Reviews (38)

Kick's Disney's butt
What gives? This is a sweet, endearing, lovely story with great animation--so why do so many people dislike it? Heck, after watching this movie, *I* daydreamed about being Thumbelina. Admit it, wouldn't you like it?

The traditional Hans Christian Anderson story: A woman who wishes for a daughter is blessed with one in a flower--and she's about six inches tall. But this doesn't matter to Mother or her array of barnyard animals, who love Thumbelina dearly. However, soon a handsome fairy prince named Cornelius arrives and is smitten with Thumbelina. After taking her on a ride on his pet bumblebee, he has to leave but promises to come back.

That night, Thumbelina is kidnapped by a family of singing frogs, but as she escapes with the help of a French swallow, she ends up in deeper and deeper trouble.

Some things in this movie are rather cloying--the jitterbugs, for example--but they're too small a part of the movie to be noticeable. Thumbelina is not a macho heroine, so don't expect her to act like one--she's a lost, frightened girl who's been sheltered all of her life. She shows remarkable strength and I got the feeling that the Thumbelina at the end was very different from the girl at the beginning.

Cornelius remains my favorite character. Our first glimpse of the adolescent fairy is after he escapes from a royal parade, where he is forced to sit on *snicker* a white butterfly. He's strong, funny, interesting, lifelike, and... dare I say it?... sexy.

Ten to one your kid will adore this movie.

Eye Candy with a Gorgeous Love Song
I have to admit it once and for all--I am a romantic at heart. That said, I must also admit that my favorite Disney movie is, you guessed it, The Little Mermaid. Imagine my surprise when I popped Thumbelina into the tape player and heard my favorite voice again in a new incarnation. I absolutley love Jodi Benson's voice--something about it as a child captured my imagination and I couldn't stop singing "Part of Your World...." and I still do. That said, I think that it's wonderful to have Jodi singing again, even if I absolutley detested this particular character.

Of course everyone knows the familiar story of Thumbelina, so I won't belabor it, except to say that I really didn't care for Don Bluth's additions to the story. I'm sorry, but the jitterbug nightclub? Where did that one come from? Most of the "new" characters simply annoyed me, rather than seeming cute, like those from The Little Mermaind (Flounder, anyone?). And to tell you the truth, I couldn't get past those little...things...on the side of Thumbelina's head--what the heck are they? Yes, I know they're hair, but how can a fairy prince fall in love with someone with hair that ugly? I suppose I'm simply used to the Esmeraldas and Jasmines of the animated world, perfect in every way. But though you may call me shallow, I prefer that my animated characters look as beautiful as I would like to look in real life, not dorky, thank you very much. So that was a terrible dissapointment and colored my entire movie experience.

So what did I like about this movie, you ask in puzzlement. Well, as I already said, I'm an incurable romantic, and my favorite part, of course, is when Cornelius shows up and sweeps Thumbelina off her feet. That love song is so pretty and man, can he sing! I also adore that final scene where Thumbelina uses her voice to make the snow melt and the flowers bloom...and to bring the fairies out (hope I'm not ruining any endings for anyone...). It is just so magical and I confess to rewinding the movie a few times to those places. But other than that, I only midly tolerated the rest of the movie.

In any case, I would recommend this movie to two groups of people only--those with young children, and those who love Jodi Benson's voice and have already memorized The Little Mermaid. And if you aren't in one of those groups, go see The Little Mermaid instead!

Excellent movie, even for the older set!
This is an incredibly cute movie that I would gladly watch over again. The story flows pretty well, the animation is way above par (even though I spent the entire movie thinking how much Cornelius and Thumbelina resembled Fox's Dimitri and Anastasia), and the voice acting was wonderful. I liked all of the voices chosen, but I of course had a hard time separating Thumbelina and the Little Mermaid (cause they share the same voice actress). Anyway, this is a great movie, and I recommend all see it, no matter what your age!

Thumbs up!
Despite the very mixed reviews, we decided to give this one a try.
My 3 1/2 year old loves it and it has become her new favorite movie. She loves Thumbelina and is delighted she has the same voice as Ariel (The Little Mermaid). The music is upbeat and catchy (and I'm NOT a big fan of Barry Manilow). OK, Thumbelina is a bit wimpy but not much more so than any other fairytale princess. A charming movie parents won't mind watching with their kids.

