Why I Love “Anastasia”
A Reflective Review by Victor DeBonis
I’ve spoken at great length about why I love movies as do. A film has the power to do many things. It can bring you comfort through the humor or brief escapism that it provides. A movie can take you to another people. Movies can give you hope or help you heal through the method in which a story or character connects with you.
One of my favorite things about movies that I might not have spoken of before is their ability to bring happiness. I’ve mentioned before about my seriousness and how I don’t always experience humor in the same way that others do, so it’s a bolder testament when I speak about my fondness for the art of cinema and its power of bringing joy to my life. At certain points, movies bring me more joy than several other things in life.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service” for instance, brings me happiness through seeing this teenage witch demonstrate heroism around her small island through her simple acts of kindness that involve her flying from one place to another to deliver items that bring others joy. “Lost in Translation” causes joy through seeing the connection between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson and how their brief yet powerful relationship brings light to their otherwise isolated lives. These are but a few examples of how, similar to joy itself, movies can bring you happiness and, sometimes, in the ways that you least expect it.
One movie that I watched from my younger years and has still left a feeling of immense joy from viewing it has always been 1997’s animated film “Anastasia.” As directed by one of my earliest influences in writing about movies, Don Bluth, and co-directed by Gary Goldman, this movie tells a story that has not wavered in its sense of adventure and hopefulness in the aftermath of ominous events. The journey of the movie’s heroine and the connections that she makes along the way, combined with her own struggles, demonstrates a passion and strength that speaks strongly from her as well as the rest of the construction of this story.
One of my favorite experiences in the theater as a child was watching this movie with my mother when I was 7 years old, and the magic and adventure that I felt in the theater when I saw this, back then, hasn’t been lost on me. It still stands as one of my earliest and fondest experiences in the theater from my younger days. It’d be easy for me to say that nostalgia, alone, is why I return to this film time and time again with great joy. The truth is that, putting aside the era from which I grew up in, there is much to admire and even love from the characters, the acting, the music, and the story about family and overcoming one’s shadowed past to find better times and re-connect in the present
It’s worth addressing, quickly, the recent feelings from audiences regarding the historical figures mentioned in the film. Everyone’s mileage may vary when it comes to representation of a real-life character or background from real life. These are my personal one in regards to this film.
Similar to “Balto” and “Pocahontas” the movie is clearly not trying to be a historical film. Instead. It knows that it’s a fantastical film that happens to use some names from history and is set against a background of real events. Also, much as I felt when I was viewing those movies, I recognized that historical accuracy wouldn’t necessarily be strong, and it never stated that it was based on a true story in the posters. I see the film as a fantasy and not a biographical drama, so I don’t think often of the accuracy and (many) historical inaccuracies of the movie. Watchers of film know where they can go to look up the truth of what happened with specific people and events elsewhere. In this review, I’m simply showing how I view the story by itself.
The soundtrack of this movie is simply wonderful. Composer David Newman, who’s often known for composing music for comedies, does exceptional work by bringing melodies that echo a lively spirit or peace in the happier moments and voice a sadness or tragedy in the darker moments. And, the songs that are sang in this film do what those in a musical should do and move the narrative forward in ways that elevate what’s going on while also never losing sense of the characters themselves and what they’re experiencing. This movie came out during the time where almost every animated film was a musical within the Disney Renaissance, and “Anastasia” contains songs that are every bit as memorable and easy to sing along to as those from “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast.”
To this day, I can still recall the lyrics of “Learn to Do It” aloud in my mind. It’s a superb tune that playfully shows the characters in the song simultaneously experiencing the thrill of their adventure while also preparing the main character for “playing her part” in clever, lyrical fashion. “Once Upon a December” contains a peaceful melody that collaborates with wistful and hopeful feelings about trying to remember one’s past, but it quickly elevates into the wonder of the main character simultaneously experiencing hints of what came from her forgotten past combined with her briefly going through them in her mind and remembering how happy she used to be before darker times approached. “Journey to the Past” is an incredibly upbeat song that wonderfully illustrates the heroine embracing the start of her own journey and finding more about who she is before she embarks on it. And, they’re sung with great passion by Liz Calloway whose optimism and strong vocals add to the strength that is already present in this song. These are fantastic songs that are further elevated by the swift pacing of the adventure of this story, and these tunes add to the fun and magic of the journey.
