Jump to content

Anastasia (1997 film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anastasia
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Adaptation byEric Tuchman
Based on
Produced by
  • Don Bluth
  • Gary Goldman
Starring
Edited by
  • Bob Bender
  • Fiona Trayler
Music byDavid Newman
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox[2]
Release dates
  • November 14, 1997 (1997-11-14) (Ziegfeld Theater)
  • November 21, 1997 (1997-11-21) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$53 million[4][5]
Box office$140 million[6]

Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical historical fantasy film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman from a screenplay by the writing teams of Susan Gauthier and Bruce Graham, and Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, and based on a story adaptation by Eric Tuchman. It features songs written by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens and a musical score composed and conducted by David Newman. The film stars the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Lansbury. The film shares its plot with the 1956 film Anastasia, which in turn was based on a play by Marcelle Maurette. Unlike those treatments, this version adds Grigori Rasputin as the main antagonist.

Anastasia was the first 20th Century Fox animated feature to be produced by its own animation division, 20th Century Fox Animation, through the animation studio Fox Animation Studios. The film premiered at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on November 14, 1997, and was released in the United States on November 21. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the animation, voice performances, and soundtrack, though it attracted criticism from some historians for its fantastical retelling of the Grand Duchess. Anastasia grossed $140 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 and a stage musical.

Plot

[edit]

In 1916, at a ball celebrating the Romanov Tricentennial, Dowager Empress Maria “Marie” Romanov, gives a music box as well as a pendant 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 the boiler of 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 the real 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 Anastasia's music box. As Marie and Anya talk, Anya begins to regain her memories before she recognizes the music box and recalls the lullaby. Recognizing Anya as the true Anastasia, Marie tearfully reunites with her granddaughter.

Marie offers Dimitri the reward money the next day, recognizing him as the servant boy who helped them, but Dimitri declines it and leaves, planning 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. Upon noticing Pooka run off to the garden maze, Anya goes after him and ends up at the Pont Alexandre III, where Rasputin attacks 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 elope. Anya sends a farewell letter to Marie and Sophie, promising to visit them. Meanwhile, Bartok falls in love with a female bat and briefly breaks the fourth wall to bid the audience goodbye.

Voice cast

[edit]

Victoria Clark, Billy Porter, Patrick Quinn, J. K. Simmons, and Lillias White were among the ensemble and character voices.[8][9][10]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

In May 1994, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman had signed a long-term deal to produce animated features with 20th Century Fox, with the studio channeling more than $100 million in constructing a new animation studio.[11] They selected Phoenix, Arizona, for the location of Fox Animation Studios because the state offered the company about $1 million in job training funds and low-interest loans for the state-of-the-art digital animation equipment.[12] It was staffed with 300 artists and technicians, a third of whom worked with Bluth and Goldman in Dublin, Ireland, for Sullivan Bluth Studios.[13] For their first project, the studio insisted they select one out of a dozen existing properties which they owned where Bluth and Goldman suggested adapting The King and I and My Fair Lady,[14] though Bluth and Goldman felt it would be impossible to improve on Audrey Hepburn's performance and Lerner and Loewe's score. Following several story suggestions, the idea to adapt Anastasia (1956) originated from Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO Bill Mechanic. They would later adapt story elements from Pygmalion with the peasant Anya being molded into a regal woman.[15]

Early into production, Bluth and Goldman began researching the actual events through enlisting former CIA agents stationed in Moscow and St. Petersburg.[16] Around this same time, screenwriter Eric Tuchman had written a script. Eventually, Bluth and Goldman decided the history of Anastasia and the Romanov dynasty was too dark for their film.[15] In 1995, Bruce Graham and Susan Gauthier reworked Tuchman's script into a light-hearted romantic comedy. When Graham and Gauthier moved onto other projects, the husband-and-wife screenwriting team Bob Tzudiker and Noni White were hired for additional rewrites.[17] Actress Carrie Fisher also made uncredited rewrites of the film, particularly the scene in which Anya leaves the orphanage for Paris.[18]