An under-rated Don Bluth production
I didn't see "Thumbelina" until I was in my 20's, but since I love animation, it didn't make much difference. I love this movie and finally got it on DVD a couple days ago. Jodi Benson did another great job lending her voice to the lead character and the music was great too. The only complaints I have about the movie, to echo other reviewers, is that some of the animals in the farm were very strange looking. Also, I couldn't help but notice that Thumbelina was constantly losing her balance no matter where she was standing. Still, I think Don Bluth did an excellent job on "Thumbelina" and that it deserved much more recognition. I admit, I'm a softy for fairy tales, and I actually love her innocent, naive personality. It was great to see her make the right decision at the end though, even knowing she might be alone. Unlike what some reviewers have said, I think that makes her a great role model. We all have to go through a learning process. But without being silly and over analyzing the film's psychological effect on society, it's just a fun and enjoyable movie that I would recommend for any young girl or adult who's young at heart. ... Read more

Reviews (255)

Not Quite Titanic
Titan A.E. has a lot of to live up to. Recent Disney films, though very cliched, have followed a very straight forward, good conquers all storyline. As a result, these have grossed up and beyond the 100 million mark. So, coming up with a new idea is indeed very risky, especially when you spend 90 million dollars on it, like the makers of Titan A.E. did. The film takes place in the 31st century, the earth has been blown up by an alien race, and humans are now restricted to doing slave work in space and are dying of at a rapid pace. A drifter named Cal, whose father was lead designer of "the titan project", a craft which has the ability to reproduce earth as we know it. Cal (voiced by Matt Damon) soon finds out his destiny and goes on a quest to find the ship. The storyline is a mix of Star Wars and the recent flop Battlefield Earth. Its a shame the movie used cliches of both films, and could never develop the charcters into a group the people would care about. There are certain twists in the movie, but nothing that actually throws you. The animation is probably the only real reason to see this movie. The mix of CGI backgrounds and animation make the movie look outstanding. The developers had the unfortunate privilage of coming off the horrid Battlefield Earth and Dinosaur. If the story was a little more grounded, and the charcters were a little more developed, this could have been a blockbuster film. Unless you are looking for great animation, but shallow plot, stay away from this film.

A Steal From the Budget Bin
I'm always astounded when I see this dvd offered so cheap. It's usually thrown in the same budget bin with really bad movies.

To cut to the chase, the story is ok; not great, but not bad either. What really separates this one into the pile of DVD's that I like to watch are the stunning visuals and the even more stunning (DTS) sound. If you have a home theater, then this dvd will pay for itself in the first few minutes of the movie.

An indicator of the excellent sound on this dvd is that when I finally added a subwoofer to my home theater, the first dvd I put in to try out was Titan AE (and it left my whole family with mouths agape).

The story itself is fine, though it would have been better if it were developed more. There is a good story there, it's just not fully presented. Some of the secondary characters are very forgettable. In other words, it's pretty much on par with most SciFi movies. I could have written this same paragraph about any Star Wars or Star Trek movie. That may not be high praise, but it's no indictment either. It's SciFi; enjoy what it gives you and don't be overly critical.

Not exactly "Titan"-ic...
Although I'm a fan of both "space opera" sci-fi and 'toons geared more towards the older crowd, I didn't find "Titan A.E." to be a particularly interesting or original melding of these two elements. On the story side, I found the whole "boy-man-destined-to-save-humanity" angle that the central character plays a bit derivative of, and not played out quite as well as such previous sci-fi messiahs as the 'Star Wars' trilogy's Luke Skywalker and 'Dune's' Paul Atreides/Muad'Dib. I also would've preferred they put a little more exposition into-- and explained with a bit more detail-- the period between the Earth's destruction and the commencing of the hero's search for the Titan. On the technical end of things: although the folks who put this together made an admirable effort to meld both 3-D computer animation and traditional cel animation together as seamlessly as possible, It rarely ever looked quite right. This lack of cohesion is especially noticeable in one scene where a cel-drawn character is walking down a CGI spiral staircase. Or was he walking UP it? See, the thing looks so odd I couldn't even tell which direction the guy was goin' on the staircase! How's THAT for a case in point, eh? Otherwise, the 'toonage was some of the most detailed and painstakingly-rendered I've ever seen in a non-anime feature.

