The-Reel-McCoy -- Anastasia

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Anastasia

	Rated: G
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Don Bluth (producer, An American Tail) has created another good one with his latest, Anastasia, a twentieth century fairy tale inspired by the enduring legend of the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna. I took my daughter to see this movie, and if her reaction was any indication, this is a GREAT movie.

At the beginning of the movie, Anastasia is the little daughter of the great Russian czar Romanov. However, the evil Rasputin (voiced by Christopher Lloyd) decides to cast a curse on the Romanovs and eventually destroys the rule of the Romanov family. Those that survive are driven to Paris, France. In the fracas, Anastasia is lost and she then becomes an orphan for the remainder of her childhood. When she finally grows up, she is known as Anya (voiced by Meg Ryan) and remembers nothing of her royal past. This is when she meets up with Dimitri (voiced by John Cusack) who is searching for a girl to portray the princess, Anastasia, so that he can swindle some money from the once royal (but still wealthy) family now living in Paris. This sets the stage for the remainder and bulk of the movie.

What I was most impressed with in Anastasia was the extraordinary use of color and detail in some of the palace scenes. Much of the artistry was done with computer and gives a wonderful effect. The music is good as well. My favorite song from the movie, Once Upon A December, is, in my opinion, in a class by itself with the others weakly contributing. This contrasts greatly with some of the great Disney movies which host a plethora of great songs.

What may be too much for young children, however, is the bad guy, Rasputin. They don't horse around with this guy; he is BAD. He is a former advisor to the czar Romanov who sells his soul for a black magic cylinder of evil. Even death does not destroy him and his sinister plot. His evil powers are perhaps too scary for young children, and his motives are never really clearly explained. However, the children can be consoled and his demise is all that more rewarding.