Customer Reviews

Bartok The Magnificent

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

PLEASE BE AWARE: The lovely cover image you see on Amazon is actually from the first DVD release of this movie. If you order this product, you will receive something that looks like <a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/10890000/10898423.jpg">this</a>. (Unfortunately.)

Despite the horrible artwork on the cover, this DVD set is by far one of the best 2-disk special editions I have ever seen. The movie is presented in its original widescreen cinemascope glory with sparkling menus, tons of extras, a tour of the castle, and a bonus movie. If it only had a concept art gallery, I would put it all the way up there with the Disney Platinum Editions.

The first disk makes use of a map of Anya's journal to Paris as the main menu integrated with clips from the movie. It also has something the Disney DVDs have been lagging on lately--a commentary. A commentary, no doubt, with Don Bloth and Gary Goldman, the two masterminds behind this film and many other animated masterpieces.

Aside from that, the first disk also contains bonus features on how to draw four of the main characters in the movie. Now, most "how" to draw features start out with a perfect drawing of a character and then show three steps, each with perfectly matching lines and expect you to do exactly the same thing, which is simply ridiculous. This one was different, though. Don Bluth hosted four beautiful art sessions talking very realistically about how real artists do it, from 6B pencils to kneaded erasers to the fact that it's okay to make mistakes. He went through the process step by step and amazingly, his drawings looked very sketchy and none looked exactly like the character he was drawing. I thought this was wonderful because it teaches that not all drawings come out perfect at first and even the best artists don't just sit down, put their pencil to the paper, and have a perfect picture magically appear. The only thing I didn't like about this feature was that you had to click Continue after each step or it would just stay paused.

The other main feature on the disk was a singalong track containing songs from various older 20th Century Fox movies and hosted by a girl claiming to be Anastasia, but sounding nothing like her older or younger voices. The funny thing is, most of the songs on this track had absolutely nothing to do with Anastasia. In fact, I was surprised they expected kids to buy this DVD and know about these old movies such as Young Frankenstein, Shirley Temple, and many others including songs from the other newly rereleased animated Fox "Family Fun Edition" DVD, Fern Gully. Despite having little to do with the film, this 45-minute singalong track felt complete enough to sell on its own without any other attachments so it was a very hearty feature.

The second disk had the must unenthusiastic narrator I have ever heard in my life. Never the less, the disk's menu is a beautiful CGI tour of the Romanov palace. Each shelf contained objects that the real Anastasia might have had along with a description of their use and place in history. Some objects turned out to be games and others were more bonus features.

The meat of the disk was a 45-minute documentary about the making of the film. It was very nice to hear from all the voice artists and other people involved, but the best part came from Don Bluth and Gary Goldman's commentary. Those two men always know exactly what to say! Their honest, straightforward, and down to earth nature really made this DVD a gem to own. They have no intention of playing down to a young audience and are clearly very passionate about what they do. It was always wonderful to hear their insights on the movie and the art of animation in general and they really made this set worthwhile.

Among the other features on the disk were a music video of Aaliyah's rendition of "Journey to the Past," a trivia game with questions that were not too easy, but not too hard about the film, and a virtual paper doll of Anastasia. There was also a multi-language reel of "Journey to the Past" and "Once Upon a December," preceeded by a list of phonetic letters. The "karoake" section of the reel was extremely tedious because it would first show Anya singing a line in one language, followed by two girls who were being used as examples of how phonetic letters are pronounced repeating that line, then the line was played without singing so "you" could sing it in that language, and then Anya would sing it one more time and these four cuts would repeat for every line in the song in every different language. Fortunately you also have the option of just watching the multi-language song reel by itself without the girls or karaoke versions.

Now we come to the icing on the cake. Not only do you get the movie Anastasia in this set, but you also get its spin-off film, Bartok the Magnificent, absolutely free! This 60-minute film is too long to be a short, but too short to be a movie and isn't really worth buying by itself. However, considering that it's free, it's quite a worthwhile bonus feature indeed! With a unique story, original musical numbers, and everyone's favorite pink and white bat, it's sure to entertain for at least one sitting even if you never want to watch it again after that. The movie has nothing to do with Anastasia, but instead involves Bartok trying to rescue the kidnapped prince of Moscow. There are unfortunately no cameos of anyone else in Anastasia, but nevertheless, it's a cute flick.

