Anastasia (1997 film)

Anastasia
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Screenplay by
Adaptation byEric Tuchman
Based on
Produced by
  • Don Bluth
  • Gary Goldman
Starring
Edited by
  • Bob Bender
  • Fiona Trayler
Music byDavid Newman
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox[2]
Release dates
  • November 14, 1997 (1997-11-14) (Ziegfeld Theater)
  • November 21, 1997 (1997-11-21) (United States)
Running time
94 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$53 million[4][5]
Box office$140 million[6]

Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical historical fantasy film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman from a screenplay by the writing teams of Susan Gauthier and Bruce Graham, and Bob Tzudiker and Noni White, and based on a story adaptation by Eric Tuchman. It features songs written by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens and a musical score composed and conducted by David Newman. The film stars the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Lansbury. The film shares its plot with the 1956 film Anastasia, which in turn was based on a play by Marcelle Maurette. Unlike those treatments, this version adds Grigori Rasputin as the main antagonist.

Anastasia was the first 20th Century Fox animated feature to be produced by its own animation division, 20th Century Fox Animation, through the animation studio Fox Animation Studios. The film premiered at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City on November 14, 1997, and was released in the United States on November 21. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the animation, voice performances, and soundtrack, though it attracted criticism from some historians for its fantastical retelling of the Grand Duchess. Anastasia grossed $140 million worldwide, making it the most profitable film from Bluth and Fox Animation Studios. It received nominations for several awards, including for Best Original Song ("Journey to the Past") and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score at the 70th Academy Awards.

The success of Anastasia spawned various adaptations of the film into other media, including a direct-to-video spin-off film and a stage musical.

  1. ^ Petrikin, Chris (February 18, 1998). "Fox renamed that toon". Variety. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Anastasia (1997)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  3. ^ "ANASTASIA (U)". British Board of Film Classification. December 5, 1997. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2013.
  4. ^ "Anastasia (1997)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  5. ^ "Ask Us". DonBluth.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2000. Anastasia was 53 million
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).