For the villains, Bluth also did not take into consideration depicting Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and initially toyed with the idea of a police chief with a vendetta against Anastasia (an idea which the musical adaptation revived in the form of Gleb Vaganov). Instead, they decided to have Grigori Rasputin as the villain with Goldman explaining it was because of "all the different things they did to try to destroy Rasputin and what a horrible man he really was, the more it seemed appetizing to make him the villain".[16] In reality, Rasputin was already dead when the Romanovs were assassinated. In addition to this, Bluth created the idea for Bartok, the albino bat, as a sidekick for Rasputin: "I just thought the villain had to have a comic sidekick, just to let everyone know that it was all right to laugh. A bat seemed a natural friend for Rasputin. Making him a white bat came later – just to make him different".[19] Composers Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens recalled being at the Au Bon Pain in New York City where Rasputin and Bartok were pitched. They were dismayed at the decision to go down a historically inaccurate route; they made their stage musical adaption "more sophisticated, more far-reaching, more political" to encompass their original vision.[20]

Casting

[edit]

Bluth stated that Meg Ryan was his first and only choice for the title character, but Ryan was indecisive about accepting the role due to its dark historical events.[21] To persuade her, the animation team took an audio clip of Annie Reed from Sleepless in Seattle and created an animation reel based on it which was screened for her following an invitation to the studio. Ryan later accepted the role; in her words "I was blown away that they did that".[22] Before Ryan was cast, Broadway singer and actress Liz Callaway was brought in to record several demos of the songs hoping to land a job in background vocals, but the demos were liked well enough by songwriters that they were ultimately used in the final film.[23] John Cusack openly admitted after being cast that he couldn't sing;[24] his singing duties were performed by Jonathan Dokuchitz.[25] Goldman had commented that originally, as with the rest of the cast, they were going to have Ryan record her lines separately from the others, with Bluth reading the lines of the other characters to her. However, after Ryan and the directors were finding the method to be too challenging when her character was paired with Dimitri, she and Cusack recorded the dialogue of their characters together, with Goldman noting that "it made a huge difference".[16]

Peter O'Toole was considered for the role of Rasputin, but Christopher Lloyd was hired because of his popularity from the Back to the Future trilogy. Bartok was initially written for Woody Allen, but the studio was reluctant to hire him following revelations of his relationship with his ex-partner Mia Farrow's adoptive daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. Martin Short was also considered, but Hank Azaria won the role ten minutes into his audition.[16][17]

Musical score and soundtrack album

[edit]

The film score was composed, co-orchestrated, and conducted by David Newman, whose father, Alfred Newman, composed the score of the 1956 film of the same name.[26] The songs, of which "Journey to the Past" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, were written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty.[27] The first song they wrote for the project was "Once Upon a December"; it was written during a heatwave "so [they were] sweating and writing winter imagery".[20] The film's soundtrack was released in CD and audio cassette format on October 28, 1997.[28]

Release

[edit]
A bus advertising the film in England

20th Century Fox scheduled for Anastasia to be released on November 21, 1997, notably a week after the re-release of Disney's The Little Mermaid. Disney claimed it had long-planned for the re-release to coincide with a consumer products campaign leading into Christmas and the film's home video release in March 1998, as well continue the tradition of re-releasing their animated films within a seven-to-eight year interval.[29] In addition to this, Disney would release several competing family films including Flubber on the following weekend, as well as a double feature of George of the Jungle and Hercules.[29] To avoid branding confusion, Disney banned television advertisements for Anastasia from being aired on the ABC program The Wonderful World of Disney.[30]

Commenting on the studios' fierce competition, Disney spokesman John Dreyer brushed off allegations of studio rivalry, claiming: "We always re-release our movies around holiday periods". However, Fox executives refused to believe Dreyer's statement with Bill Mechanic responding that "it's a deliberate attempt to be a bully, to kick sand in our face. They can't be trying to maximize their own business; the amount they're spending on advertising is ridiculous... It's a concentrated effort to keep our film from fulfilling its potential".[31]

