| Anastasia | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Screenplay by |
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| Adaptation by | Eric Tuchman |
| Based on |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | David Newman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[2] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes[4] |
| Country | United States[2] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $53 million[5][6] |
| Box office | $140 million[7] |
Anastasia is a 1997 American animatedmusicalhistorical fantasy film directed and produced byDon Bluth andGary Goldman from a screenplay by the writing teams of Susan Gauthier and Bruce Graham, andBob Tzudiker andNoni White, and based on a story adaptation byEric Tuchman. It features songs written byStephen Flaherty andLynn Ahrens and amusical score composed and conducted byDavid Newman. The film stars the voices ofMeg Ryan,John Cusack,Kelsey Grammer,Christopher Lloyd,Hank Azaria,Bernadette Peters,Kirsten Dunst, andAngela Lansbury. Set in an alternate 1926, it follows anamnesiacAnastasia Romanov who embarks on a journey to discover her past.
Anastasia was the first20th Century Fox animated feature to be produced by its own animation division,20th Century Fox Animation, through its subsidiaryFox Animation Studios. The film premiered at theZiegfeld 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 forBest Original Song ("Journey to the Past") andBest Original Musical or Comedy Score at the70th Academy Awards.
The success ofAnastasia spawned various adaptations of the film into other media, including adirect-to-video spin-off in 1999 and astage musical in 2016.
In 1916, at aball inSaint Petersburg,Russia celebrating theRomanov tricentennial,Dowager Empress Marie gives a music box and a necklace inscribed with the words "Together inParis" as parting gifts to her youngest granddaughter, 8-year-oldGrand Duchess Anastasia. The ball is suddenly interrupted byGrigori Rasputin, the Romanovs’ former royal advisor. The supposed holy man was exposed as a fraud, after wanting to take over Russia until he was finallyexiled fortreason. Seeking revenge, Rasputinsold his soul in exchange for the power to kill his opponent. His power is manifested in an unholyreliquary he must protect. He uses it to curse the Romanovs and spark theRussian Revolution. As the palace is attacked by revolutionary soldiers, Marie and Anastasia escape through a secret passageway, helped by 10-year-old servant boy Dimitri. Rasputin confronts the two royals on the frozenLittle Nevka river, only to fall through the ice and drown. The pair reach a moving train; Marie climbs aboard, but Anastasia falls and hits her head, giving heramnesia.
Ten years later,Russia is now part of theSoviet Union. Rumors of Anastasia's survival spread, and Marie offers 10 millionrubles for her safe return. A now 20-year-old Dimitri who is now aconman, and his partner-in-crime, former nobleman Vladimir Valya "Vlad" Vonitsky Vasilovich, search for an Anastasia look-alike so they can collect the reward. Elsewhere, a now 18-year-old Anastasia (now called "Anya") leaves the rural orphanage where she has been living since she got amnesia. Accompanied by a stray puppy she names Pooka, she decides to head to Paris to uncover her past, inspired by the inscription on her necklace, but finds she needs anexit visa. An old woman advises her to see Dimitri at the abandoned palace; there, Dimitri and Vlad are impressed by Anya's resemblance to the "real" Anastasia. They decide to take her to Paris.
Rasputin's albino bat sidekick, Bartok, is nearby and notices his master's dormant reliquary revived by Anya's presence; it drags him tolimbo, where he finds Rasputin has survived. Enraged to hear that Anastasia escaped the curse, Rasputin sends hisdemonic minions from the reliquary to kill her. They sabotage the trio's train as it leaves St. Petersburg and later try to lure Anya intosleepwalking off their ship toFrance. The trio unwittingly foil both attempts, forcing Rasputin and Bartok to travel back to the surface to kill Anya. Meanwhile, as Dimitri and Vlad teach Anya court etiquette and about the Romanov family's history, Dimitri and Anya begin to fall in love.