At $10 on Amazon, this DVD is an absolute steal and anyone in their right mind should grab it the first chance they get. Not only do you get a gorgeous and expertly crafted film, but you also get a SingAlong movie, a second spin-off movie, games, historical references, and beautifully insightful commentary from the ever-devoted, ever-friendly Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. The princess Anastasia has truly returned to her rightful throne. The only reason I did not give this item 5 stars is because of the cover art.

This warm and romantic film from Don Bluth and Gary Goldman has long been my favorite animated feature. This mostly fictional story of Russia's famous Anastasia and her search for her family is sprinkled with humor and great songs. The animation, from snowy Russia to glamorous Paris, is top-notch and the story is both heartwarming and fun.

A great cast of voices, including Meg Ryan (Anastasia), John Cusack (Dimitri), Kelsey Grammer (Vladimir), Christopher Lloyd (Rasputin), and Angela Lansbury as Anastasia's beloved grandmother add depth to an enchanting film. Anastasia wants to leave Russia for Paris because the necklace she wears has the inscription, "Together in Paris," which she is sure holds the key to her journey to discover who she is and where she belongs.

Dimitri and Vladimir plan to pass her off as the real Anastasia for the reward in exchange for her visa out of Russia. The banter between Anastasia and Dimitri masks a growing attraction, of course, and when Dimitri discovers before she does that she really is Anastasia he knows he must step aside.

Complicating matters is the evil Rasputin, who has placed a curse on her family and sold his soul to destroy them. His little fruit bat, Bratok (Hank Azaria), is a very funny creation and turns out to be not so evil at all.

The story is peppered throughout with great songs, including "Journey to the Past" and the haunting "Once Upon a December." Anastasia is warm and involving, separating it from other animated films. When Anya discovers she really is Anastasia, it is bittersweet, as she now must choose between her past and her future. Love may conquer all, but not if the evil Rasputin has his way.

This is a heartfelt and funny animated feature you'll want to own and watch over and over. This particular edition comes with lots of extras for hours of family fun. Don't miss this one.

How can you argue with this edition of "Anastasia" you get tons & tons of Special Features, Interactive Games, Menus and a bonus film "Bartok The Magnificent" all for the price of one. Both films seem more colorful & better in sound, then ever before. "Anastasia" is in (Widescreen 2.35:1) and "Bartok The Magnificent" is in (Fullscreen 1.33:1). Overall this edition is way better then the first editon, so if you have the first edition buy this one too, believe me you will not be sorry. As for being a biography on the real Princess Anastasia, this doesn't do, but for a family cartoon it works really good!.

I bought this in stores some time last year (I believe in April) and was ecstatic to have actually found the movie. I originally received th VHS version back in April of 1998 and had almost worn my tape out from watching the movie so much. I happened to think "I wonder if I can find Anastasia on DVD" and at that moment was passing by the only copy in the store.

The movie is great, but not historically accurate. It's a kid's movie, not a history lesson, so keep that in mind if you plan to purchase this. I won't summarize the story but I will say that this movie is easily my Favorite 2D animated movie. Fox did a beautiful job on this and even almost 10 years later I am greatly in love with this movie.

The DVD set contains 2 Discs and has a lovely menu. The only thing that isn't beautiful is the cover which is a hideous malnourished rendering of Anastasia. The original cover was so much better, but as I still have the VHS it's not that much of a bother to me. This DVD also features the straight to video/DVD release of Bartok the Magnificent. It's a very cute movie which revolves around the adorable bat character from the original and has a cute lesson to be learned. Also the bear is voiced by the same guy who voiced Vlad in the movie (I can't remember his name). He's a great singer which just adds to the movie.

A definite recommendation to buy for your children or yourself. It's actually kind of sad to see the 3D dominated world of animation, so it's great that movies like these are still so popular.