But even though I found the story and animation less than stellar, I thought some of the deleted scenes in the bonus features section were moderately interesting. A few parts of these scenes were rough-drawn, giving the viewer a little window into the animation process and what the film's producers worked with before adding the finishing touches to the 'toonage. The feature-length commentary track featuring co-directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman also lets the viewer in on the more technical aspects of producing animated features in general and 'Titan A.E.' in particular. Sadly, I found their commentary so dry that I bailed out on them about twenty minutes into the feature. It also didn't help that they spoke in an almost hushed tone half the time, prompting me to turn the volume up just so I could understand them.

Also included among the special features were the usual trailers and TV spots for the movie, and a behind-the-scenes special on the making of the feature. My viewing of the BTS special made me come to the realization that I've become rather tired of most of these "making-of" featurettes that they throw onto most "special-edition" DVDs nowadays. About halfway through the show I realized I really didn't give two doots about how the animation was done, or the voice actors talking about the complexities of their characters. Immediately after making this realization, I bailed on the special and decided to go do something a little more productive-- like writing this review about the DVD.

And people say I'm a slacker...

'Late

Visuals!
Some of the most beautiful visuals of any movie to grace the screen. Should appeal to fans of Star Wars style action. Too intense for the wee ones though.

Wasted potential
This is what happens when the guy who did "Pebble and the Penguin" ventures into "Heavy Metal 2000" territory.

In the beginning I actually liked this movie. Visuals were nice, and storyline seemed promising: earth has been destroyed and humanity has spread out among the stars while being persecuted by the Drej, a race of pure energy, because they fear what we might become and also the construction of the Titan AE. Yet there were some problems I noticed that put the film on thin ice: cliche, archetype characters. For example: the brave, handsome hero and the tough, independant woman. And of course they hate each other, because after all two people can't fall in love unless they hate each other's guts first.

Things start to go downhill in the storyline though. For example, the Drej are not scary at all, nor are they dangerous. Characters are continually saying through out the film, "You can't defeat them!" Yet through out the film their fighters and ground troops are killed with one shot. And this includes one shot with a PISTOL! I don't care if its a laser pistol, its still a freggin' pistol versus a giant fightercraft.

The plotholes get bigger in the next thirty minutes. Some examples:
1) How did the hero know what the Drej lord was saying? Did he read the subtitles?
2) Do you know the hero breaks out of prison by going through the electric shield door? You're telling me one of the most advanced civilizations in the universe can't come up with a better way to imprison people?
3) Why could the hero fly the Drej plane? Where did he learn to fly it? Did he read a "Drej Plane for Dummies" in a cut scene?
4) The hero and heroine find out the captain is in league with the Drej by peeking through the door. OK...why the hell did he leave his door open if he's talking with his race's archenemy?! Didn't he think that a little bit of secrecy was in order? And then he gets mad at they heard him...he should be mad at himself!
5) So our two main characters just convinced an entire colony of people they didn't know to help build a busted spaceship, make it work, and cheer them on as they left? And how long did it take them to do this because they make it seem like it was less than a few days.
6) They didn't really flesh out why the Drej hated us so much. They keep saying "It's because of what we may become." Well all right, but isn't every race capable of being great? Why doesn't the Drej just kill every one? The Drej's despise of Titan AE seems to hold the answer until it's revealed at the end that Titan AE is meant to rebuild earth after it's destroyed. OK that explains why the Drej want to destroy it...but it doesn't explain why they hate us so much.
7) How did the little annoying green guy survive an explosion point blank?

The turncoating of the captain through out the film was totally unconvincing. He's suddenly gone from the nice, father-like figure to "I AM GOING TO KILL THEM ALL" villain stereotype. Then near the end he suddenly sacrifices his life to let the hero and heroine go, saying, "No! It's better this way!" I seriously doubt they thought that character out, instead going for every side-character cliche in the book.

