Anne Frank's Diary (1999) User Reviews

Very good animation

[nubka · 8/10 · 29 November 2006]

This is a wonderful animated version of the Anne Frank story. Why it has not been released in the the USA, I'll never know. I finally broke down and bought a code free DVD player, so that I could play the Region 2 French DVD that I bought on eBay. It has English subtitles, and a few special features, including a very interesting and long interview with Anne's cousin Buddy Elias.

The animation is really great. The story picks up on Anne's 12th birthday, so we get a look into the Frank's apartment on the Merwedeplein, and there is also a scene featuring Anne at school. As in the Millie Perkin's version, Meip and Bep are combined into just "Meip", and Kugler and Kleimann and combined into the character "Koophuis." If you are really into the Anne Frank story, the interview with Buddy Elias alone, makes this DVD worth buying.

Now, if only this animated version was available in the USA!! It would introduce Anne to a whole new audience of young people...

Worthwhile

[neil-476 · 8/10 · 27 January 2021]

Anne is given a diary for her 13th birthday. In it she recounts her innermost thoughts about herself, her family, living in Amsterdam under German occupation and, then, in hiding in a secret apartment for over 2 years until they are discovered by the Germans.

This animated version of Anne Frank's diary is a thoughtful adaptation of a book which should be compulsory reading for all highschool age children. Because it is senstively adapted, it is easily accessible to young people who have not read the book. The blend of family and teenage issues against the fear and oppression of being a Jew under Nazi occupation is both heartbreaking and terrifying.

The animation, by a Japanese animation house, and the art design, capture Amsterdam beautifully.