Despite this, the film is constantly confused to have been made by Disney due to its then contemporary films. This is not helped by the fact that 20th Century Fox, the film's primary distributor, was eventually purchased by the Walt Disney Company in 2019, thus adding the film to the studio's library and increasing confusion even more.[32][33][34]

Marketing

[edit]

Anastasia was accompanied by a marketing campaign of more than $50 million with promotional sponsors from Burger King, Dole Food Company, Hershey, Chesebrough-Ponds, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Shell Oil, and the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Overall, the marketing costs exceeded that of Independence Day by more than 35 percent.[35] For merchandising, Fox selected Galoob to license dolls based on Anastasia.[31] Many storybooks adapted from the film were released by Little Golden Books. In August 1997, the SeaWorld theme parks in San Diego and Orlando featured a 40-foot-long, 20-foot-high inflatable playground for children called "Anastasia's Kingdom".[36]

After the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, in December 2022 Disney released its first merchandise based on the film in the form of a mug to honor its 25th anniversary.[37]

Home media

[edit]

On April 28, 1998, and March 16, 1999, Anastasia was released on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD and sold eight million units.[38] The film was first rereleased on February 19, 2002 as part of the Fox Family Features lineup alongside Thumbelina and FernGully: The Last Rainforest. The film was again rereleased on a two-disc "Family Fun Edition" DVD with the film in its original theatrical 2.35:1 widescreen format on March 28, 2006. The first disc featured an optional audio commentary from directors/writers Bluth and Goldman, and additional bonus material. The second included a making-of documentary, music video and making-of featurette of Aaliyah's "Journey to the Past", and additional bonus content.[39] The film was released on Blu-ray on March 22, 2011; this included Bartok the Magnificent in the special features.[40]

Streaming

[edit]

Following Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox on March 20, 2019, Anastasia became available on Disney+.[41][42][43] In the U.S., it was removed from Disney+ on March 1, 2022, and transferred to Starz on March 18; contrary to popular belief, the film's disappearance bears no connection to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine (Disney had suspended theatrical releases in Russia such as the then-upcoming Turning Red, which led to confusion that Anastasia's withdrawal was related).[44] Anastasia eventually returned to Disney+ on June 2, 2023.

Reception

[edit]

Anastasia received mostly positive reviews from critics.[45][46] Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 84% based on 58 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Beautiful animation, an affable take on Russian history, and strong voice performances make Anastasia a winning first film from Fox Animation Studios".[47] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 61 out of 100 based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[48] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[49]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, praising "the quality of the story" and writing the result as entertaining and sometimes exciting.[50] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave Anastasia three stars, calling the lead character "pretty and charming" but criticized the film for a lack of historical accuracy.[51] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Though originality is not one of its accomplishments, Anastasia is generally pleasant, serviceable and eager to please. And any film that echoes the landscape of Doctor Zhivago is hard to dislike for too long".[52] Todd McCarthy of Variety noted the film was "dazzlingly colorful", but felt that "all the ingredients thrown into the pot don't congeal entirely congenially, and the artistic touch applied doesn't allow the whole to become more than the sum of its various, but invariably familiar, elements".[53] Margaret McGurk, reviewing for The Cincinnati Enquirer, described the film as "charming" and "entertaining", and calling Anastasia as a tasty tale about a fairy-tale princess.[54] Lisa Osbourne of Boxoffice called the film "pure family entertainment".[55] Awarding the film three out of five stars, Empire's Philip Thomas wrote that despite historical inaccuracies, Anastasia manages to be a charming little movie.[56]

