Anastasia (1997)

All Critics (51) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (7) | DVD (19)

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 Full Review

Todd McCarthy

Variety

Top Critic

Bluth has rediscovered the ingredients of quality mainstream animation...

February 9, 2006 Full Review

Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Top Critic

A gorgeous piece of work.

June 18, 2002 Full Review

Peter Stack

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Any film that echoes the landscape of Doctor Zhivago is hard to dislike for too long.

February 14, 2001 Full Review

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Top Critic

Judging from their voices, about as close to Europe as most of these characters have ever gotten is probably Fresno.

January 1, 2000 Full Review

Stephen Holden

New York Times

Top Critic

Flawed but not fatally, this ambitious epic's strength lies not just with its haunting melodies, pretty pictures, star voices and kid-friendly sidekicks -- the usual shtick that makes Disney tick.

January 1, 2000

Susan Wloszczyna

USA Today

Top Critic

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 Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

Beautiful, not factual depiction of missing Russian duchess.

December 21, 2010 Full Review

Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

This enchanting fairy-tale, the first release from Fox Animation Studios, is pure family entertainment.

October 18, 2008 Full Review

Lisa Osborne

Boxoffice Magazine

There is much for tots to enjoy: decent songs, an amusing script and some surprisingly imaginative animation.

September 1, 2008 Full Review

Ken Fox

TV Guide's Movie Guide

It does veer horribly towards the sentimental at times, but still provides proof positive that other people can do cartoons too.

September 1, 2008 Full Review

Film4

I have nothing but superlatives for this, a most phenomenal film.

March 13, 2006 Full Review

David Cornelius

DVDTalk.com

...it's the typical boy-meets-girl-boy-annoys-girl-boy-and-girl-snipe-at-each-other-as-a-disguise-for-being-fond-of-each-other relationship.

March 6, 2006 Full Review

Rory L. Aronsky

Film Threat

It proves that Disney can be beaten at their own game.

December 6, 2005 Full Review

Chris Gore

Film Threat

Bluth and Goldman have created a quality animation work, with some individual scenes bordering on the extraordinary, that does a solid job in telling the mythical adventure.

April 9, 2005 Full Review

Robin Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Click to read the article.

December 31, 2004 Full Review

Staci Layne Wilson

StaciWilson.com

an entertaining film that's the first to bring the romantic-comedy genre to animation

August 14, 2004

James Plath

Reel.com

Basically reduces the Russian Revolution to a big kaboodle of cuteness, which may give kids the wrong impression of what actually happened.

May 22, 2003 Full Review | Comments (6)

Eugene Novikov

Film Blather

An entertaining romp through history and romance that is best suited to young girls who should enjoy its G-rated passion.

May 14, 2003

Palo Alto Weekly

...Absolutely on a par with recent Disney greats like Beauty and The Beast and Aladdin...

February 8, 2003 Full Review

John R. McEwen

Film Quips Online

• 1. Young Anastasia [singing]: Dancing bears, painted wings. Things I almost remember, And a song someone sings. Once upon a December.
  – Submitted by Bojana J (5 months ago)
• 1. Vladimir: It's one-two-three, and suddenly, I see it at a glance. She's radiant and confident and born to take this chance. I taught her well. I planned it all. I just forgot romance. Vlad, how could you do this? How will we get through this? I never should have let them dance.
  – Submitted by Jenna L (8 months ago)
• 1. Dimitri [singing]: Paris holds the key to her past. Yes, Princess, I've found you at last. No more pretend. You'll be gone. That's the end.
  – Submitted by Jenna L (8 months ago)
• 1. Dimitri: If we live through this, remind me to thank you.
  – Submitted by Ceara R (10 months ago)
• 1. Rasputin [singing]: In the dark of the night I was tossing and turning, and the nightmare I had was as bad as can be. It scared me out of my wits; a corpse falling to bits. Then I opened my eyes and the nightmare was me.
  – Submitted by Ceara R (10 months ago)
• 1. Anastasia [singing]: Dancing bears, painted wings. Things I almost remember, And a song someone sings. Once upon a December.
  – Submitted by Augustine S (13 months ago)

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