The Legacy of Anastasia

Advantages: Some familiar voices!
Disadvantages: None that I can see!

...Hello fellow Ciaoers! I've been away for a while and have missed not doing my reviews so I thought that I'd give you another film review! I have always been a great lover of Russian history, particularly the legend of Anastasia and the Romanov family. Naturally all I've read is in books, so when this film came out I was dying to get hold of it! I knew that this animated film would be nowhere near as accurate to the true events surrounding the Romanov family, but I was curious none the less. I'll start of in the usual fashion by giving a quote! "This entertaining animated feature is a dream-catcher, tapping into the universal yearning for home and love". FREDERIC AND MARY ANN BRUSSAT - SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH I think that this quote is bang on target for this film! I will be talking about the 1 disc DVD version of this...

LR_17 20.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia (Animated) (DVD)

anastasia beach hotel

Advantages: fantastic staff, lovely hotel
Disadvantages: ants in the bathroom

...Cyprus was'nt my 1st choice for a hoiday this year, but Ruth my partners sister telephoned us in August 2004 to say she was getting married abroad in July 2005, and would we like to attend. Of course we said yes and so the task of booking in to the same hotel on the same board status began. Cols sister was traveling with Thomas Cook, so I called them ''no room'' they said '' Oh no'' I said. So on to my trusted PC, entered the name of the hotel in too a search engine and walla - a few moments later we was booked all inclusive in to the Anastasia Beach Hotel. After negotiating Larnaca airport, we located our taxis for the transfer and off we went through barren countryside along a stretch of road that was apparently a Motorway, two lanes and a speed restriction of 100km an hour. We turned off the motorway and past some appartments which...

sheffsal 31.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia Beach Hotel, Protaras

Wanted: The Princess Anastasia

Advantages: Good family film
Disadvantages: None

...Introduction Most people know the story about Anastasia but here's a recap for anyone that doesn't. Anastasia was the daughter of Tsar of Russia and when the Russian Revolution happens most of the Russian Royal family were killed but Anastasia life has always been a bit unknown is she alive or dead. Anastasia's grandmother did perform a search for Anastasia but it has never been truly answered whether she was alive or dead. The Plot This animated film tells the story for Anya who grew up in a Russian Orphanage and cannot remember anything about childhood since she was eight years old she does have one clue a necklace that says "Together in Paris". Anya wants to go to Paris to discover if she has any family, however on her way she stops at St Petersburg to gain travel passes from Dimitri. He is in the used...

kgray71 02.03.2006 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia (Animated) (Wide Screen) (DVD And CD-Rom) (DVD)

An animated tale which isn't all cutsie pie....

Advantages: More real and less 'Disney' than some animated films, good songs, excellent animation.
Disadvantages: Not long enough!!

...and kill them. All except Anastasia and her grandmother, who escape, but get seperated. So, Anastasia is a Russian Princess. Of course, she doesn't know that. She calls herself Anya and she's grown up in an orphanage, dreaming of who her real family could be and gleaning what comfort she can from a necklace that was found with her when she was taken to the orphanage. It has on it an engraving which mentions Paris. Therefore, when she's old enough, she sets off to try and find out if she does have a family after all accompanied by her dog as her only companion. Meanwhile, Dimitri is trying to find a girl who looks like the lost princess. The Dowager Empress (Anastasia's grandmother) is trying to find her granddaughter, and is offering a substancial reward to whoever finds her. Along with his friend Vladimir (voiced by Kelsey Grammer...

rosieemma91 06.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia (DVD)

Don't Let Disney Monopolize The Animated Musical

Advantages: Memorable scores & songs, characters & stories
Disadvantages: Animation level compared to modern is just standard

...Having grown up on every animated fairytale feature that was available as a child, I consider myself something of an authority on classic animation films, not only of Disney but of Warner Bros and Dreamworks, Studio Gihbli and many others also. So before I begin I would just like to say to everyone who thinks that either or both Anastasia & Thumbelina are Disney productions THINK AGAIN! Anastasia is a 20th Century Fox production, whilst Thumbelina comes from Warner Brothers. Now that I have that little bugbear out of the way, we are free to continue. Both of these films played a role equal to that of Disney for me as a child, despite never getting quite the fuss or attention they may have deserved - and would certainly have got if they were attached to the Disney label. I may have a slight bias in that both remind me of that...

huntressofthenight 13.06.2008 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia / Thumbelina (DVD)

  Anesthesia Required

Advantages: Um... well... let me think... Oh, yes... Its not a DISNEY film, so they don't have to be ashamed of it.
Disadvantages: Give me a break, there are way too many to put into this little box! 20th Century FOX should hang their heads in shame that they produced this lemon.