Several critics have drawn positive comparisons between Anastasia and the Disney films released during the Disney Renaissance, noting similarities in their story and animation styles. Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle awarded the film three out of five stars. Likening its quality to that of a Disney animated film, Baumgarten wrote that Anastasia "may not beat Disney at its own game, but it sure won't be for lack of trying". Baumgarten continued that "[t]his sumptuous-looking film clearly spared no expense in its visual rendering; its optical flourishes and attention to detail aim for the Disney gold standard and, for the most part, come pretty darn close".[57] The Phoenix's Jeffrey Gantz jokingly stated: "[I]f imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, then the folks at Disney should feel royally complimented by Twentieth Century Fox's new animated feature about Tsar Nicholas II's youngest daughter".[58] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Fox has a beautifully animated musical that can challenge Disney's peer, but also said that Anastasia has inferior animation style compared to Disney's and lacks its magic.[59]

Russian critical response

[edit]

Critical reception in Russia was also, for the most part, positive despite the artistic liberties that the film took 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.[60] As a result, many Russians praised the film for its art and storytelling and saw it as not a piece of history but another Western import to be consumed and enjoyed.[60]

Some Russian Orthodox Christians, on the other hand, found Anastasia to be an offensive depiction of the Grand Duchess, who was canonized as a new martyr in 1981 by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.[61] Many historians echoed their sentiments, criticizing the film as a sanitized, sugar-coated reworking of the story of the Czar's youngest daughter.[62] 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.[63] Similarly, the amateur historian Bob Atchison said that Anastasia was akin to someone making a film in which Anne Frank "moves to Orlando and opens a crocodile farm with a guy named Mort".[63]

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".[63]

Box office

[edit]

A limited release of Anastasia at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on the weekend of November 14, 1997, grossed $120,541.[64] The following weekend, the wide release of Anastasia in the United States earned $14.1 million, ranking second behind Mortal Kombat Annihilation.[65][66] By the end of its theatrical run, Anastasia had grossed $58.4 million in the United States and Canada and $81.4 million internationally.[6] The worldwide gross totaled up to about $139.8 million, making it Don Bluth's highest-grossing film to date and beating out his next highest-grossing film, An American Tail, by about $55 million.[67] This was Don Bluth's first financially successful film since All Dogs Go to Heaven.

Accolades

[edit]

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score and Best Original Song (for "Journey to the Past").[68][69] The R&B singer Aaliyah performed the pop version at the ceremony.[70]

List of awards and nominations
Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Original Musical or Comedy Score Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens;
Orchestral Score by David Newman
Nominated [71][72]
Best Original Song "Journey to the Past"
Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Nominated
Annie Awards Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Theatrical Feature Nominated [73]
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production Don Bluth and Gary Goldman Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Producing in an Animated Feature Production Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production Animation Adaptation by Eric Tuchman;
Screenplay by Susan Gauthier, Bruce Graham,
Bob Tzudiker, and Noni White
Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Effects Animation Peter Matheson Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production Songs by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens;
Score by David Newman
Nominated
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production Hank Azaria Won
Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production Angela Lansbury Nominated
Meg Ryan Nominated
Artios Awards Best Casting for Animated Voice-Over Brian Chavanne Won [74]
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures "At the Beginning"
Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Won
Awards Circuit Community Awards Best Animated Feature Nominated
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Animated Family Movie Nominated [75]
Critics' Choice Awards Best Family Film Won [76]
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Animated Film Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Original Song – Motion Picture "Journey to the Past"
Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Nominated [77]
"Once Upon a December"
Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Animated Feature Nominated
Best Sound Editing – Music Animation Brent Brooks and Tom Villano Won
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Best Animated Film Won [78]
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Animated Picture Don Bluth and Gary Goldman Won [79]
Best Comedy/Musical Score Stephen Flaherty, Lynn Ahrens, and David Newman Nominated
Best Original Song "Once Upon a December"
Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Nominated
Best Voice-Over Performance Hank Azaria Nominated
Angela Lansbury Nominated
Meg Ryan Nominated
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture – Animated or Mixed Media Film Nominated [80]
Best Original Score David Newman Nominated
Best Original Song "Journey to the Past"
Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Nominated
"Once Upon a December"
Music by Stephen Flaherty;
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Family Feature Film – Animation Won [81]

