r/Anastasia1997

Image 1 — The best physical media release of Anastasia (Don Bluth film)
Image 2 — The best physical media release of Anastasia (Don Bluth film)
▲ 23 r/Anastasia1997+1 crossposts

The best physical media release of Anastasia (Don Bluth film)

This is hands down the best physical media release of the 1997 film.

The original VHS in the clamshell case wasn't so bad, though naturally not widescreen and typical tape quality (this is the one I had growing up) and while I can't comment on the original dvd release in the late 90s (never had a copy) I've never heard anything particularly positive about it, and I know that the following editions in the 2000s through to roughly 2010 (except for this Family Fun Edition) were...not great... Rather than proper widescreen they were displayed in pan-and-scan and in some ways looked worse than VHS (especially if you were watching on a computer and not a TV).

When the Blu-ray came out, the Blu-ray disc itself was/is excellent and looks really good, but the DVD copy that came with it in the combo pack was just a rerelease of the awful pan and scan. Also no worthwhile bonus features.

The one you want if you want a good DVD copy IS the Family Fun one, trust me. The movie on the first disc is presented in proper widescreen and looks the way I imagine the theatrical release must have when it first came out. The entire second disc is a menu walkthrough of the gorgeously animated Catherine Palace and is full of bonus features, not just behind the scenes stuff and singalongs, but also the entire Bartok spin off movie in good quality full screen.

u/Celestina-Betwixt — 10 days ago

Why change Anastasia's age?

I love this film, but it always bugged me a little how they made it so Anastasia is 8 when the Romanov tercentenary and revolution both happen in quick succesion in 1916 (both wrong, the tercentenary actually being in 1913 and the revolution in 1917). That would mean she was born in 1908 and is 18 in 1926. The real Anastasia was born in 1901 and was 12 during the tercentenary, turned 16 in 1917 and would have turned 25 in 1926.

I also always wondered why the film chose 1926 as a start point for the adult Anastasia's story, but apparently that's the year the new Soviet government admitted that the entire Romanov family had been murdered, so I guess it makes sense that's when there'd be rumours about one of the daughters possibly surviving.

And yes I know it makes little sense trying to apply logic to a film with a talking bat and an undead Rasputin 😆 I just find it odd since there's other times that the filmmakers showed a really good attention to detail (showing Alexei walking with a limp for example). So why make Anastasia younger? Granted she couldn't be 25 and leaving an orphanage, but she could have been working (like in the musical).

What do you think?

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u/Illustrious_Way_2444 — 11 days ago
▲ 15 r/Anastasia1997+3 crossposts

It looks like in the AU version of the play Anastasia gets to wear her blue dress longer on stage!

The preview for the Australian performance of Anastasia the Musical seems to suggest Anya will still be wearing her blue opera dress while speaking to her grandmother when she's finally recognized.

In the American performance of the play, she has already changed into another costume by this scene.

This change of keeping her in the blue dress longer is actually more faithful to the original animated film!

u/Celestina-Betwixt — 13 days ago