The trio eventually reach Paris and visit Marie, who has given up on finding Anastasia after meeting numerous impostors. Despite this, Marie's cousin Sophie quizzes Anya to confirm her identity. Though Anya gives every answer taught to her, Dimitri finally realizes she is the real Anastasia when she vaguely recalls him helping her escape the palace siege. Sophie, also convinced, arranges a meeting with Marie at thePalais Garnier where they watch theRussian ballet version of Cinderella. There, Dimitri tries to establish an introduction but Marie refuses, having heard of Dimitri's initial scheme. Anya overhears the conversation and angrily leaves. Dimitri later abducts Marie in her car to force her to see Anya, finally convincing her when he presents the music box Anastasia dropped during their escape. As Marie and Anya converse, Anya regains her memories; the pair sing the lullaby the music box plays, and are joyfully reunited.
Marie offers Dimitri the reward, recognizing him as the servant boy who saved them, but he declines and intends to leave for St. Petersburg, bidding Vlad farewell. At Anastasia's return celebration, Marie informs her of Dimitri's gesture, leaving Anastasia torn between staying or going with him. Anastasia is then lured to thePont Alexandre III, where Rasputin traps and attacks her, though Bartok refuses to help him any longer. Dimitri returns to save her, but is injured and knocked unconscious. In the struggle, Anastasia gets Rasputin's reliquary and crushes it, avenging her family as Rasputin disintegrates and dies.
In the aftermath, Anastasia and Dimitri reconcile; theyelope, and Anastasia sends a farewell letter to Marie and Sophie, promising to return one day. Bartok shares a kiss with a female bat before bidding the audience farewell.
Victoria Clark,Billy Porter,Patrick Quinn,J. K. Simmons, andLillias White were among the ensemble and character voices.[9][10][11]Eric Bogosian voiced Lazingo, Rasputin's petraven, in deleted scenes.
In May 1994,Don Bluth andGary Goldman had signed a long-term deal to produce animated features with20th Century Fox, with the studio channeling more than $100 million in constructing a new animation studio.[12] They selectedPhoenix, Arizona, for the location ofFox 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.[3] It was staffed with 300 artists and technicians, a third of whom worked with Bluth and Goldman inDublin, Ireland, forSullivan 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 adaptingThe King and I andMy Fair Lady,[14] though Bluth and Goldman said it would be impossible to improve onAudrey Hepburn's performance andLerner and Loewe's score. Following several story suggestions, the idea to adaptAnastasia (1956) originated from Fox Filmed Entertainment CEOBill Mechanic. They later adapted story elements fromPygmalion with the peasant Anya being molded into a regal woman.[15]
Early into production, Bluth and Goldman began researching the actual events through enlisting formerCIA agents stationed in Moscow andSt. Petersburg.[16] Around this same time, screenwriterEric 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 teamBob Tzudiker andNoni White were hired for additional rewrites.[17] ActressCarrie Fisher also made uncredited rewrites of the film, particularly the scene in which Anya leaves the orphanage for Paris.[18]
For the villains, Bluth did not take into consideration depictingVladimir Lenin and theBolsheviks, initially toying with the idea of a police chief with a vendetta against Anastasia (an idea which themusical adaptation revived in the form of Gleb Vaganov). Instead, they decided to haveGrigori 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 theAu Bon Pain in New York City where Rasputin and Bartok werepitched. 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]
Leading up to the late 90s, Walt Disney Studios was the leader of animation.20th Century Fox invested $53 million into creating an animated adaptation ofAnastasia. The protagonist was similar to those who were popular with young audiences during this time. They adapted several familiar stories, including the 1956 filmAnastasia. The challenge was now taking these stories and adapting them for a younger audience.[21]Anastasia grossed over $140 million, making it one of the studios most successful projects.[22]
Bluth stated thatMeg 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.[23] To persuade her, the animation team took an audio clip of Annie Reed fromSleepless 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".[24] Before Ryan was cast, Broadway singer and actressLiz Callaway was brought in to record several demos of the songs hoping to land a job inbackground vocals, but the demos were liked well enough by the songwriters that they were ultimately used in the final film.[25]
