- Featured productions :...
) - "Once Upon a December (Reprise)" - Anastasia and Marie (Liz CallawayLiz CallawayLiz Callaway is an American actress and singer, famous for providing the singing voices of many female characters in films, such as Anya in Anastasia, Odette in The Swan Princess, and Kiara in The Lion King II:Simba's Pride....
and Angela LansburyAngela LansburyAngela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
) - "At the BeginningAt the Beginning"At the Beginning" is a song by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx, released as the first single from the Anastasia soundtrack. It was released as a CD and cassette single on October 21, 1997 on Atlantic Records....
" (end credits) - Donna LewisDonna LewisDonna Lewis is a Welsh singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for the 1996 pop hit single "I Love You Always Forever", and the adult contemporary chart-topper "At the Beginning" with Richard Marx. After releasing her second LP Blue Planet, Lewis left Atlantic Records and independently...
& Richard MarxRichard MarxRichard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"... - "Journey to the Past" (end credits) - AaliyahAaliyahAaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
Box office
A limited releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
of Anastasia in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on the weekend of November 14, 1997 grossed $120,541. The following week, the wide release of Anastasia in the United States made $14,242,807, which placed it as the second highest-grossing film between November 21-23, 1997. By the end of its theatrical run, Anastasia had grossed $58,406,347 in the domestic box office and $81,398,001 worldwide. The worldwide gross totaled $139,804,348, making it Don Bluth's highest-grossing film to date.
Reception
Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
gave the film 3½ out of 4 stars describing it as "...entertaining and sometimes exciting". The movie also currently stands with a 85% "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Carol Buckland of CNN Interactive praised John Cusack for bringing "an interesting edge to Dimitri, making him more appealing than the usual animated hero" and stated that Angela Lansbury gave the film "vocal class", but described the film as "OK entertainment" and that "it never reaches a level of emotional magic." Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic for Entertainment Weekly, a position he has held since the magazine's launch in 1990. From 1981–89, he worked at the Boston Phoenix....
of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said that the film "has the Disney house style down cold", but that the film feels "a touch depersonalized".
Reception in Russia
Anastasia was a hit in Russia, despite the fact that the film took great artistic licenses with Russian history. Gemini Films, the Russian distributor of Anastasia, stressed the fact that the story was "not history", but rather "a fairy tale set against the background of real Russian events" in the film's Russian marketing campaign so that its Russian audience would not view Anastasia "as a historical film". As a result, many Russians praised the film for its art and storytelling and saw it as "not so much a piece of history but another Western import to be consumed and enjoyed". A number of Russian Orthodox Christians, on the other hand, found Anastasia to be an offensive depiction of the Grand Duchess, who was canonized as a passion bearerPassion bearer
In Orthodox Christianity, a passion bearer is a person who faces his or her death in a Christ-like manner. Unlike martyrs, passion-bearers are not explicitly killed for their faith, though they hold to that faith with piety and true love of God...
in 2000 by the Russian Orthodox Church. Some of Anastasia's contemporary relatives also felt that the film was distasteful, but most Romanovs have come to accept the "repeated exploitation of Anastasia's romantic tale ... with equanimity."
Criticism
Anastasia was harshly criticized by many historians because it presents a "sanitized, sugar-coated reworking of the story of the [Tsar's] youngest daughter." While the filmmakers acknowledged the fact that "Anastasia uses history only as a starting point", others complained that the film would provide its audience with misleading facts about Russian history, which, according to the author and historian Suzanne Massie, "has been falsified for so many years." Similarly, the amateur historian Bob Atchison said that Anastasia was akin to someone making a film in which "Anne FrankAnne Frank
Annelies Marie "Anne" Frank is one of the most renowned and most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Acknowledged for the quality of her writing, her diary has become one of the world's most widely read books, and has been the basis for several plays and films.Born in the city of Frankfurt...
moves to Orlando and opens a crocodile farm with a guy named Mort." At the same time, however, Atchison recognized the possible benefits of Anastasia, noting that "if 900,000 kids go to 'Anastasia' and of that, 10,000 kids become really interested in Russian history and go on and find the truth and pursue it, it's worth it."
Awards
Anastasia won 8 awards and was nominated for 16 others, including two Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in the categories of "Best Original Musical or Comedy Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
" and "Best Original Song" for "Journey to the Past
Journey to the Past
"Journey to the Past" is a song written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty for the 1997 animated film Anastasia. The song was originally recorded by actress Liz Callaway to be included in the film and was later re-recorded by singer Aaliyah as an pop-R&B single to promote the soundtrack.The pop...
