Anastasia (1997)
84%RT Audience Score: 77%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 2 Oscars
10 wins & 23 nominations total
Beautiful animation, an affable take on Russian history, and strong voice performances make Anastasia a winning first film from Fox animation studios
Anastasia is a movie that will make you feel like you’re watching a Disney classic, but then you’ll remember that it’s not actually a Disney movie. It’s got all the elements of a great animated film: beautiful animation, catchy songs, and a plucky heroine. Plus, it’s based on a real-life mystery, which makes it even more intriguing. Sure, it may not be as emotionally resonant as some of the Disney movies from the ’90s, but it’s still a fun ride. And who doesn’t love a good Rasputin villain?
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer,
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Fox Animation Studios – 2747 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
MPAA / Certificate
G
Year of Release
1997
-
Color:Color
-
Sound mix:Dolby
-
Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
-
Runtime:1h 34m
-
Language(s):English, Russian, French
-
Country of origin:United States
-
Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 1997 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 3, 2004
Genre(s)
Musical
Keyword(s)
starring Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Angela Lansbury, directed by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, written by Bruce Graham, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, Susan Gauthier, musical, animation, Russian history, voice performances, Fox animation studios, box office gross, $58.4M, G rating, reviewed by Mike Clark, Carol Buckland, Owen Gleiberman, Nell Minow, Susan Stark, Todd McCarthy, Bianca Garner, Meg Ryan as Anastasia, John Cusack as Dimitri, Kelsey Grammer as Vladimir, Christopher Lloyd as Rasputin, Hank Azaria as Bartok, Bernadette Peters as Sophie, Don Bluth as producer
Worldwide gross: $139,804,348
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $260,606,609
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 564
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 28,419,478
US/Canada gross: $58,406,347
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $108,874,154
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 690
US/Canada opening weekend: $120,541
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $224,698
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,624
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $50,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $93,204,043
Production budget ranking: 444
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $50,190,377
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $117,212,189
ROI to date (est.): 82%
ROI ranking: 1,005
John Cusack – Dimitri (Voice)
Kelsey Grammer – Vladimir (Voice)
Christopher Lloyd – Rasputin (Voice)
Hank Azaria – Bartok (Voice)
Bernadette Peters – Sophie (Voice)
Director(s)
Don Bluth, Gary Goldman
Writer(s)
Bruce Graham, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, Susan Gauthier
Producer(s)
Don Bluth
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 2 Oscars
10 wins & 23 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (8)
The film’s strength lies not just with its haunting melodies, pretty pictures and kid-friendly sidekicks, but in an emotionally gripping script.
January 9, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Mike Clark
USA Today
TOP CRITIC
Anastasia is OK entertainment. But it never reaches a level of emotional magic.
January 5, 2018
Carol Buckland
CNN.com
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
Beautiful, not factual depiction of missing Russian duchess.
December 21, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
October 18, 2008 | Rating: 4/4
Susan Stark
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
An ambitious, serious but not particularly stimulating musical feature that unconvincingly attempts to graft warm and cuddly family-film motifs onto turbulent aspects of modern history and mythology.
September 1, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The world of “Anastasia” seems well-developed and lived-in. There’s a sense of realism contained in the film’s scenery.
May 3, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Bianca Garner
In Their Own League
It’s unable to reach the level of emotional resonance that Disney’s string of ’90s pictures so masterfully obtained.
September 9, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
As a triumphant return to form after a string of failures, it stands as one of Bluth’s finest works.
May 10, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Grant Watson
Fiction Machine
Overall, Anastasia ends up being a very entertaining animated film.
April 19, 2019 | Rating: B
Rachel Wagner
rachelsreviews.net
It is a film that leaves us with an optimistic, albeit somewhat corny, message; love is the most important thing there is, be it familial, romantic or platonic…
August 24, 2018
Hannah Ryan
Screen Queens
It’s Bluth and company’s skill as artists, as well as some of the better celebrity voice casting in an animated movie of the 1990s, that give Anastasia its merit.
January 22, 2011 | Rating: 7/10
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy…
Plot
The daughter of the last Russian Czar, Nicolas II (Rick Jones), Anastasia (Meg Ryan) is found by two Russian con men, Dimitri (John Cusack) and Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer), who seek the reward that her grandmother, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna (Dame Angela Lansbury), promised to the ones who’ll find her. But the evil mystic of the Czar family, Grigori Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd), still wants the Romanov family to be destroyed forever.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Anastasia includes John Cusack, Meg Ryan, Christopher Lloyd, and Kelsey Grammer.
Don-Bluth.jpg