After he was cast,John Cusack openly admitted that he couldn't sing;[26] his singing duties were performed byJonathan Dokuchitz.[27] 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,Patrick Stewart,Jonathan Pryce andTim Curry were considered for the role of Rasputin, butChristopher Lloyd was hired because of his popularity from theBack to the Future trilogy. Bartok was initially written forWoody Allen, but the studio was reluctant to hire him following revelations of his relationship with his ex-partnerMia Farrow's adoptive daughter,Soon-Yi Previn.Martin Short was also considered, butHank Azaria won the role ten minutes into his audition.[16][17]
The film score was composed, co-orchestrated, and conducted byDavid Newman, whose father,Alfred Newman, composed the score of the 1956film of the same name.[28] The songs, of which "Journey to the Past" was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song, were written byLynn Ahrens andStephen Flaherty.[29] 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.[30]
Filmmakers took a historical approach to creating the film by adapting both the legend and the 1956 filmAnastasia. The changes they made to the story were designed to capture a younger audience and current political climate.
The legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov's survival became a permanent part of pop culture. This is due to the story continuing to be told on stage and film as well as Anna Anderson, the most well believed impersonator. Many other girls did come forward but none as notable as Anderson.Anna Anderson, whose true identity was Franziska Schanzkowska, claimed to be Anastasia in 1922 .[31] Some surviving members of the family met with Anderson and the family was divided on the truth of her identity.[31] In 1991,Anastasia Nikolaevna's remains were discovered, and through DNA testing, Anna Anderson's true identity verified.[31]Franziska Schanzkowska was the true identity of the woman. She was a Polish factory worker who had spent time in mental institutions.[32]
Filmmakers had to adapt the truthful history, the legend, and previous productions that told this story for a new, younger audience.
Marcelle Maurette wrote a play titledAnastasia in 1950 based on the idea that she had survived. An English translation was created byGuy Bolton.[33] Having had success with the 1956 film adaptation ofAnastasia, 20th Century Fox knew that audiences would be familiar with the legend of Anastasia Romanov. The continual adaptation of the legend of Anastasia allows for conflicting narratives across multiple platforms, from stage production to film.[34] This is because it was the continued myth of her surviving gained audience attention rather than the truth.[35] This allowed filmmakers,Don Bluth andGary Goldman, the ability to take the legend and create a fairytale from it. Rather than a drama, they set out to create a fantasy, princess like story that would appeal to families. This required some changes. The character of General Sergei Pavlovich Bounine was adapted into Dmitri and his sidekick Vlad. Grigori Rasputin became the film's antagonist. It allowed for a more neutral approach to the Russian politics.[22] Rasputin was already dead years prior to the murders of the Romanov family. This helped ease audience tension with Russian communism.[22] However, no matter what adaptation of this story you watch, they will share the same three story elements which are an imposter, greed of searching for the reward money, and the Dowager's process to finding the real Anastasia.[22]
Bluth and Goldman set out with the goal of making a film for families. Taking into account their inspirations and the legend of Anastasia, there were changes that needed to be made in order to make the story attractive to younger audiences. The first notable change is that Anya is not a damsel in distress. She is a woman that is able to create her own way which was different than audiences may have expected.[36] The shift of traditional gender norms brought in audiences interested in this new age of female protagonist. Anya would need to be younger than previous adaptations. Historically, she would have been 17 at the time of her execution. She is aged down to be 12 during the events making her a similar age to the Disney Princess as she goes on her journey which would be about 17. These changes provided young audiences a new role model that was different than would be found in a traditional princess story.[36] Anya is on a search for her true identity. The cast of characters were diverse and from different economic backgrounds. This adaptation prioritized the romanization of the legend. This meant including more fantasy elements and the romantic connection between Anya and Dimitri. Anya's goal was family and belonging instead of greed or corruption.[22] It was due to these changes that Bluth and Goldman could create a family friendly production.
