D**A
Worth a watch
This is my wife's favorite movie! We watch it alot. Its got a good sound track and story line. Its definitely worth a watch
M**L
Fun time for the kids and adults
The best of the “Disney Knockoff” movies. Great voice cast, catchy and some beautiful songs. And the animation is unparalleled for that time. Well done movie.
A**Y
Great Film!
I remember this movie airing on TV a lot a few years after it came out, and having recently rewatched a lot of favorite disney movies, I decided to revisit something else from my childhood. I wasn't really expecting all that much out of it, but even as an adult, I think this is a pretty great movie. It takes its starting point from historical events, but turns into a very sweet fairy tale about family and finding yourself. Its obviously in the DIsney Princess tradition, and I enjoyed it as much as any of those films. The characters are a lot of fun, and its nice that we see Dimitri and Anya spending enough time together for a plausible romance to develop. While the villain, Rasputin, can be quite comical, there are also some genuinely scary scenes, such as when Anya almost jumps off the boat while in an enchanted dream about her forgotten family. The animation is quite beautiful, and I was specially moved by the sequence where Anya wanders through the old palace, seeing ghosts of her former life. The glitz and glamour of Paris are also well-depicted, and images such as a Chanel store and the Moulin Rouge remind us that this film is set in our own world, not too long ago. There's something about the way Anya uncovers her past, with the haunting song (Once Upon a December), the necklace and the music box, that gives the film a really beautiful magical quality. All in all, I would say that this film is a bit of a forgotten gem that I definitely recommend. Of course, there is the undeniable fact that this movie takes a troublesome time from history and gives it the fairy tale treatment, and it can definitely be perceived as trivializing the events of the Russian Revolution. In my own mind, I was able to disassociate the film from history fairly easily, and I treated it as a separate entity. If you're a person who doesn't like the idea of watching a movie that glosses over unhappy historical events and gives them the fantasy treatment, this movie probably isn't for you.
C**.
Definitely a hidden gem, even if not a "Disney" flick
I originally owned this film in the late 90s, on VHS. While I was repurchasing Disney films, I came to a fork in the road. There was one film from my childhood that was not a Disney film that I still enjoyed as much as I did back when I was a kid, and that was Anastasia from Don Bluth.Don Bluth originally worked for Disney, but left to form his own studio. Many know him for "An American Tail," and "The Secret of NIMH," but over time Bluth decided to make a film that was almost on par with what Disney had made, and that was Anastasia. The story takes place in Russia, where the young Anastasia is separated from her family. Believed to be dead, Anastasia has amnesia and lives as an orphan up until she is a teenager (or what we can assume is a young adult), and then discovers that she may have a past that includes what she's always been searching for: her family.The story is not historically accurate, but is a "Disney-fied" version. I enjoy it, nonetheless, as a story that ages well over the years. I am 27 years old, and still enjoy it as much as I did as a child. I can't say that for every cartoon flick I watched as a kid, but mostly the ones that stand the test of time are Disney...with the exception to some films done by Don Bluth.I recommend this film for anyone that enjoys the story, and even is discovering the movie for the first time. Although it's not as strong as a Disney movie, it still emulates the same story that most Disney stories do, with catchy songs and a great story to tell.
E**.
Anastasia is my favorite animated princess!
Despite being produced by 20th Century Fox, there are a TON of people who think this is a Disney movie, which speaks to the quality of this animated musical. Anastasia is one of my absolute favorite animated movies! Growing up, she was my favorite princess, even though she isn't Disney. The animation is beautiful, the characters are great, the music is AMAZING. I might be biased due to nostalgic reasons, but I've also never met anyone who has anything negative to say about this movie. I still watch it as an adult with just as much joy as when I was a child. In fact, my friends and I just watched this a few days ago and had a lot of fun with it. I would imagine that children would still find joy in this film today, though I have none to speak on behalf of, personally.Obviously, this is not a historically accurate movie. If you can live with that, then I promise it's a really great story! And if you can't live with that, then you are SUPER DUPER missing out.I purchased this blu-ray to replace my old VHS -- I know, I know, what is this ancient technology I speak of! I also have a digital copy, which has been my main means of watching for the last few years, but I just really wanted another physical copy. I was really happy to find that a blu-ray version existed. And for the price, I couldn't pass up bringing this awesome movie from my past home!
C**R
Love these movies!!!
I love both of these movies so very much!!! They are heart-warming and feel good comfort movies for sure!!! I'm so very happy to own them on DVD now!!!
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