Toon Zone Talkback - "Anastasia Blu-ray": It May Not Be a Disney Film, But It Ought to Be

K

Kunmui

New member
This is the talkback thread for "Anastasia Blu-ray": It May Not Be a Disney Film, But It Ought to Be.

splash-anastasia.jpg


I dunno...from what I remember of this movie, it holds up to the Disney Renaissance movies technically, but I don't know that I'd say it's closer to The Little Mermaid than Beauty and the Beast.

I remember not caring for Meg Ryan, though, and as much as I like John Cusack as an actor, I don't think he's cut out for voice acting. He didn't make much of an impression on me in Igor, either.
 
This movie is pure bias love from me since I saw it as a young preteen way back in '97. Granted, I know of some of its flaws and like you, Ed, I would never consider it as high up in the likes of Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid. I also agree with the reviewer that the 3D in a lot of aspects, especially the music box, is ridiculously unnecessary, and of course, the very similar "Disney" formula.

Bah, I don't care, animation is very nice, songs are catchy (it's soundtrack never leaves my ipod), I love the interaction between Dimitri and Anya, and it's one of my personal favorite of Don Bluth's works.
 
As far as 90's "Imitation Disney" goes, Anastasia is one of the best of the bunch, but when your competition is the likes of Quest For Camelot, that's not saying very much.

I still really enjoy Anastasia, though. The animation is gorgeous (even if the integration of hand-drawn and CGI elements is a bit choppy), the music is lovely (aside from the insipid "In The Dark Of The Night" number for the villain), the characters engaging and enough action and comedy to appease the guy crowd. A very good film, underrated in fact.
 
I really liked this movie when it came out, still do. Didn't realize this was out on Blu-Ray, I'll have to pick it up soon.

I (and I bet many others) actually thought it was a Disney movie when I first saw it. I don't think it's as good as the other 90s Disney movies, which are all some of my favourite movies, animated or otherwise.

Speaking of 90s Disney movies, does anyone know when/if the other ones like Tarzan, Mulan & Aladdin are gonna be released on Blu-Ray?
 
When I said put on my shelf, I meant literally next to my Tangled and Beauty and the Beast Blu-rays. The Little Mermaid isn't out on Blu-ray yet.
 
I agree with the review for the most part....Anastasia is basically Don Bluth's version of a Disney musical...That's not a bad thing,though,since it's still an entertaining movie (the songs are nice,my personal favorite is "Journey to the Past",and Rasputin is a great villain...He can be convincingly evil,yet has some funny moments,too)...I like Anya and Dimitri,but for me,they're the least interesting characters (I also agree with the review that their arguing is more annoying than anything else)....In addition to Rasputin(Christopher Lloyd speaking,Jim Cummings singing),I also liked Bartok (Hank Azaria),since I found him funny,and cute for a bat,Vlad (Kelsey Grammar),and Sophie (Bernadette Peters) ...

I thought the animation looked great on Blu-Ray,though yeah,the 3-D,like the music box does look out of place...I'd recommend the film to anyone that likes Disney musicals or animated films in general...
 
Ah Anastasia, quite okay, but overall wasn't TOO overly impacting in the end. Everybody was kinda standard forward motion with regards to this animated feature. And Bartok surprisingly the second time around I realized never really WAS much of a henchman. He felt more like a straight foil to the crazy Rasputin and thus there really isn't much of a course of action for him to take, as if he was only created just so Rasputin can at times literally bounce off him and vent. Also, no mention of Kelsey Grammar's performance? He was the best actor in the movie, infusing the usual gravitas he always infuses with any roles he voices.

Songs were alright, if a bit forgettable. Personally the only two I remained enthused enough about to sing to myself from time to time are "Once Upon a December" and "In the Dark of the Night" however. I don't remember sadly Bernadette Peters's one, but I totally dug the Impressionist stylings that occurred while it went on.

Also, maybe it's just me, but I always found the use of English text and words to be distracting in this movie. Sure you can say it's a fantasy, but for the love of God authenticity is a wonderful thing. I want signs and texts during the movie's time in Russian to be in actual Cyrillic, and the French newspaper that Rasputin had in the end to be in actual French. WHY IS EVERYTHING IN ENGLISH!? It's kinda an irksome nitpick on my part, but still... authenticity.
 
I remember liking this movie when it came out. I think I even saw it in theaters with my parents. It might have been because I thought that the puppy dog, Pooka, was really cute. I actually still have a plush toy for both Pooka and the little comic relief bat. Anyway, I also liked some of the songs like "Journey into the Past," "Once Upon a December" and "At the Beginning." The animation was pretty good and I did find Anastasia to be a likable lead. I kind of didn't like Dimitri for most of the film, but once he showed that he did care about her, he seemed generally nicer to me. I don't know if I knew this wasn't a Disney movie back then, but I can see how this is basically Don Bluth's version of a Disney animated musical. Even so, it does feel pretty enjoyable and something I could see myself watching again if it ever airs on TV or I feel the need to rent a movie and happen to find it.
 
Here's a question for you all: if Disney did Anastasia instead, how would their version differ from Bluth's? Like what do you think they would've done differently or added?

I loved it when I was little, and like a lot I thought it was a Disney film until I grew a little older and actually paid attention to the credits. I had a bunch of cut-out doll books of Anya and Demitri. I think it was the music that drew me in. Journey to the Past and Once Upon a December were such beautiful songs. A few months ago I bought it on DVD for my little sisters and I was able to see some of its flaws. The CGI did seem awkward at places, both Anya and Demitri were insufferable at times, the ending wasn't as climactic as it seemed to me when I was little (Demitri was knocked out for the most part). I still like the animation because of the facial expressions and movements are very convincing. So overall, it's still a good movie.
 
Two things that always irk me about reviews of Anastasia:

1) It was never meant to be historically accurate, it was actually based on a PLAY - a pre-existing work of (historical) fiction. It says as much in the credits.

2) Everyone assumes its Disney, and even the people who know better say it SHOULD be Disney.

WHY? Why should it be Disney? Is there something written in stone somewhere that Any And All Animated Musicals MUST Be By Disney And Disney Alone? Is Disney so superior that anything above a certain level of quality must be immediately labeld as Disney to be properly accepted? I agree that it's very Disney-esque, but I've always felt it was more a jab at the notion that only Disney can make such movies (or good animated movies in general) than as an attempt to imitate them outright. /rant>

That said, I saw it in theaters back in the day and have enjoyed it from the get go. It isn't without its flaws, but it's still a fun watch.
 
I thought this movie was pretty decent when I first saw it. Looking back though, I can't help thinking it would have been better if it involved Rasputin teaming up with the Nazis to summon the Ogdru Jahad. :p
 
Back
Top