The voice acting in this wasn't too great either. I wonder why? I wonder who came up with the idea that Drew Barrymore would be a great choice to play an Asian chick. And Jeanine Gerafelo's voice couldn't be any more monotone. I'll admit Nathan Lane's character had some class, although it seemed to add needless humor to a character that becomes serious in the second act, adding yet again more bad character continuity in the film.

This film had a lot of potential considering the basic storyline and the budget/artists involved. Unfortunately, it's marred by the poor script that doesn't take itself seriously at all. It's pretty much over by the end when the hero calls the new Earth "Bob." Wow what a great way to end a movie. I'm surprised Stanley Kubrick didn't have a clown instead of superhuman baby at the end of "2001."

Wait a minute...the writer of the "Buffy the Vamprie Slayer" TV series wrote this? THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM! ... Read more

Reviews (28)

A Heavenly Movie
I think I first saw this film when I was about 7 or 8 years old. Just about a month ago I saw the sequel on television and then I suddenly remembered this animated masterpiece. Welp, a few clicks and the order was on its way... (I couldn't find this title from EU at all)As soon as the package arrived I ripped it open and put the disk into the player. Time passed and as I was watching the end credits I was feeling very impressed and good.

So waddaya know, waddaya say? This movie is a true classic if you ask me. The Characters and their voices in particular are very good. Both Dom DeLuise and Burt Reynolds have done a great job and therefore it's very enjoyable to watch Charlie's story go further. I think the songs fit in pretty nicely too -ie. "Soon You'll Come Home" is good so are the others. What deserves a true thumb-up, however, is the animation - it's very good looking and surely 'feeds the eyes'. Oh.. that means.. something.. *grin*

Summary: This one is a must for persons who like animal-centered movies, and for the rest I would also highly recommend it. And naturally for all ages - I, myself, am an 18-year old (perfectly normal) guy who likes this movie at least as much as Terminator II. So if you haven't seen "All Dogs Go To Heaven" yet now it's time fix that little problem.

By the way, Don Bluth, thank you!

5 stars for the movie - not the disc
Okay, I don't need to repeat what has already been said. It's not a movie for little kids, but it's a wonderful piece of animated art that is a refreshing new way of telling a story - I mean you can tell from beginning to end that this is not a Disney movie (not that Disney isn't good, I just think they shouldn't dominate the world of animated art alone). I was 8 when I first saw it and now I still love with all my heart.
So I was really happy to finally get it on dvd.
However, the format is 4:3 - no Widescreen (!) and there is no Dolby Digital 5.1 track on that disc. Am I too spoiled by watching Disney DVDs or does MGM just don't care about the movies they put on dvd? It's the same with The Secret of Nimh.
They should be ashamed to decrease the viewing pleasure of their customers like that! 0 stars for MGM

A good but scarilous film
A world of warning I recomend unless you are an adolescent 10-12 or older you do not want to watch the this movie. This movie has gambling in it and thugs and some old violence seen in the ganster movies. It talks about Charley.

Charley was a naugty dog that carried only about himself. The movie begins with Charlie and his pal Itch a wenner dog breaking Charly out of prison. I was real young when I saw this the first time about 9 maybe it scared the crap out of me.

Anni Marry who unfortunately was not put in the sequel and the Christmas movie.

Killer and itch wer a hoot. Carface, his thugs and King Gator not to mention the nightmare sequence when Charlie goes down into hell. The party at the end when the river catches on fire kills me.

I hated this movie at first because it made dogs look bad but now I love it. I would rent int but because it so old Blockbuster does not have it avilable to rent anymore.

The King Gator was potrayed accurately as being savage. He scared me he was so big he was huge this alligator must have been about the size of a killer whale. About Mabe 30 feet and weighed probably about 30 tons probably. Another reason the alligator scared me was he came really close to eatting Charley.

Since it was rate G which I 100 percent disagee with I think I should have been either PG or PG -13 because of the scene befor this when Charlie and Any Marry ar in the markeet air Carface is on top of this big gun. He start shoot at charlie with I belivie it was a ray gun.

I just found out something really interest the King Gator is not a which doctor I thought he was awhich doctor becase he had a bone coming out of his nose. Withc doctors are belived to have supnatural abilities like to be able to steal souls and stuff like that.

