Anastasia

Story

Animated musical fantasy film about Grand Duchess Anastasia, the last surviving child of the Russian Royal family. Ten years after escaping the murder of her family, ‘Anya’ is found by two con men who seek the reward that her grandmother has promised to anyone who can find her. They head to Paris, pursued by evil Rasputin, who was responsible for the death of her family and wants to finish the job.

Why we chose it

Don Bluth is one of the great figures in film animation. Anastasia combines beautiful animation and storytelling and some great songs.

Where it came from

The story is loosely based on the legend of the Royal Romanov family who were killed in Russia in 1918. There were rumours that their daughter, Anastasia, survived the massacre, but this version is a fantasy and is not intended to be a factual history of the family. In 2007 Anastasia’s body was discovered, proving she was killed in 1918 and did not escape.

Where it went next

An Anastasia Ice Show in 1998/9 and a stage show in 2016/17 were partly based on the film.

Associated stories

The film shares its plot with a previous Fox film from 1956. Written by Arthur Larents and staring Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner it was itself based on a French play, Anastasia, by Marcelle Maurette.

Based on historical events, there are many stories of the Romanov family. Multiple imposters have tried to claim to be a survivor of the family, however DNA testing now makes it easy to disprove connections.