20th Century Fox scheduled forAnastasia to be released on November 21, 1997, notably a week after the re-release of Disney'sThe 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.[37] In addition to this, Disney would release several competing family films includingFlubber on the following weekend, as well as adouble feature ofGeorge of the Jungle andHercules.[37] To avoid branding confusion, Disney banned television advertisements forAnastasia from being aired on theABC programThe Wonderful World of Disney.[38]
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 withBill 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".[39]
Nonetheless, the film has been confused to have been made byWalt Disney Animation Studios due to similar style. This is not helped by the fact that20th Century Fox, the film's primary distributor, was eventually purchased bythe Walt Disney Company in 2019, thus adding the film to the studio's library and increasing confusion even more.[40][41][42]
Anastasia was accompanied by a marketing campaign of more than $50 million with promotional sponsors fromBurger King,Dole Food Company,Hershey,Chesebrough-Ponds,Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade,Shell Oil, and the1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. Overall, the marketing costs exceeded that ofIndependence Day by more than 35 percent.[43] For merchandising, Fox selectedGaloob to license dolls based on Anastasia.[39] Many storybooks adapted from the film were released byLittle Golden Books. In August 1997, theSeaWorld theme parks inSan Diego andOrlando featured a 40-foot-long, 20-foot-high inflatable playground for children called "Anastasia's Kingdom".[44]
After theacquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, in December 2022Disney released its first merchandise based on the film in the form of a mug to honor its 25th anniversary.[45]
On April 28, 1998, April 6, 1999, and November 16, 1999,Anastasia was released onVHS,LaserDisc andDVD respectively and sold eight million units.[46] The film was first rereleased on February 19, 2002, as part of the Fox Family Features lineup alongsideThumbelina andFernGully: 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 optionalaudio commentary from directors/writers Bluth and Goldman, and additional bonus material. The second included a making-of documentary,music video and making-of featurette ofAaliyah's "Journey to the Past", and additional bonus content.[47] The film was released onBlu-ray on March 22, 2011; this includedBartok the Magnificent in the special features.[48]
FollowingDisney's acquisition of20th Century Fox on March 20, 2019,Anastasia became available onDisney+.[49][50][51] In the U.S., it was removed from Disney+ on March 1, 2022, and transferred toStarz on March 18; contrary to popular belief, the film's disappearance bears no connection to the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine (Disney had suspended theatrical releases in Russia such as the then-upcomingTurning Red, which led to confusion thatAnastasia's withdrawal was related).[52]Anastasia eventually returned to Disney+ on June 2, 2023.
Anastasia received mostly positive reviews from critics.[53][54]Review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 83% 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 makeAnastasia a winning first film from Fox Animation Studios".[55] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 61 out of 100 based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[56] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[57]
Roger Ebert of theChicago 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.[58]Gene Siskel of theChicago Tribune gaveAnastasia three stars, calling the lead character "pretty and charming" but criticized the film for a lack of historical accuracy.[59]Kenneth Turan of theLos 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 ofDoctor Zhivago is hard to dislike for too long".[60]Todd McCarthy ofVariety noted the film was "dazzlingly colorful", but 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".[61] Margaret McGurk, reviewing forThe Cincinnati Enquirer, described the film as "charming" and "entertaining", and callingAnastasia as a tasty tale about a fairy-tale princess.[62] Lisa Osbourne ofBoxoffice called the film "pure family entertainment".[63] Awarding the film three out of five stars,Empire's Philip Thomas wrote that it has historical inaccuracies, but is charming.[64]
Several critics have positively comparedAnastasia and theDisney films released during theDisney Renaissance, with similar styles of story and animation. Marjorie Baumgarten ofThe Austin Chronicle awarded the film three out of five stars. Baumgarten wrote thatAnastasia "may not beat Disney at its own game, but it sure won't be for lack of trying. ... [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".[65]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".[66]Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly wrote that Fox has a beautifully animated musical that can challenge Disney's peer, but also said thatAnastasia has inferior animation style compared to Disney's and lacks its magic.[67]