The only thing that saves Charlies from die a painfull death inside the alligator stomach is his howl. The people who wrote the script for some reason which I have never figured out made the King Gator a music fantic.

He thinks Charlie howl is beautiful he takes him out of his mouth. In the chage with had been partly crushed by his huge teeth. Lets him loose and he refuse to eat Charlie instead the become friends.

This I fought was cease and one percent a cat and a dog possible like int Oddis and milo. But an alligator the most vicious of all the reptiles next to the crocodile impossible.

I also fought some parts where I human. Like when carfcae ties Charlie up to a big Chain drops him into the water ro kill him was inhuman. I also thought carface death at the end of the movie was in Human. Come on you do not have a dog get devouured by and alligator in a movie that hte book claims is appropriate for all ages rate G.

While wher eon it whats with these rating system people they need to be more pick those sickos only made Scare Movie R It was alot nastery than that.

If you like this see all dogs go to heaven 2. I recomend that you don't see All dog Christmas Charlie which never should have been made. For it messed up the whole Story line. Carface is not supposed to be alive he is supposed to be and he is supposed to be in Hell.

FINE MOVIE! But Barney is stll fat enough to kill them
I saw this movie,I saw most of it though.This movie was nice,but mean,also the additinoal dogs looked funny...very funny! Not funn,funny-looking-I saw ADGTH 2 was muuuuch better!!

Not for the younger children
I remember loving this as a kid because it had dogs in it, but I didn't really know what was going on. When I watched it later, I was horrified that this was made as a children's animated movie because of the violence and bad lessons taught in it. There is drinking, smoking, machine gun violence, murder, betrayal, stealing, and other lessons that should not be taught to little children. Mind you, I did not understand this until I was older, so it might be harmless and not as bad as I perceived it as an adult. The ending is actually touching, because Charlie, the main character, is an angel because he changes his selfish ways and saves Marie's life. Also, this DVD does not have a widescreen format, which is disappointing, because full screen cuts out some of the movie. The movie is dark, so I recommend it for children seven and up. ... Read more

Reviews (153)

Not historicaly correct, but a great movie overall
When I first saw it in the theaters, I fell asleep. I'm not sure if the movie got to boring, or if I was just tired. But anyways, on to the movie:

Story: Anastasia, her grandmother, and the rest of the Romanov family are enjoying a royal ball in their palace. But alas, there's always a bad guy,.......Rasputin in this case. He says that Anastasia's whole family will die soon, and that happens (off screen of course). Well, everybody except for Anastasia and her grandma. Her grandma escapes to Paris. "Anya" falls off a train, hits her head, and ends up in an orphanage. 10 years later, two conmen named Dimitri and Vladamer are "collecting" girls that look/act like Anastasia. This is because Marie (Anya's grandma) is holding a grand reward of 10 million rubels for anyone who finds her lost granddaughter. And Anastasia? She is finally released from the orphanage. But instead of going "fishing" like the lady at the orphanage tells her to, she goes to St. Petersburg to find her family. Following her is the undead Rasputin (ha, and you thought he was dead). He's trying to get revenge since Anya lived. The rest of the story follows the journey's of Anastasia, and how she finds her grandmama.

As for the historical record? Well, Rasputin was actually a "friend of the family" as you might call him. He helped to cure little Alex, Anastasia's brother, from a fever. From what I've heard, I guess Anya's whole family (including her) was killed. Not a very happy ending is it? Of course, they can't let the kids know this, so it's all "re-arranged". As for Pooka (the dog), who knows if the Romanov family had a dog or not. Dimitri? He looks suspiciously like Alex dosn't he? And what about Bartok (the bat)? Of course, he is purely fictional. I have to admit that he seemed like the main character more than Anya, since he had the most "personality". Kind of a cute little guy actually.

Overall, it's fun, cute, and whimsicall. Sounds like a kids movie dosn't it? That's because it is!! But all in all, I think you'd enjoy it.

