The tragic tale of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaievna Romanov and her family seemed like the perfect idea for an animated Golden Films cartoon aimed at children, right? We all know it was made to cash in on Don Bluth's more successful telling of Anastasia, except he took the more appropriate route of turning her story into a fairytale, so you knew going in that it had no basis in truth. Golden Films decided to make their version more faithful to real life events, which was not a good idea as what happened to Anastasia and her family is too heartbreaking to make into a light-hearted family movie. It's clear this thing was put together in a very short time, as far as writing, I think they just banged it out in one draft and they went with it, because nothing makes any sense. So our story begins on young Anastasia's birthday, and does it normally snow in Russia in June? She and her family go on a sleigh ride as we hear a really bad song. I guess this montage is to show what a tightly knit family the Romanovs were. If you don't know their names, as this movie doesn't give them much characterization, we have Anastasia's three older sisters Olga, Tatiana, and Maria, her little brother Alexei, her mother, Tsarina Alexandra, and her father, Tsar Nicholas II. Yeah, they seemed like a very happy, tight family, which makes our story all the more tragic because we all know what's going to happen. At Ana's party, all her siblings get gifts as well, and three of them are talking birds, including one that won't shut up. Not even 5 minutes in and we're introduced to our comic relief who adds NOTHING to the plot. Sadly, Golden Films missed the whole point of Disney having animal (or inanimate object) comic reliefs in their movies: it wasn't just to dick around and act goofy, they actually moved the story along. They took the place of the narrator and had the point of view of the audience. Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts contributed heavily to Beauty and the Beast, as did Sebastian in Little Mermaid, the mice in Cinderella, and so on. But Golden Films' talking sidekicks contributed nothing: the birds in Pocahontas, the ghosts in Beauty and the Beast, and now these birdbrains in Anastasia. Get used to that yellow bird, friends, because he's going to be sticking around for the rest of the film, and no matter how many times you yell "shut up" at the screen, he won't. So not much else happens and Anastasia and her sisters transition into teenagers. One fateful night, our heroine ventures into town to pass out food to the hungry kids on the street. Very sweet and noble of her, but did she have to bring the birds with her? Maybe the starving people can roast them and eat them. While there, she peeks in a nearby tavern and sees a drunk man dancing on a tabletop. It's Rasputin. A very weird introduction to our villain here, as he shows up in the next scene to try and cure Alexei, like what he did in real life. Oh, and he's got a talking dog, as if this movie needed any more talking animals. So yeah, as you know, Alexei was very ill and weak most of his life, and the Tsar found this so-called healer to try and help him. So through a weird series of gasps and a puff of smoke, it seems Alexei has been cured. But enough of that, as we move to the Tsar chastising Anastasia for going out to the village alone, however instead of punishing her, he commends her for having a big heart and bestows upon her the Imperial Double Eagle Medal for compassion and bravery. The yellow bird is upset that he didn't get an award too. Oh, don't worry, I've got one for you: The Most Annoying Animal Sidekick in History Award... it's a ball gag. So as Anastasia heads out to distribute more food, she happens to overhear Rasputin selling the Tsar's top military secrets to a Bolshevik soldier, even showing he has the power of hypnosis to double his deal. Does Anastasia tell anyone about this? No, of course not. Then she and her sister go to a soldier's hospital, where they volunteered. This is actually true to life, but it was Olga and Tatiana who volunteered, as Anastasia and Maria were too young, however they did visit and help entertain the troops. While there, Ana meets a handsome young solider named Alexander, though she doesn't let on that she's a princess... maybe don't wear your fancy dress and jewelry when you're among the commoners, then? While that's going on, Rasputin continues his underhanded plan of deposing Tsar Nicholas. See, when he apparently cured Alexei, he found favor with the Tsar and became his most trusted advisor, though the movie doesn't tell us this as they thought annoying bird shenanigans were more important. I guess Rasputin is doing this for profit, though later it shows him taking charge of the revolution. Guess he must have hypnotized his way to the top. A storm had been brewing for quite some time, as the people are becoming fed up with the tsar's rule. Even the wounded soldiers are being moved out of the hospital incognito, including Ana's love interest that she shared a whopping 1 scene with, and is heartbroken to see him go. He's even all she thinks about as an angry mob stands outside the palace gates, calling for death to the tsar.