Critical reception in Russia was also mostly positive aside from artistic liberties with Russian history.Gemini Films, the Russian distributor ofAnastasia, 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 it as a historical film.[68] 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 enjoyed.[68]
SomeRussian Orthodox Christians foundAnastasia to be an offensive depiction of the Grand Duchess, who wascanonized as anew martyr in 1981 by theRussian Orthodox Church Outside Russia.[69] Many historians echoed their sentiments, criticizing the film as a sanitized, sugar-coated reworking of the story of the Czar's youngest daughter.[70] Its filmmakers acknowledged the fact that "Anastasia uses history only as a starting point", but others complained that the film would provide its audience with misleading ideas about Russian history, which, according to the author and historianSuzanne Massie, has been falsified for so many years. Similarly, the amateur historian Bob Atchison said thatAnastasia was akin to someone making a film in whichAnne Frank "moves toOrlando and opens a crocodile farm with a guy named Mort".[71]
Some of Anastasia's contemporary relatives also said that the film was distasteful, but most Romanovs have come to accept the "repeated exploitation of Anastasia's romantic tale... with equanimity".[71]
Alimited release ofAnastasia at theZiegfeld Theatre in New York City on the weekend of November 14, 1997, grossed $120,541.[72] The following weekend, the wide release ofAnastasia in the United States earned $14.1 million, ranking second behindMortal Kombat Annihilation.[73][74] By the end of its theatrical run,Anastasia had grossed $58.4 million in the United States and Canada and $81.4 million internationally.[7] 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.[75] This was Don Bluth's first financially successful film sinceAll Dogs Go to Heaven.
The film was nominated for twoAcademy Awards, forBest Original Musical or Comedy Score andBest Original Song (for "Journey to the Past").[76][77] TheR&B singerAaliyah performed the pop version at theceremony.[78]
| List of awards and nominations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Academy Awards | Best Original Musical or Comedy Score | Music byStephen Flaherty; Lyrics byLynn Ahrens; Orchestral Score byDavid Newman | Nominated | [79][80] |
| 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 | [81] | |
| Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Feature Production | Don Bluth andGary 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 byEric Tuchman; Screenplay by Susan Gauthier, Bruce Graham, Bob Tzudiker, andNoni 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 | [82] |
| 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 | [83] | |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Family Film | Won | [84] | |
| 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 | [85] |
| "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 | [86] | |
| Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Animated Picture | Don Bluth and Gary Goldman | Won | [87] |
| 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 | [88] | |
| 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 | [89] | |
Anastasia on Ice is a licensed adaptation produced byFeld Entertainment'sIce Follies that ran from at least 1998 to 1999.[90][91]
In 1999, adirect-to-video standalone spin-off titledBartok the Magnificent was released which focuses on the character of Bartok.[92]
Hartford Stage developed a stage production ofAnastasia, with the book byTerrence McNally, lyrics byLynn Ahrens, music byStephen Flaherty and directed by Darko Tresnjak.[93] The production ran from May 13 through June 19, 2016.[94]
It is an original musical adaptation of the 1997 animated film whilst incorporating some elements from the 1956Arthur Laurents 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.[95] 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".[96]
The Hartford production featuredChristy 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.[97] The musical transferred toBroadway with much of the original Hartford cast, opening on April 24, 2017, at theBroadhurst Theater[98] to mixed reviews.
Anastasia was 53 million
animated musical fantasy feature
going fromhistorical drama one moment to light-hearted cartoon fantasy the next
In 1997, the Oscar-nominated animation movie 'Anastasia' received mostly positive reviews
Anastasia is putting up a good fight with positive reviews
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