So Well Done You'll Think It's Disney!
Not to diss Fox and Dreamworks and other studio heads, but when you see a great animated film, you automatically think Disney did it. I was only 9 when I first saw this movie, and I really thought it was Disney. It's not historically accurate, but if it was, it wouldn't be a children's movie. Now they have it that Anastasia and her grandmother escaped the palace, but were seperated. Anastasia[Anya] falls, loses her memory, and becomes an orphan. She heads to St. Petersburg to find her family, and on the way she meets a dog, the boy who saved her life as a kid, though she doesnt know it, and the boy's friend. I agree that Anya's character was a bit self-centered, which I didn't like. She wants to find her family which is fine, but she acts a little spoiled at times. But overall I thought it was very good, the music was so awesome I had to go buy the soundtrack. Meg Ryan, John Cusak, and Kelsey Grammar are all very good and solid in their parts, but the best actor is Hank Azaria, who throws himself into playing Rasputin's batty sidekick. The clean jokes and gags he makes are clever and he never loses character for a second. It's a very good film that is not accurate to history, but you know what? A five year-old isn't going to know anyway.

An Alternate View of Russian History
At the end of last week I had the opportunity to see Anastasia. Due to the prevalence of magic and the changing of history, Anastasia does qualify as a fantasy film.

When the Russian empire falls (in a fortnight due to Rasputin's curse), young Anastasia escapes with her life but not her memory. An old member of the court and an old member of the palace staff look for a girl they can pose as Anastasia in order to collect a reward. The girl they pick turns out to be the genuine article. After some harrowing adventures made more difficult by the efforts of Rasputin from beyond the grave, Anastasia is reunited with her grandmother. Then, just as all obstacles and plot complications are out of the way of romance the final showdown with Rasputin occurs.

One of the main reasons I had wanted to see this film was that it was the first true challenge to Disney's animation empire. I was very surprised to find out that Don Bluth (All Dogs Go To Heaven and other dogs) was behind the film. Bluth seems to have finally figured out how to make a good film and Anastasia will hopefully not be the last.

There are a few faults (of course) with the overall plot and the dealings with history but if one accepts this as alternate history they are not a real problem. For one, Rasputin dies by accident (although he does drown). Anastasia is found and reunited with her family. The Russian Empire is likened to Camelot where all is good for everyone. Rubles seem to have worth outside of Russia. But if you can handle that, you should have no problem with the story. The only real problems I had with the production involved the musical numbers and the animation. There was some good music but it just wasn't as clear as it should be. Oftentimes one had to guess what the song was about. The problem with the animation stems from to jarring an interface between the computer animation and the cell animation. Hopefully these small problems can be eliminated in future projects.

So, overall I really enjoyed the movie. It was a fun story with some old cliches eliminated (Tracy thinks they too a close look at the success of Buffy The Vampire Slayer). The animation was beautiful, if jarring in a few spots. The characters were likeable and believable and were backed by some excellent voice talents. If you get a chance to see this one on a big screen you should take that opportunity; it's worth it. If not, get the DVD.

Anything is Possible in History & Animation.
This nice little story of the search for and recovery of the heir to the Russian throne. It is full of adventures to keep the children interested but includes many complicated plots and subplots going on at the same time for the adults to enjoy. When found, Anya was told she had the beauty of her mother, Alexandra; her father had been the last czar, Nicholas.

On the ship to France, curses were being thrown Anya's way by Rasputian. She feels like she is falling apart. A waif for many years, she is hoping to find her family and her destiny. At the Effiel Tower, we saw a beautiful dancing water show similar to that at the downtown park in Chicago in summer.

The elderly Empress with her white hair has reached the point of despair and will no longer interview any of the many girls who claim to be Anastasia. She had a cat with a fluffy tail. Her maid Sophia, the blonde bombshell with Dolly Parton attributes, informs them of the Soviet ballet and takes them on a fantastic shopping spree.

Dimitri had been a servant lad in the palace and had led the group to safety during the revolution. Now he has turned into a conman to find the heiress. He is pictured with my son Geoffrey's hair and even his smile. There is a model in Chicago who is Jeff's 'double' so it could have been based on him.

Out in the streets of Paris, there is dancing as in HAVANA NIGHTS cartoon style. At the Moulin Rouge shaped like a windmill we see the can can dancers' show.