Eventually, the people break in, overpowering the useless guards and storm palace, lead by Rasputin, whose treachery is quickly revealed. The Bolsheviks relocate and imprison the royal family while the people go about looting the palace. It's at this point Alexander finally realizes who Anastasia is and tries to save her, and you might think they'd alter the story to have the Romanovs survive and get saved by Alexander, but no such luck, because our story was so realistic up to this point, right? They probably didn't realize that Rasputin had already been killed BEFORE the tsar was deposed. One horrible song later, Rasputin rejects a letter from King George V, requesting the release of his cousins, and then orders the royal family to be shot. Alexander hears of this from another soldier, knowing he doesn't have long to take action. The family is ushered into the basement that night, just as Alexander arrives. Instead of telling her what's going to happen, that she and her whole family are about to be killed, he just tells her not to go downstairs, but she goes anyway... it's not like it's a matter of life and death or anything. Idiot. We also have the delightful sounds of gunshots ringing out, signaling that the Romanovs have been killed. You know, for kids! So with the tsar dead, the people rejoice in their freedom and Rasputin proclaims himself as the new king... so, the people were clearly unhappy with the Russian monarchy, which is why they forced Tsar Nicholas to abdicate the throne, so on that note, why would they appoint a new person tsar?! It's so stupid! Alexander is able to sneak Anastasia's body out of there and discovers that she's still alive, due to that Double Eagle medal blocking a bullet. This happened in real life too, as they girls had jewelry sewn into their clothes, but sadly, that just resulted in them being beaten to death by the Bolsheviks. In real life, Anastasia did not survive, but in this clunky cartoon, she did, and has somehow developed amnesia. Well, we've got 17 minutes of this crap left, so they had to pan it out somehow. Alexander takes Ana and her annoying birds to live with his eccentric Uncle Boris on his farm. Hilarity does not ensue. Despite her memory still being lost, Alexander falls deeper in love with Anastasia and pops the question. They get married soon after, and even have a child. They name him Nicholas, after his late grandfather. It's a shame the real Anastasia was never able to get married, as I'm sure she would have made a gorgeous bride, but as far as having a child, her brother Alexei's condition was genetic, passed from her mother's side of the family but only present in males, so if Anastasia did have a son, he too would have suffered the same malady. Obviously the filmmakers of this cartoon didn't realize that, because little Nicholas is in perfect health. Anyway, Alexander is concerned because Ana is starting to ask questions about her past and Uncle Boris suggests he tell her the truth... and they couldn't do that BEFORE getting married and having a child, because...? Anyway, the three of them take a trip to Ekaterinburg, where the Romanovs were held prisoner before their execution, and it was there that Anastasia found the Faberge eggs that held those stupid birds, and that jogs her memory. She remembers everything. The End. Is that supposed to be a happy ending? She just remembers the deaths of her family and how they were terrorized by Bolsheviks.
This is such a dumb movie. The writing is abysmal, the acting is bad, the animation is stilted and lazy, and it has no reason to exist other than to cash in on the success of the Don Bluth film. I mean, on the one hand, I'm glad they brought to light the actual story of Anastasia and her family and they had all her siblings, while another animated adaptation, The Secret of Anastasia, only featured Tatiana and Alexei, but there was virtually no characterization given to any of them. These characters were flat, shallow, and uninteresting. Let's not forget that these were REAL people. They actually existed, and they were brutally executed. I suggest you ignore this terrible film and instead read up on the history of the Romanov family, and about the REAL Anastasia and her siblings, as in real life, they were very sweet, kindhearted people who did not deserve what happened to them. Same with their parents. Tsar Nicholas II may have been a bad leader, but he was a good husband and a good father. In closing, I don't recommend Golden Films' Anastasia, watch the Bluth version instead. This one is too depressing, sloppy, and kids will not enjoy it.
