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Anastasia (1997)

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Anastasia poster

November 21, 1997

Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical drama film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman in association with Fox Animation Studios, distributed by 20th Century Fox, and starring the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Hank Azaria, Christopher Lloyd, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Lansbury. The film is a loose adaptation of the legend of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, which claims that she escaped the execution of her family. Its basic plot centers around an eighteen-year-old amnesiac orphan named Anya who, in hopes of finding some trace of her family, sides with con men who wish to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess; thus the film shares its plot with Fox's prior film from 1956, which, in turn, was based on the 1955 play of the same name by Marcelle Maurette.

Though it enjoyed a positive reception from many critics and audiences by praising the animation, themes, characters, voice performances, and the soundtrack, the film was met with criticism by some historians for its fantastical retelling of the life of the Grand Duchess. From a $50 million budget, Anastasia grossed over $139 million worldwide, making it the most profitable film from Bluth and Fox Animation Studios. It received nominations for several awards, including for Best Original Song ("Journey to the Past") and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score at the 70th Academy Awards. The success of Anastasia spawned various adaptations of the film into other media, including a direct-to-video spin-off film, a computer game, books, toys and a stage musical, which premiered in 2016.

Due to the creation of Fox Animation Studios, Anastasia is the first 20th Century Fox animated film to be produced by its own animation division 20th Century Fox Animation.

Storyline[]

In 1916, at a ball celebrating the Romanov Tricentennial, Dowager Empress Maria “Marie” Romanov, gives a music box as well as a necklace that says "Together in Paris" to Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, her youngest granddaughter. The ball is interrupted by Grigori Rasputin, the Romanov’s former royal advisor exiled for treason. He vows to Tsar Nicholas II that his family will be killed with a curse. Rasputin sold his soul in exchange for a reliquary, which he uses to start the Russian Revolution. As Bolsheviks invade the palace, Marie and Anastasia are aided by Dimitri, a servant boy, who shows them a secret passageway. Anastasia drops her music box; she tries to retrieve it, but Dimitri pushes her through the passageway. Rasputin confronts them outside on the frozen Little Nevka River but falls through the ice, killing him. Marie gets on a moving train, but Anastasia falls and hits her head on the platform, giving her amnesia.

Ten years later, Russia is now part of the Soviet Union. There are rumors that Anastasia may have escaped her family's execution, so Marie offers 10 million roubles in exchange for her return. Now a conman, Dimitri and his partner-in-crime, Vladimir, plot to obtain the reward with an imposter. The actual Anastasia—now going by "Anya"—leaves the orphanage where she had lived ever since she got amnesia and begins a search for her family. Accompanied by a stray puppy she names Pooka, Anya heads for Paris, but finds she cannot leave the Soviet Union without an exit visa. She is advised to see Dimitri at the abandoned palace. There, the two men are impressed by her resemblance to the "real" Anastasia, and decide to take her with them to Paris, with Dimitri convincing Anya that they are trying to reunite her with her grandmother, unaware of Anya's true identity.

While watching the meeting, Rasputin's albino bat, Bartok, notices the reliquary revived by Anya's presence. It drags him down to limbo, where he finds an undead Rasputin. Enraged to hear that Anastasia had escaped his curse, Rasputin sends demonic entities from the reliquary to kill Anya. They try to sabotage the trio's train as they leave Leningrad by overheating Beulah the train engine, and later try to lure Anya into sleepwalking off their ship headed for France. The trio unwittingly foil the attempts, forcing Rasputin to try to kill Anya himself.

As Dimitri and Vladimir reteach Anya about court etiquette and her family's history, she and Dimitri begin to fall in love. The trio finally arrive in Paris and see Marie, who has decided to give up hope of reuniting with her granddaughter after having met no one except numerous impostors. Despite this, Marie's first cousin and lady-in-waiting, Sophie, quizzes Anya to confirm her identity. Though she gives correct coached answers to every question, Dimitri realizes Anya is Anastasia when she vaguely recalls how he had helped her and Marie escape the palace. Sophie, also convinced, arranges a meeting with Marie at the Palais Garnier. There, Dimitri tries to get Marie to see Anya, but she refuses, having heard of Dimitri's scheme to con her. Anya overhears the conversation and leaves, angry that she fell for Dimitri’s scheme. Dimitri abducts Marie in her car to force her to see Anya. She agrees when he presents the music box. As Marie and Anya talk, Anya begins to regain her memories before she and Marie sing the lullaby the music box played.

Marie offers Dimitri the reward money the next day, recognizing him as the servant boy who helped them, but Dimitri declines it and leaves to return to the Soviet Union. At the celebration for her return, Anya is informed by her grandmother of Dimitri's gesture, leaving her torn between staying with Marie or going with him. Anya walks off to the Pont Alexandre III, looking for Pooka, where Rasputin entraps her, while Bartok abandons Rasputin. Dimitri returns to save Anya, but is attacked by a Pegasus statue enchanted by Rasputin. Anya smashes the reliquary, and the demons turn on and destroy Rasputin.

Anya and Dimitri decide to return to live in Russia. Anya sends a farewell letter to Marie and Sophie, promising to visit them. Meanwhile, Bartok falls in love with a female bat.

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