“In the Dark of the Night” stands beside “Hellfire” and “Be Prepared” as one of the great villain songs, and legendary voice actor Jim Cummings sings the dark lyrics with considerable power. The guitars and backup singers are interesting additions that, at specific times, create an intensity that is reminiscent of the type found in British metal music from back in the 1980’s. Through the instruments and Cummings’ sung performance as villain Rasputin, it perfectly depicts the devious desires of the villain and what compels him to seek what he sees as righteous revenge against a family that he loathes with every inch of his soul and that he’s brought almost complete destruction to.
I loved this soundtrack so much as a kid that, when I won an audio cassette player in a contest as a kid, one of the very first cassettes that I bought to play was the soundtrack to the film. Returning to films, such as this, reminds me of one reason among many others that I overall treasure my childhood from the 90’s, and one of them is when soundtracks were such an important part of movies. They were such a strong presence that, in the VHS copies of movies, such as this one, they would provide a quick advertisement for the CD or cassette copies of the soundtrack and encourage you to buy them. Even if a movie itself wasn’t necessarily the best (“Spawn” “Armageddon”and the 1998 version of “Godzilla” are a few examples), their soundtracks contained excellent jams and tunes that made you happy that you, at least, got to hear their great music. “Anastasia” stands beside “Mulan” “Clerks” and the previously reviewed “The Crow” as one of the prime examples of an excellent soundtrack that matched the strength of the movie that it was paired with and made for an even greater experience with its presence.
Music aside, the heroine is similar to Mrs. Brisby in the sense that they’re both heroines from Don Bluth movies who encourage me to root for them in every scene that they’re in through their struggles and their moments with greater hope or joy. Her first scene in her younger scenes in which she smiles and hugs her beloved grandmother (voiced wonderfully by great-late Angela Lansbury) and listens to the song that she sings to her immediately sweeps me into a story that, similar to Bluth’s other movies, voices the importance of family and their power to save us and the lengths to which they will go for each other out of their love. The strength of their connection to each other is made every bit as vivid as when we first see Mrs. Brisby strongly weeping when her son’s medicine is missing and overjoyed when she finds it, and it brings even greater hurt when I see how Anastasia’s family is destroyed and she is separated from her grandmother. My heart hurts when I see younger, tearful Anastasia struggling to keep up with a train that is gradually taking her grandmother away from her and separating them for many years ahead.
Meg Ryan does exceptional work through voicing the main heroine partly through bringing a snarky sense of humor and casual nature that embraces occasionally talking to herself to reflect or doing something else unusual. In addition to her playfulness, Ryan also vocally displays a charm and bravery in the face of darkness that helps me connect with her character’s devotion to facing whatever obstacles present themselves in her path and loving the joyful experiences that she goes through on her journey. There’s an early moment for her character as an adult in which she physically mimics the actions of a bitter caretaker of an orphanage complaining about this and that, and it was one of the first signs that I wasn’t going to view the story of a traditional heroine from an animated movie. While I admire “Sleeping Beauty” and “Snow White” I will openly state that their heroines don’t often grab my interest because they don’t always show much independence, and they will do more foolish actions than wise ones. This movie’s protagonist won’t be afraid to show humor or speak her mind about how she feels, and she will involve herself with helping her new friends escape a train that is about to literally be derailed by Rasputin.
Anastasia (or “Anya” for short) loves the experience of adventure and learning more about the wonder of the world surrounding her and herself in the process, and her happiness from the time always brings me and the rest of the audience a similar optimism in the process.
Through her happier moments, though, she also demonstrates a courage in the face of wickedness that threatens her path. Buried beneath her strong spirit is a hurt from not being with her family and her own family being torn apart and murdered by such a wicked villain. When one doesn’t know very much about one’s past or how one got to where he or she is, it can leave an emptiness that is confusing and frustrating. Even if she’s not aware of the hurt inflicted upon her, due to her amnesia, Anya still carries a darkness to her past that doesn’t truly go away.
I distinctly remember first seeing the dream sequence in which Anya experiences a nightmare in which a gargoyle-like creature threatens her as a child in a way that is being constructed by Rasputin and is similar to one of his winged monsters that inflicts serious damage to the home and lives of her family. I recall feeling great pain for what she was experiencing and wanting to see how Anastasia would get through her ordeal okay, and those feelings have still remained. Between this and the nightmare sequence in which Charlie is bitten at by devious creatures in Hell in “All Dogs Go to Heaven” Bluth has proven himself as an expert of sorts when it comes to using dreams to illustrate one’s inner hurt or worst fears. Additionally, similar to his other works, he knows the hurt that losing one’s family can cause someone and the power that comes from someone dedicated enough to move forward in spite of who was lost and in search of the answers that will hopefully pave to a stronger future.
