Classic Animated movie Review: Anastasia, a classic historical musical drama from 1997!

In the 1980s, a new legend in animated movies Don Bluth made his breakthrough with the 1984 classic "Secrets of Nimh" and finished the 80s with a bang with the 1989 classic "Land Before Time".  Don is also the man who created the first video game with animated video clips in the 1983 arcade game "Dragons Lair".

 

But during the early 1990s the Bluth movies took a bad turn to kindergarten level, Don Bluth had to bet the farm on the right movie to get back to his immortal status, that movie is "Anastasia" from 1997, and despite it had alot of heavy contenders that year with movies like "Titanic", "Men In Black", "Starship Troopers" and "As Good As It Gets", it made a good profit for Bluth and was a success.

 

In 1916, Tsar Nicholas II hosts a ball at the Catherine Palace to celebrate the Romanov tricentennial. His mother, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, is visiting from Paris and gives a music box and a necklace inscribed with the words “Together in Paris” as parting gifts to her youngest granddaughter, eight-year-old Grand Duchess Anastasia. The ball is suddenly interrupted by the sorcerer Grigori Rasputin, the former royal advisor of the Romanovs until he was banished by Nicholas II for treason. Feeling betrayed and seeking revenge, Rasputin sold his soul in exchange for an unholy reliquary, which he uses to place a curse on the Romanov family, sparking the Russian Revolution. Only Marie and Anastasia are able to escape the ensuing siege of the palace, thanks to a young servant boy named Dimitri who shows them a secret passageway in Anastasia's room. Rasputin confronts the two royals outside on a frozen river, only to fall through the ice and drown. The pair manage to reach a moving train, but only Marie climbs aboard while Anastasia falls, hitting her head on the platform and giving her amnesia.

 

Ten years later, Russia is under communist rule and Marie has publicly offered 10 million rubles for the safe return of her granddaughter. Dimitri and his friend/partner-in-crime Vladimir search for a look-alike to bring to Paris and pass off as Anastasia so they can collect the reward. Elsewhere, Anastasia, now using the name "Anya", leaves the rural orphanage where she grew up, still suffering from amnesia. Accompanied by a stray puppy she names "Pooka", she decides to head to Saint Petersburg, inspired by the passage on the necklace she still has. She is unable to leave Russia due to not having an exit visa, but an old woman advises her to see Dimitri at the abandoned palace where he has made residence. There she encounters Dimitri and Vladimir, who are impressed by her resemblance to the "real" Anastasia and decide to take her with them to Paris.

 

Ofcourse it was understandable some people did question of making a sad tragedy event into a Disney type of movie but on the other hands the kids did really enjoy the movie. I can understand both point of views since as a movie, it's entertaining, and the animation is beautiful like a classic Don Bluth at his best, however I can agree also with those who are skeptical about the movie, for example when Rasputin return to life he becomes a walking corpse and it's played like a joke in a bad taste, and also the end of Romanovs family is a very sad tragedy and should be more respectful. But also as people know, no one has ever found the real Anastasia, so it's a possibility she escaped but where and how? That is the question we may never know and that's why these kinds of movies were made for honor the poor princess, and Don Bluths movie is entertaining and beautiful , if he only could have dropped the goofy parts then it would have been a masterpiece. But it's a great late 90s movie and will be a forever classic. Rewarded 6/10!