Anastasia (1997)
★★★ — Anastasia (1997)
By 1997, the American theatrical animation landscape was at something of a crossroads. Disney had spent the better part of a decade redefining what a big-screen animated musical could be, and rival studios were understandably keen to get a piece of that particular pie. Enter Anastasia, a 94-minute animated adventure produced by Fox Animation Studios and released by 20th Century Fox, which drew on one of the twentieth century's most enduring historical mysteries: the fate of Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanova, youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. The real story ended in tragedy, of course, but decades of rumour, speculation and wishful thinking had long since given it a second life as romantic myth, and it is that myth, rather than the history, that the film takes as its raw material. The result is something closer to a fairy tale set against a recognisable historical backdrop than any kind of serious dramatisation of events.
The film was co-directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, a partnership with deep roots in the American animation industry. Bluth in particular had spent years carving out a distinct identity separate from the Disney house style, and fans of his earlier work will find plenty to recognise here. (Those curious about how the partnership operated at an earlier stage of their careers might want to have a look at the site's review of The Land Before Time, which Bluth directed nearly a decade prior.) Fox Animation Studios, set up specifically to compete in the theatrical animation market, gave the production considerable resources, and it shows in the finished film's production values. The score and songs were written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, with additional orchestrations that gave the whole thing a genuinely theatrical quality, and the film arrives at a runtime that keeps things moving without outstaying its welcome. For comparison with the kind of animation being produced around the same period, the site's coverage of The Hunchback of Notre Dame makes for an interesting read, as that film was released just a year earlier and occupies a broadly similar space in the animated musical tradition.
The voice cast is, on paper at least, a strong one. Meg Ryan, then at or near the peak of her mainstream popularity, leads as Anya, the young amnesiac orphan at the centre of the story. John Cusack provides the voice of Dimitri, her opportunistic but good-natured travelling companion, and Kelsey Grammer appears as Vlad, his older partner in the scheme. Christopher Lloyd takes on the villain of the piece, a fantastical and heavily fictionalised version of the historical figure Rasputin, and Hank Azaria rounds out the principal cast in a supporting comedic role. It is, to put it plainly, a polished but unremarkable ensemble on the surface, the kind of cast that suggests confidence on the part of the studio. Whether the material justifies that confidence is, naturally, something the review below addresses head-on.
Anastasia (1997) is a charming, handsomely made animated musical that blends historical myth with fairy-tale romance, and while it never quite reaches greatness, it’s consistently enjoyable from start to finish. Produced by Fox (not Disney, though it often gets lumped in with the Disney Renaissance), it tells the fictionalised story of a young amnesiac orphan who may or may not be the lost Russian grand duchess Anastasia. The animation is fluid and expressive, with rich colours, elegant art deco touches, and dreamlike sequences that elevate the film beyond standard kids’ fare. The voice cast is strong: Meg Ryan brings warmth and spunk to Anya, John Cusack adds grounded charm as the rogue-with-a-heart-of-gold Dimitri, and Christopher Lloyd chews scenery with glee as the Rasputin-esque villain Grigori Rasputin, complete with a delightfully creepy bat sidekick. The songs, too, are catchy and well-integrated and carry genuine emotional weight. But for all its polish, Anastasia plays it safe. The plot follows a predictable underdog-to-princess arc, the history is heavily romanticised (to put it mildly), and the stakes never feel truly dangerous, even with a supernatural villain on the loose. It’s more style than substance, more spectacle than soul. Anastasia is good (nearly very good) but not great. It’s a lovely, nostalgic watch with strong vocals, beautiful visuals, and a heart in the right place. Just don’t expect it to challenge, surprise, or linger long after the final note fades. A solid comfort film, not a classic.
What strikes me most, coming away from this one, is how much goodwill a film can generate purely through competence and warmth, even when it keeps one hand firmly on the safety rail throughout. There is real craft here, and I find it hard to be too hard on a film that clearly cares about what it is doing, even if it never quite takes the risks that might have made it something more. If you are after other animations that push the form a bit harder, the reviews here of Josep and The OceanMaker are worth your time. Anastasia, though, earns its place on the shelf. Just not on the top one.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 1997 | Watched: 2026-04-29
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Anastasia (1997) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Buy: Apple TV Store · Rakuten TV · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Disney Plus
Rent: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video · Apple TV Store · Google Play Movies · YouTube
Physical: Amazon US
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More from Don Bluth: The Land Before Time (1988)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More family: Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Wonder (2017) · Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Toy Story 4 (2019)