The struggles and inner pain that match with the undying strength and optimism of heroism has always been a powerful elements of Bluth’s heroes, and the titular protagonist of this story is no exception.
Anya’s pain from losing her family and her hurt from a dark past still leaves me cheering for her to remain victorious and fight against those inflicting hardship and darkness in her present day. Her courage and vulnerability caused me to root for her every bit as much as when I rooted for Mulan, Belle, and Matilda as a kid, and I still root for her to this day, too, because of how much optimism she carries in the face of experiencing so much hardship. Without giving anything away, she plays a rather significant role in what happens in the climax involving the villain, and it somewhat stuns me that moments, such as this, aren’t brought up that much when others talk about independent heroines taking a stand for themselves and showing the greater power of themselves from within.
One other element that also lends wonder to the story is the relationship between Anastasia and Dimitri. It helps that the two main characters from this narrative are played by aforementioned Meg Ryan and John Cusack. Both of them provide plenty of charm and sincerity to their roles, and we’ll hear more about Cusack in a moment. Before this film, they’ve each had their share of dramas and romantic comedies and have a firm idea of when to speak with an honest quietness and when to share a sense of confidence or humor during the precise moment that calls for it.
Within the realm of the narrative itself, Anya and Dimitri as the respective princess and thief with a genuine heart work well because they’re both outsiders in a sense. Anya is someone who is isolated in the sense that most of her family has been eradicated, and most of the film is spent with her trying to find the last pieces of true family that will help her feel as though she belongs. And, Dimitri is someone who, from his earliest days, starts his journey as a servant boy from a poor class and doesn’t have many connections from most other people for financial reasons and for the other reason that…well, he makes a living out of duping people as a con artist and makes it harder for others to trust him as well as trust himself enough to make a sincere connection before the princess herself stumbles into his life. At the center of this movie is two people who are simultaneously trying to find a genuine connection with someone else and sense of belonging from what they’ve experienced for countless years.
It also helps that, although their romance happens within the similar time frame of a few days as other romances from animated films did around this time, this couple further connects through the experiences that occur along their adventure. They learn how to ride on horseback and go over the family history of Anya’s roots together. They attend opera concerts by each other’s side. There’s a pleasant moment in which Anya and Dimitri learn to dance together, and they experience it along the wooden floor of a ship as a pleasant, warm sunset stands behind them. Through sharing the joyful and sometimes absurd and wicked events of any adventure together, people more often than not come closer in ways that others often don’t. Due to this, their shared thrills, hurt, and courage allows their romance to still stand as a quick one but also feels more believable given how their matched passion for adventure and discovering new experiences and the unknown only increases their love for one another.
Through the unfolding narrative, Dimitri and Anya look and speak at each other with a similar outspokenness and newfound devotion to taking care of each other that makes me root for them and their relationship every step of the way.
Perhaps, one of the elements that I love the most about their relationship is that they both save each other in different ways during the story. Anya’s not a damsel in distress as you would see in numerous films centering around a princess, and Dimitri isn’t a hapless fool who needs a girlfriend to rescue him every single time that he falls into a bad or life-threatening situation. The two have a history of rescuing each other from the grips of death and even helping each other in situations that are literally threatening them, such as the hazardous yet thrilling incident with the train that they ride on. Here’s a story in which the two characters are capable of handling themselves through plenty of the dangers that they face, and, yet, instead of focusing more on one of them as the constant rescuer, they both go out of their way to look after each other and save the other’s life in the instances when nobody else can.
To me, some of the best stories centering around a romance or any meaningful relationship for that matter consist of moments in which both people save or rescue each other in the times that they truly need it. As much as people focus on the positive moments from a relationship, it can be argued that people in a friendship or romantic relationship show the true power of their connection even more when tougher times arise. Love is powerful, in general, and those who experience it know how to demonstrate their joy with the other person and, also, how far they’re willing to go and sacrifice for who they care about the most.
