Anastasia [DVD] [1998] | ![Anastasia [DVD] [1998]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YSZCDPR2L._SL160_.jpg) | Artists: Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria
Label: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: £5.99
Buy New: £1.64
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Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 3629
Format: PAL, Widescreen
Languages: Danish (Subtitled), Finnish (Subtitled), English (Original Language)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Region: 2
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 91 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
EAN: 5039036006590
ASIN: B00005NOLY
Theatrical Release Date: November 21, 1997
Release Date: July 19, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Stomping out their usual cuteness and carbon copying Disney's grand animation style to a tee, directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (An American Tail) create a successful musical comedy from the story of the lost Russian princess. Adapting the story of imperialism and revolution is tricky, and subsequently the film's opening is weak. Once Anya (voiced by Meg Ryan, sung by Liz Callaway) is a teenager and on her own (suffering from some degree of amnesia), Anastasia is quite pleasing though never refreshingly new. 20th Century Fox's big-money gamble to horn in on Disney's realm is worthy. The songs, especially the recurrent "Once Upon a December" by Broadway team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, are better than Disney's recent efforts. It's worth picking up the soundtrack. The mix of cell animation and computer work is vivid. The collection of vocal talent is also strong, from John Cusack (as Dimitri, who wants to earn the reward by bringing Anya to Paris) to Hank Azaria as an amusing albino bat. Kelsey Grammer helps turn a roly-poly sidekick into a warm and strong supporting character. The biggest drawback is Bluth/Goldman's insistence on having a typical villain. Surprisingly, the story would be strong enough without one and the undead corpse of Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd) is unneeded and unoriginal. --Doug Thomas
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 All time favourite August 18, 2009
KJ Armstrong (Johannesburg, South Africa)
This is my all time favourite animation. I really enjoyed the story-line and music. The characters are real and believable and fun. The special features are also very interesting to watch and interact with. The kids love it too. ;)
Perfect Kids Musical July 17, 2009
Robert Simpson (Northern Ireland)
I bought it for my cousins who are 5 and 6, but i still enjoyed it myself. Truly one of the best animated musicals ever created.
blast from the past May 25, 2009
K. Ali
i watched this when i was around 12, now i got it to watch with my daughter.......i think i enjoyed it more than her - a real blast from the past. i could not stop singing the songs all week. :)
Love love love! May 5, 2009
A. Ackerman (UK)
I just love this film. I remember going to see it years ago in the cinema when I was about 11 and I was convinced it couldn't be a good musical cartoon as it wasn't Disney but it is definately one of my favourite films of all time. It certainly started my obsession about learning about everything from that time in Russia. Would recommend this to all ages.
 Four stars, very reluctantly June 7, 2007
Ms. MacNeill (London)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I recently bought this DVD in a fit of nostalgia. I remember seeing "Anastasia" when it was first released in cinemas ten(!) years ago now, and I blame it entirely for my lasting obsession with all things Russian. I settled down to watch it, fully expecting my childish whim to be satisfied.
Visually, this is an outstanding film. Half its power is in the appearance of St. Petersburg and Paris, both of which are a feast for the eyes: I defy anyone to not want to live in early-Communist Russia after watching this! Joking aside, real attention has been paid to fabrics and buildings and as a result they look truely magical. The characters, too, move well in front of their backdrop, and I have to congratulate the production team for making them and their actions look realistic, more noticably so than many animated films.
And not only are their movements pleasing, but the characters are likeable as well. It is almost impossible not to root for their success, and be pleased when they achieve it. Dimitri, the vaguely Dickensian crook, is a particular highlight, as is his growing relationship with Anastasia. Together they amuse as a bickering pair of unlikely companions, who grow to find love with one another. The songs are also excellent. Though perhaps not quite up to Disney's standards, "Anastasia" is nevertheless leaps and bounds ahead of Dreamworks' attempts. "Once Upon A December" is particularly enchanting.
The plot, sadly, leaves a lot to be desired, and I think that the Amazon review was spot on in this case. While the main story of Anastasia redisovering her identity is compelling and believable, the decision to include the Rasputin plotline - especially when combined with the magical undead corpse element - was very unwise. As good a job as Christopher Lloyd does in voicing Rasputin, it doesn't change the fact that his story is entirely unnecessary, to the point of detracting from the film as a whole. I'd even go so far as to say that it felt as though I was watching two different films: the paths of Rasputin and Anastasia only really intertwine at the beginning and climax, with Anastasia even completely ignorant of Rasputin's existence for most of the film. Furthermore, there are some gaping plot-holes. Granted, some of them may be explained as being common to the children's film across the board: why does Rasputin not spend every waking minute sending his green smoke fiend things after Anastasia? Others I felt were more problematic. Why does Dimitri choose to return to Anastasia's side? How stupid is Anastasia anyway for not realising that Dimitri was a conman?
There is, moreover, a certain nastiness about putting this spin on real, highly unpleasant events. It is very easy to give Anastasia a happily-ever-after in Paris and slap a bit of magic on the side, but is this right? It seems almost distasteful, given the eventual downward spiral of Communism in Russia, to ignore that side of it for the sake of a good story. Will Disney's next outing be set in the early years of Nazi Germany? Ought generations to come look out for "George Bush: The Musical!" from Dreamworks?
Ultimately, I've given this a four. I think this is an unfair rating: I'm almost certain that I've bumped it up out of nostalgia, and were this a film I had only just watched for the first time, it would probably rate a three at most. The DVD extras are so minimal that they don't do much to help argue its case. It's never pleasant to find out that something much-loved in childhood doesn't quite stand up on its own when rediscovered later. Children should - and probably will - love this; adults, on the other hand, would do well to watch with a slightly more cynical eye.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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