Eventually, the people break in, overpowering the useless guards and storm palace, lead by Rasputin, whose treachery is quickly revealed. The Bolsheviks relocate and imprison the royal family while the people go about looting the palace. It's at this point Alexander finally realizes who Anastasia is and tries to save her, and you might think they'd alter the story to have the Romanovs survive and get saved by Alexander, but no such luck, because our story was so realistic up to this point, right? They probably didn't realize that Rasputin had already been killed BEFORE the tsar was deposed. One horrible song later, Rasputin rejects a letter from King George V, requesting the release of his cousins, and then orders the royal family to be shot. Alexander hears of this from another soldier, knowing he doesn't have long to take action. The family is ushered into the basement that night, just as Alexander arrives. Instead of telling her what's going to happen, that she and her whole family are about to be killed, he just tells her not to go downstairs, but she goes anyway... it's not like it's a matter of life and death or anything. Idiot. We also have the delightful sounds of gunshots ringing out, signaling that the Romanovs have been killed. You know, for kids! So with the tsar dead, the people rejoice in their freedom and Rasputin proclaims himself as the new king... so, the people were clearly unhappy with the Russian monarchy, which is why they forced Tsar Nicholas to abdicate the throne, so on that note, why would they appoint a new person tsar?! It's so stupid! Alexander is able to sneak Anastasia's body out of there and discovers that she's still alive, due to that Double Eagle medal blocking a bullet. This happened in real life too, as they girls had jewelry sewn into their clothes, but sadly, that just resulted in them being beaten to death by the Bolsheviks. In real life, Anastasia did not survive, but in this clunky cartoon, she did, and has somehow developed amnesia. Well, we've got 17 minutes of this crap left, so they had to pan it out somehow. Alexander takes Ana and her annoying birds to live with his eccentric Uncle Boris on his farm. Hilarity does not ensue. Despite her memory still being lost, Alexander falls deeper in love with Anastasia and pops the question. They get married soon after, and even have a child. They name him Nicholas, after his late grandfather. It's a shame the real Anastasia was never able to get married, as I'm sure she would have made a gorgeous bride, but as far as having a child, her brother Alexei's condition was genetic, passed from her mother's side of the family but only present in males, so if Anastasia did have a son, he too would have suffered the same malady. Obviously the filmmakers of this cartoon didn't realize that, because little Nicholas is in perfect health. Anyway, Alexander is concerned because Ana is starting to ask questions about her past and Uncle Boris suggests he tell her the truth... and they couldn't do that BEFORE getting married and having a child, because...? Anyway, the three of them take a trip to Ekaterinburg, where the Romanovs were held prisoner before their execution, and it was there that Anastasia found the Faberge eggs that held those stupid birds, and that jogs her memory. She remembers everything. The End. Is that supposed to be a happy ending? She just remembers the deaths of her family and how they were terrorized by Bolsheviks.
This is such a dumb movie. The writing is abysmal, the acting is bad, the animation is stilted and lazy, and it has no reason to exist other than to cash in on the success of the Don Bluth film. I mean, on the one hand, I'm glad they brought to light the actual story of Anastasia and her family and they had all her siblings, while another animated adaptation, The Secret of Anastasia, only featured Tatiana and Alexei, but there was virtually no characterization given to any of them. These characters were flat, shallow, and uninteresting. Let's not forget that these were REAL people. They actually existed, and they were brutally executed. I suggest you ignore this terrible film and instead read up on the history of the Romanov family, and about the REAL Anastasia and her siblings, as in real life, they were very sweet, kindhearted people who did not deserve what happened to them. Same with their parents. Tsar Nicholas II may have been a bad leader, but he was a good husband and a good father. In closing, I don't recommend Golden Films' Anastasia, watch the Bluth version instead. This one is too depressing, sloppy, and kids will not enjoy it.