Adaptations and other media

[edit]

Ice Follies

[edit]

Anastasia on Ice is a licensed adaptation produced by Feld Entertainment's Ice Follies that ran from at least 1998 to 1999.[82][83]

Spin-off film

[edit]

In 1999, a direct-to-video standalone spin-off titled Bartok the Magnificent was released which focused on the character of Bartok.[84]

Stage musical adaptation

[edit]

Hartford Stage developed a stage production of Anastasia, with the book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty and directed by Darko Tresnjak.[85] The production ran from May 13 through June 19, 2016.[86]

It is an original musical combining both the 1956 Arthur Laurents film and the 1997 animated film. The musical features six songs from the animated film and 16 new songs. Additionally, there have been some newly rewritten characters including Checkist secret police officer Gleb Vaganov (in the place of Rasputin), and Lily, who has been renamed in the place of Sophie.[87] McNally said: "This is a stage version for a modern theatre audience... The libretto's 'a blend' of old and new... There are characters in the musical that appear in neither the cartoon nor the Ingrid Bergman version".[88]

The Hartford production featured Christy Altomare as Anastasia / Anya, Derek Klena as Dimitri, Mary Beth Peil as The Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, Manoel Felciano as Gleb Vaganov, John Bolton as Vladimir, Caroline O'Connor as Lily, and Nicole Scimeca as Young Anastasia.[89] The musical transferred to Broadway with much of the original Hartford cast, opening on April 24, 2017, at the Broadhurst Theater[90] to mixed reviews.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Petrikin, Chris (February 18, 1998). "Fox renamed that toon". Variety. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Anastasia (1997)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "ANASTASIA (U)". British Board of Film Classification. December 5, 1997. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "Anastasia (1997)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "Ask Us". DonBluth.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2000. Anastasia was 53 million
  6. ^ a b "Anastasia (1997)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Hill, Jim (September 19, 2011). "Has Disney Been 'Lion' About Jeremy Irons' Singing Voice?". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  8. ^ Warner, Jennifer (2014). Aaliyah: A Biography. Golgotha Press. ISBN 9781629173597. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2022 – via Google Books. animated musical fantasy feature
  9. ^ Beck, Jerry (2005). The Animated Movie Guide. United States: Chicago Review Press. p. 20. ISBN 9781569762226. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2022 – via Google Books. going from historical drama one moment to light-hearted cartoon fantasy the next
  10. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  11. ^ "Company Town Annex". Los Angeles Times. May 4, 1994. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "Animated film a first for state". Tucson Citizen. Associated Press. August 18, 1995. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  13. ^ "Fox produces animated feature - with a difference". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. April 22, 1997. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  14. ^ Verniere, James (November 16, 1997). "High toon in Hollywood - Disney has long dominated animation, but with 'Anastasia', Fox cuts in". The Boston Herald. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Kuklenski, Valerie (November 18, 1997). "Battle Royal for Animation Crew; 'Anastasia' Putting Fox In The Game". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015 – via TheFreeLibrary.com.
  16. ^ a b c d Schnurr, Samantha (November 20, 2017). "Once Upon a November: Behind the Scenes of Anastasia 20 Years Later". E! Online. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Bitran, Tara (November 21, 2017). "'Anastasia' Was Originally Much Darker and Eyed Woody Allen for Role". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  18. ^ Lee Lenker, Maureen (November 21, 2017). "Anastasia composers tell the stories behind the film's most beloved songs". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  19. ^ Vincent, Mal (November 22, 1997). ""Anastasia" Touching Off War New 20th Century Fox Film Threatens Disney's Hold on Animation Market". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  20. ^ a b Hetrick, Adam (April 4, 2016). "How Ahrens and Flaherty Are Re-Envisioning Anastasia For the Stage". Playbill. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  21. ^ Pearlman, Cindy (November 16, 1997). "Like her characters, Meg Ryan is sweet, tart". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  22. ^ Stark, Susan (November 21, 1997). "How Meg Ryan Learned To Sigh Like 'Anastasia'". The Detroit News. The Seattle News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  23. ^ Kim, Jae-Ha (December 28, 1997). "Voice in toon // Animation not new to Callaway". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  24. ^ Lovell, Glenn (February 9, 2001). "John Cusack won't be an Oscar nominee again but he should be". Knight Ridder. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  25. ^ Ai, Tan Lang (November 3, 1997). "Mystique of 'Anastasia'". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  26. ^ "Newman". MTV. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  27. ^ "The Making of Anastasia: The Music of Anastasia". 20th Century Fox. Archived from the original on January 11, 1998. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  28. ^ "Anastasia (Atlantic) - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  29. ^ a b Eller, Claudia (October 10, 1997). "Draw and Fire: Disney Flexes Financial Muscle to Protect Its Animation Turf". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  30. ^ "World War 'Toon". Entertainment Weekly. November 7, 1997. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  31. ^ a b Farhi, Paul (November 21, 1997). "Animation's New Battle Lines; With 'Anastasia' Marketing Blitz, 20th Century Tries to Out-Fox Disney". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  32. ^ Tyler, Adrienne (December 5, 2020). "Why Anastasia Isn't An Official Disney Princess (Even After The Fox Deal)". Screen Rant. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  33. ^ Schmidt, Ann (August 12, 2020). "18 movies you'll be surprised Disney didn't make". Insider. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  34. ^ Mendelson, Scott (December 10, 2020). "I Regret To Inform You That Anastasia Is Now A Disney Princess". Forbes. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  35. ^ Petrikin, Chris (August 26, 1997). "Fox's toon high noon". Variety. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  36. ^ "Sea World Lands Movie Tie-in". Orlando Sentinel. August 2, 1997. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  37. ^ Boothe, Tabitha (December 17, 2022). "Disney Finally Gives Fans Long-Requested Park Offering". Inside the Magic. Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  38. ^ King, Susan (November 18, 1999). "Sidekick Bat Spreads His Wings in 'Bartok'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  39. ^ Simon, Ben (June 26, 2006). "Anastasia: Family Fun Edition". Animated Views. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  40. ^ "Anastasia Blu-Ray". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  41. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (December 2, 2020). "The 10 best movies and TV shows coming to Disney Plus in December". Business Insider. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  42. ^ "New on Disney+: December 2020". Vulture. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2020 – via MSN.
  43. ^ Littleton, Cynthia (March 19, 2019). "Disney Completes 21st Century Fox Acquisition". Variety. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  44. ^ "Was 'Anastasia' Removed from Disney+ To Protest Invasion of Ukraine?". Snopes.com. March 4, 2022. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  45. ^ "New fantasy movie about Grand Duchess Anastasia causes outrage". Russia Beyond. September 22, 2020. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2024. In 1997, the Oscar-nominated animation movie 'Anastasia' received mostly positive reviews
  46. ^ Bogdanoff, Jennifer (November 26, 1997). "Battle of The Princesses". The Observer. Retrieved June 21, 2024 – via Fordham University library. Anastasia is putting up a good fight with positive reviews
  47. ^ "Anastasia (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  48. ^ "Anastasia (1997): Reviews". Metacritic. October 11, 2020. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  49. ^ "Anastasia (1997): A-". CinemaScore. April 29, 2022. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  50. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 21, 1997). "Anastasia". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2013 – via RogerEbert.com.
  51. ^ Siskel, Gene (November 21, 1997). "Great Acting in Eastwood's 'Midnight'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2021.
  52. ^ Turan, Kenneth (November 21, 1997). "Nice, but No Revolutionary". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  53. ^ McCarthy, Todd (November 9, 1997). "Review: 'Anastasia'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  54. ^ McGurk, Margaret. "Dancing around history". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  55. ^ Osborne, Lisa (November 14, 1997). "Anastasia". Boxoffice. Boxoffice Media, LLC. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  56. ^ Thomas, Philip. "Anastasia". Empire. Bauer Consumer Media. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  57. ^ Baumgarten, Marjorie (November 21, 1997). "Anastasia". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  58. ^ Gantz, Jeffrey (November 20, 1997). "Anastasia". The Phoenix. Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  59. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (October 27, 1997). "Anastasia (1997)". Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly Inc. Archived from the original on April 29, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  60. ^ a b Saffron, Ingra (March 19, 1998). "A Cartoon 'Anastasia' Charms a New Russia / Bolsheviks Get Written Out". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. A01.