Anya and Dimitri wonderfully represent that in this story, and their courage and moments of helping and rescuing each other on their journey only made me more joyous to see them as a couple and even more eager to see them together.
I should take a moment to mention that all of the other actors in this movie extend their talents in this story and match as tightly with their roles as one could hope for. Cusack delivers his lines with a believable charisma and conviction, and this results in a humor and heart that allow his character to shine even further in spite of the flaws of his lifestyle that he eventually faces. Christopher Lloyd clearly has a blast in playing the speaking part of the villain, Rasputin. He is unabashedly over-the-top, but he also has moments in which he lowers his voice that echo with an evident danger. Kelsey Grammar is excellent in providing the right amount of foolishness and heart as Dimitri’s best buddy and bumbling yet loyal partner-in-crime, Vladimir.
And, Angela Lansbury perfectly voices the seriousness and warmth that illustrate Anya’s beloved grandmother. Grace and a true humility encompassed so much of Lansbury’s presence and work, and this role of hers is no exception through which she firmly points out what doesn’t sit well with her but will also depict a gentleness when she’s in the presence of someone that she loves. The moments in which she voices joy or fear in regards to something involving her granddaughter speaks with a real love and concern for her well-being, and much of that works as such because this performer always lent a believable passion and power to every role that she did. (Rest in peace, Dame Lansbury.)
Hank Azaria certainly does well enough as the comic relief character, Bartok, and speaks with the uncertainty and naïve demeanor that is needed from the script. The trouble is that, while not grating as some other comedic relief characters from animated films (ie: the gargoyles from “Hunchback”) can be, Bartok simply doesn’t have any funny lines to work off of, and the script doesn’t fully utilize Azaria’s comedic presence as well as it could have. It’s a shame because this is the actor who has played several characters from “The Simpsons” as well as his character in “Mystery Men” and he has more than proven himself as someone who can cause huge laughs. Although Bartok’s presence wasn’t one that caused me to loathe him, I also didn’t see how it contributed to the humor and overall feel of the story, either.
With Don Bluth and Gary Goldman directing, it’s no surprise that the animation of this movie looks amazing. Several people move with a specific confidence or oddness that allows them to shine as the unique characters that they are, and this movie truly looks alive with vast scenery of cities and dancing floors that thrive from the golden and bright-red colors that splash across the screen. The light shadows match well with the colorful environments that the heroine and her friends explore through, but heavier shadows properly accompany the mysterious or ominous backgrounds to superb effect. Some of the computer-generated animation can be a little distracting in that some parts are obviously done from a computer and don’t always blend enough with the hand-drawn environments surrounding them. Such moments are scarce and don’t dominate the movie, however.
There are reasons that so many regard Bluth as one of the great artists in his field, and this film is yet another work that illustrates the sheer talent of his and Goldman’s work on- screen.
This film did come from a time in which animated stories centering around princesses was common, but, in my eyes, “Anastasia” has more than enough heart, passion, and adventure that helps it stand on its own and not feel as though it’s following trends by the number. I can’t say, in all honesty, that it’s a masterpiece as “NIMH” is, and some of the humor and moments don’t always hit their mark. Yet, the fantastic animation, terrific voice acting, superb soundtrack, and journey of the characters and how much the story succeeded in causing me to care about them and what they experienced on it created a time that was pure movie magic to me as a kid and presents itself as a compelling adventure and story for me as an adult. Movies, such as this and “Mulan” among some other media from my childhood, played a part in inspiring me to follow and even write stories of my own involving interesting, vulnerable yet courageous and strong heroines.
A good portion of this, too, might come from me also being fortunate enough to be surrounded by real-life heroines, such as my mother, through my life. Through her times of uncertainty and conflict, my Mom has always stood firm and maintained her sense of courage and firmness in what she believes in. She always knows the importance of maintaining your firmness and identity in a world that often emphasizes how important matching the image of everyone else around you is. Such a courageous and courteous woman as my mother naturally found and still finds much for her to love about stories centering around unique heroines as “Anastasia” and I share that same love for such tales, too.
Furthermore, the happiness and darkness that Anastasia faces on her journey and how she experiences said harshness has always led to me rooting for her in every scene, and her wondrous journey, as well as the artistry used to bring it to life, still remains, thanks to the great talent and passion shared through this tale.
Strength of some media from one’s past can sometimes fade.
The magic of “Anastasia” however, still reigns strong after all this time.
A-