I first saw this movie when it orginally came out in the theaters. The first thing that grabbed me was the animation. Some of scenes are just so stunning, and moved as if there were actual cameras moving around (ex. Anya on the staircase as she first enters the palace, the Dowager Empress entering the car as Dimitri slips in to drive). The cast is great, Meg Ryan is perfect as Anastasia, and the songs are wonderful.

I was somewhat surprised to find out that it was not a Disney film, but done by Fox. However, I think that was because it reminds you of the films that were made in Disney's Golden Era (Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) rather than the stuff they've made since.

The only thing I did not like is the scene/song of Rasputin in what I assume is some sort of Purgatory since they refer to him as dead, but he can still come to Earth and attempt to kill Anastasia. It is pointless, and a little creepy to have him singing and dancing with demonic creatures. I fast forward through that scene every time, and the rest of the movie is great.

Finally, I love the dabbling into Russian history. Here is an animated story with some meat to the story! It goes much further than a love story, dealing with the Russian revolution and including real-life people such as Rasputin--though they obviously took liberties with the events. The song set in Paris is great, with many "cameos" by famous people that the parents watching the movie would know. It also delves into the realites of growing up as an orphan and wanting that place to belong.

Wonderful movie! Loved it.

When this movie first came out, I was very young. I saw it once and was afraid of Rasputin, making me not want to see it again. (I have never been a fan of anything scary, so most cannot go by me.) When I was going through my video cabinet recently, I dug the movie out, trying to remember why I had only seen it once. I put it into the VCR and the from the beginning of the film to the end, the magic never once ceased. Though it isn't exactly historically accurate, it had a happy ending and a great story line. At first my friends and family thought it was crazy that I watched this animated movie over and over, but once they saw it, they had to admit that it was a great movie for all ages. I wouldn't recommend younger children to see this, it can be frightening at the end, though I won't say why. Anastasia and Dimitri's relationship was so realistic, I found myself relating people I know to them. It was absolutely fabulous!

My daughter, who is 7, loves this movie. She first watched it on VHS when she was about 5. It was a bit scary for her then. Fast forward one year and she liked the movie so much that it started to show wear and tear at the beginning. She doesn't watch a lot of TV, but this is a favorite. Other than scary Rasputin, there's nothing offensive in the movie and in the end good conquers evil and everyone is where they are supposed to be. Happy endings abound.

Without a doubt my favourite animated film and suprisingly it is not made by Disney but Fox Pictures.

Although it does not follow the factual history of what happened to Anastasia Romanov and her family it is a heart warming tale of courage, love and a quest to find something that was lost but eventually found.

The voice talents throughout the film include those of John Cusack, Meg Ryan and Kirsten Dunst.

With this double disc edition it also features 'The Sequel' Bartok The Magnificent but buyers beware this does not centre around Anastasia at all it is quite a poor attempt at a children's film not that you could expect greatness from a direct to video animated feature.

So if viewers want to buy it for the magical movie Anastasia and wish to view special features regarding it, I support your decision 100% But don't buy it just because of the fact of having the poorly done sequel accompanying it.

I hope viewing the film awakens a yearning to find out more about Anastasia Romanov.

I can't say enough how wonderful this movie is. I watched it on HBO the other night and can't believe I ignored the movie for so long! The only problem is that some of the musical numbers aren't quite as memorable as others. In fact, I'm happy to say the film is not entirely a dance/musical, and features more story than anything else. A good story about an orphan not sure which path she wants to travel down.

In addition to that, you have very good animation. As someone said below, it's almost unbelievable how REAL certain scenes feel. The scene in the beginning with the man and woman dancing is a good example. I loved the story, loved the characters, and would gladly watch it again.

Anastasia..a wonderful story about a girl born into a royal family, which is soon cursed by her father's advisor, Rasputin. Anastastia belongs to the famous Romanov's, who's tale is as tragic as this movie is wonderful. All the Romanov's were found dead...except for Anastastia. Thankfully, the movie doesn't point out very blatently that her family was brutally murdered *phew*.

This movie has the best songs, that everyone in the family will enjoy.

This movie absolutely ROCKS, and I suggest to parent that you buy it for your kids. Kids, I suggest you buy the soundtrack, because once you see it, you will be hooked!!!