". The R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
singer Aaliyah
Aaliyah
Aaliyah Dana Haughton , who performed under the mononym Aaliyah , was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside...
performed her pop single version of "Journey to the Past" at the 70th Academy Awards
70th Academy Awards
The 70th Academy Awards were noted for their high ratings and the 11 wins obtained by the Best Picture Titanic. Billy Crystal hosted the ceremony for the sixth time, and received an Emmy award for his performance....
.
Nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Award | 1997 70th Academy Awards The 70th Academy Awards were noted for their high ratings and the 11 wins obtained by the Best Picture Titanic. Billy Crystal hosted the ceremony for the sixth time, and received an Emmy award for his performance.... |
Best Original Musical or Comedy Score Academy Award for Original Music Score The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:... |
Stephen Flaherty (music), Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), David Newman (score) |
| Academy Award | 1997 70th Academy Awards The 70th Academy Awards were noted for their high ratings and the 11 wins obtained by the Best Picture Titanic. Billy Crystal hosted the ceremony for the sixth time, and received an Emmy award for his performance.... |
Best Original Song ("Journey to the Past Journey to the Past "Journey to the Past" is a song written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty for the 1997 animated film Anastasia. The song was originally recorded by actress Liz Callaway to be included in the film and was later re-recorded by singer Aaliyah as an pop-R&B single to promote the soundtrack.The pop... ") |
Stephen Flahery (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature | Fox Animation Studios |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Don Bluth and Gary Goldman |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Effects Animation | Peter Matheson |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production | Stephen Flaherty (songs), Lynn Ahrens (songs), and David Newman |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Producing in an Animated Feature Production | Don Bluth and Gary Goldman |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production ("Marie") | Angela Lansbury |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production ("Anastasia") | Meg Ryan |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production | Eric Tuchman (animation adaption), Susan Gauthier, Bruce Graham, Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White |
| Golden Globe | 1998 | Best Original Song - Motion Picture ("Once Upon a December") | Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) |
| Golden Globe | 1998 | Best Original Song - Motion Picture ("Journey to the Past") | Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) |
| 1998 | Best Sound Editing - Animated Feature | ||
| Golden Satellite Award | 1998 | Best Motion Picture - Animated or Mixed Media | Don Bluth and Gary Goldman |
| Golden Satellite Award | 1998 | Outstanding Original Score | David Newman |
| Golden Satellite Award | 1998 | Outstanding Original Song ("Journey to the Past") | Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) |
| Golden Satellite Award | 1998 | Outstanding Original Song ("Once Upon a December") | Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) |
Wins
| Award | Year | Category | Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASCAP Award | 1998 | Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures ("At the Beginning") | Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty |
| Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... |
1998 | Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production ("Bartok") | Hank Azaria |
| Blockbuster Entertainment Award | 1998 | Favorite Animated Family Movie | |
| Critics Choice Award | 1998 | Best Family Film | |
| Artios | 1998 | Best Casting for Animated Voiceover | Brian Chavanne |
| KCFCC Award | 1998 | Best Animated Film | |
| Golden Reel Award Golden Reel Award Golden Reel Award may refer to:* Golden Reel Award , presented by the Genie Awards to high-grossing Canadian films... |
1998 | Best Sound Editing - Music Animation | Brent Brooks (music editor) and Tom Villano (scoring editor) |
| Special Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... |
1998 | Best Family Feature Film - Animation | |
Spin-offs
Due to Anastasias success, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
created a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
called Bartok the Magnificent
Bartok the Magnificent
Bartok the Magnificent, also known as Bartok the Great, is a spin-off to the 1997 film Anastasia, which features Hank Azaria as the voice of Bartok. This film was released on VHS and DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on November 16, 1999, and was re-released in 2005 along with Anastasia...
(1999), featuring Rasputin's albino bat crony. A video game based on the film, titled Anastasia: Adventures with Pooka and Bartok, was released for the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
by Fox Interactive
Fox Interactive
20th Century Fox Games is a video game publisher and developer mainly concerned with titles based on 20th Century Fox properties, such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama, the Alien and Predator film franchises, Independence Day, Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The X-Files, Avatar, 24, the...
in 1997.