  61. ^ Mattingly, Terry (November 29, 1997). "Upset about Anastasia's movie portrayal". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on May 18, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  62. ^ Holden, Stephen (November 14, 1997). "Film Review: A Feeling We're Not in Russia Anymore". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  63. ^ a b c Goldberg, Carey (November 9, 1997). "After the Revolution, Comes 'Anastasia' the Cartoon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 15, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2010.
  64. ^ Welkos, Robert W. (November 18, 1997). "Moviegoers Track 'The Jackal'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  65. ^ Rauzi, Robin (November 24, 1997). "Princess, Mermaid 'Kombat' Casualties". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  66. ^ Klady, Leonard (November 23, 1997). "B.O. gets annihilated". Variety. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  67. ^ "Don Bluth Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  68. ^ "Anastasia - Cast, Crew, Director and Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2014. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  69. ^ "Anastasia (1997) - Plot, Details & Awards". Moviefone. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  70. ^ "Remembering Aaliyah". BET.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  71. ^ "The 70th Academy Awards (1998) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on October 1, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
  72. ^ Titanic Wins Original Dramatic Score and Original Song: 1998 Oscars
  73. ^ "26th Annual Annie Awards". Annie Awards. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  74. ^ "Nominees/Winners". Casting Society of America. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  75. ^ "Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Nominees Announced". Blockbuster Entertainment. December 17, 1997. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2018 – via PR Newswire.
  76. ^ "The BFCA Critics' Choice Awards :: 1997". Broadcast Film Critics Association. Archived from the original on December 12, 2008. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
  77. ^ "Anastasia – Golden Globes". HFPA. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  78. ^ "KCFCC Award Winners – 1990-99". kcfcc.org. December 14, 2013. Archived from the original on September 17, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  79. ^ "2nd Annual Film Awards (1997)". Online Film & Television Association. Archived from the original on October 16, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
  80. ^ "1998 Satellite Awards". Satellite Awards. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  81. ^ "19th Youth In Film Awards". YoungArtistAwards.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2011.
  82. ^ Hirsch, Deborah (March 12, 1999). "Anastasia: Legend, Fantasy On Ice". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  83. ^ Jones, Chris (September 25, 1998). "'Anastasia' Impressive Bit Of Family Fare". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  84. ^ King, Susan (December 10, 1999). "Bartok the bat flies solo in new movie". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on October 4, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  85. ^ "Hartford Stage Announces Tony Award-winner Darko Tresnjak Will Direct World Premiere of Anastasia" Archived November 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Hartford Stage
  86. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Broadway-Bound Anastasia Begins Previews After Delay" Archived June 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, Playbill, May 13, 2016
  87. ^ Viagas, Robert and Hetrick, Adam. "Cast Announced for Ahrens and Flaherty's Stage 'Anastasia'" Archived March 10, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Playbill, March 9, 2016
  88. ^ Rothstein, Mervyn. "What to Expect From Terrence McNally's New 'Anastasia'" Archived April 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, April 12, 2016
  89. ^ "'Christy Altomare and derek Klena Will Lead Hartford Stages World Premiere of 'Anastasia'" Archived March 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine broadwayworld.com, March 9, 2016
  90. ^ "'Anastasia 'musical arriving on Broadway in 2017" Archived October 12, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Ew.com, June 28, 2016
[edit]