Review

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“Anastasia” is more of a “what if” story taking on a fantasy aspect of true life events. Kinda like Disney, where they take stories and twist it into their own adventures, this movie does the same thing. The film is about finding yourself and being who you are, overused messages, but there’s nothing wrong with that. It is directed fairly well, some really nice shots and camera work. Capturing the whole country of Russia with a magical vibe and the depression of its people at the time. It is also fairly well written with some strong dialogue, but at times it tends to point out the obvious.

Characters in the film range from good to great. They have the funny side characters, the villain, and the two leads. The side characters are funny when there supposed to be and add some heart to the film, but mostly they’re forgettable. Rasputin, the villain, is actually are pretty cool character. He’s vicious and threatening when he’s supposed to be and at the same time he can be funny when he’s doing his own thing. However, I felt some of his jokes kill his overall persona just a little bit. Dimitri, the hero, is interesting and likable. He is a con man and at first he is sort of a jerk, but grows into someone we can care about. Anastasia, title character, is strong and independent. She has a strong wit and much like the princess during her time she actually has a personality.The romance between her and Dimitri is real and it has a chance to develop.

And of course this is a musical so we have to talk about the music. The overall score is fairly beautiful. It has something familiar to it, but at the same time it feels fairly new. It’s haunting and magical just like the movie. The songs are great too and fairly memorable. “Once Upon December” is my favorite song in the movie. It has a haunting score while mixing it with mysterious lyrics. “Journey to the Past” is also a good song with haunting and magical lyrics and score, it was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Animation in the film is gorgeous, blending hand-drawn animation with CGI beautifully. The characters movie fluidly and realistically, while keeping it in the tradition of animation of over exaggeration. Bright beautiful colors fill the screen with magical special effects. The best is during the sequence of “Journey to the Past,” where everything just pops and there is just a sense of beauty.

Overall “Anastasia” is a really good movie Don Bluth’s 2nd best only behind “Secret of NIMH.” It has likable and strong willed character with gorgeous animation and some beautiful songs. However the side characters aren’t that interesting or memorable and the movie does tend to talk down to you while pointing out the obvious. As well some of the humor, mainly the slapstick doesn’t work well with the movie and its town, becoming a little kiddish. I give it a low, 4/5. good story with likable and interesting leads, gorgeous animation and music, but bogged down a bit by its writing and issues with tone.

“Muy Caliente”

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