...- or at least ones that have semi-happy endings, with a bittersweet after taste. One good example of this is an old favourite - "Jungle Book" where, although the child returns to live with humans, the animals who cared for him lose a friend. In the true story of Anastasia, the exact identity of this orphan girl was never actually proved one way or another, and many girls did their best to try and trick the real family members into believing that they were the long-lost heir. The fact that the writers ignored this was bad enough (and I suppose that this film came during that trend to make sad historical stories into fun children?s movies - Hunchback of Notre Dame, Pocahontas, etc.). That they did such convoluted embellishments as to cooking up some story about the girl being sent to an orphanage when she was too young to know who she really was...

TheChocolateLady 10.02.2003 (30.03.2003) · Read review
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Review of Anastasia (Animated) (DVD)

History in the Faking

Advantages: some really good animation and music
Disadvantages: a very bad choice of story

...There's something always not quite right about children's animated films which try to depict a truly terrible, and real, time in history. Anastasia is exactly that - not quite right in every sense of the word. We start off with the Russian Royalty, the Romanovs, being cursed and almost wiped out by the evil Rasputin's powers (a one time servant to the Queen and now evil malcontent). This is really where reality stops, and a whole load of cartoon, attempts at bettering Disney, comes in. One of the children survives, Anastasia, and is rescued by a kitchen hand boy fleeing the Winter Palace. This may be true, there have been myths about this surviving Romanov since they were wiped out in 1918, but nothing can compare to the events that unfold after this, for sheer and blatant disregard of the truth, and a shocking irreverence to...

r-rackham 13.06.2001 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia (Animated) (DVD)

It's not history, it's just fun...

Advantages: An enjoyable movie with great songs, enjoyable characters and a great laugh
Disadvantages: If you're going to get on your high horse and pull the fact book out then this isn't the movie for you, but maybe your kids will like it anyway

...?She certainly has a mind of her own.? - Valdimir ?Yeah. I hate that in a woman.? ? Dimitri When Anastasia was first released, in 1997, I was hooked. It was one of the best films I had ever seen (and still is). Over the past couple of years I?ve watched it ever now and again and it still has that magical feeling. A couple of weeks ago, I was looking after my niece, little brother and several of their friends on a rainy afternoon and decided to try the video out on them (I could not sit through that Digimon movie again). All seven of them did not move from the TV screen for the 90 minutes that the film was playing (Not even the boys). Now you understand why it?s magic. ~ The Plot ~ The story begins in 1916 St. Petersburg, where the Romanov dynasty is celebrating the 300th anniversary of its Russian rule. The party is short...

sarahbethy 23.10.2001 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia (Animated) (DVD)

Meet the Charming Anastasia Donovan

Advantages: sweet and romantic, show's that you can find love twice.
Disadvantages: None

...This is the third book in the Donovan Legacy quartet. Main Characters. Anastasia Donovan - Is the youngest of the Donovan cousins. Her gift is one of empathy; she is able to take on other people's pain and feelings in order to heal them. It has been as much a curse as a gift, as she finds it hard to get close to people other than her family. She owns her own business making herbal remedies and cosmetics made from the flowers she grows in her garden. Boone Sawyer - Writes children fairy tales for a living. After deciding that he had had enough of his parents and his deceased wife's parents having ago at him to get remarried, he decides to move himself and his daughter to Monterey, to start a new. Unbeknownst to him the woman next door is the witch and fairy princess he writes about in his stories. Jessie Sawyer - Boone Sawyer...

J.Bainbridge 10.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of Charmed - Nora Roberts

Anastacia

Advantages: Funny, excellent animation,
Disadvantages: None

...she doesnt have a Visa she is directed towards a conman called Dimitri who has recently been staging a large con to try to get a girl to pretend to be Anastasia so he can claim the reward still offered by her Grandmother. When he sees Anya he thinks she has such a close resemblance he persuades her to come to Paris with him to find out the truth. Bartok is still living in the palace so when he overhears Dimitri saying he thinks Anya is the Duchess he scoffs but he has had a reliquary which was used by Rasputin that has been silent ever since Rasputin died and when Anya leaves it glows green and trapping Bartok by a cord drags him through to the underworld where Rasputin has been waiting since he drowned. When he finds out the duchess may have been found he decides to finish what he started and comes back to earth to try to finish off...

donnalex 01.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of Anastasia (Animated) (DVD)