On the way to the ballet, we saw a huge statue of Rodin's THE THINKER. Cinderella was the ending of the ballet; we did not see the beginning. When confronted with Anya, she wearily inquires, "How much pain will you inflict on an old woman?" Now, she had decided to end her days with a lonely life in peace. Dimitri carjacked the Empress to explain how and why he knows for sure this is the right Anastasia. "I know you've been hurt," he says, by his search for the young girl he had fallen in love with.

Anya had prayed, "Please let her remember me." It was the thing she wore around her neck which opened the music box which was the deciding factor. As we watched the music box dancers, we hear a lovely song, "Once Upon a December."

She had become bitter toward Dimitri when learning of his con game. "From the beginning, you lied," she'd proclaimed thinking he was just after the reward money. Upon learning that he had refused the fortune due to a 'change of heart,' we see a bittersweet "goodbye."

The mutt was a good mood-changer. He was so cute, as was the bat which Rasputian had who wished he would just 'get a life.' He got his own at the end of this movie.

Anya was lured into a maze built around a beautiful fountain by evil forces. She told Rasputain, the mad monk, "I'm not afraid of you." He'd declared, "What goes around comes around." She is saved by Dimitri who had returned to claim her as his own and they destroyed his evil by tearing up the lighted skull. Rasputain is turned into ashes after Dimitri had an encounter with a destructive Pegasus.

After she tells him that 'all men are babies,' they eloped. Isn't that romantic?! A perfect ending to a perfect beginning.

The short documentary, Anastasia: A Magical Journey, aided the viewer not schooled in Russian literature to understand what the whole thing was about. Long live the Romanovs.

A Gratifyingly Entertaining Movie
While this movie does have its flaws, it's worth watching, and is over-all rather pleasant.
The villain, Rasputin, is essentially unneeded and detracts from the movie. Christopher Lloyd does a fabulous job doing the voice for the role, but the character himself adds nothing to the plot, and his screen time is when you start to feel time dragging. Many of his scenes also make the movie unsuitable for young or sensitive children. While the majority of the movie would be entertaining for all ages, Rasputin's scenes tend to involve depictions of his rotting corpse that would've scared me as a child, and I find them unpleasant even now.
The rest of the movie is really rather well done. The animation, while not spectacular or awe-inspiring, is pleasant and has character. The dialogue is rather clever, and the voice actors do a very nice job delivering it. There's a great mix of fun, adventure, and humor, to go along with the sentimental parts that will touch your heart. The highlight of the movie is definitely its soundtrack. Even if the plot does nothing for you, the songs are beautiful. They could carry the movie on their own; fortunately they don't have to, and you'll find yourself wrapped up in Anya's search for family, acceptance, and ultimately love. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A number one child's movie
I've seen this movie a million times and it never gets boring. Lovable characters for most ages, first class animation, great sing-a-long tunes and much, much more. A Troll named (Stanley) a good troll who wants to grow flowers is banished from his flower hating kingdom to Central Park. Here Stanley meets two young kids who's parents never spends enough time with them. Meanwhile Gornorga the Queeen of the evil troll, is trying to turn Stanley into stone. To learn more watch the movie.

NOT FOR THE CYNICAL-OPTIMISTS ONLY
I rented this for my daughter, not expecting much, but I was very impressed. The little troll Stanley is adorable and very lovable-isn't that what we want to see in a children's movie? He is an excellent role model for kindness and positive thinking-something lacking in some adults, I might add. The children were very believable, and I found myself getting very absorbed in the story, and rooting for the "good" characters.
The evil trolls were perfectly evil, and the heros find clever ways to deal with them while having a wonderful adventure. I think there are great messages here.1.)Pay attention to the children in your life, make time for them. 2.)You're never too old to think" young" and have fun. Give this movie a chance. I intend to buy it A.S.A.P. The animation was beautiful and the voices perfectly suited to the characters, in my opinion. Great job, Mr. Bluth!

Hey, it's cute.
There seem to be several negative reviews. I admit, Don Bluth as made some crap in the past few years. Titan AE, Anastasia. But you have to admit, this wasn't all that bad. The fact of the matter is, it's for kids. Bluth's movies typically had content that was a quite intense for G-rated movies, this was probably just his break from that. I'll admit, this isn't the best movie ever made, but it did what it set out to do. It made a cute kid movie. And I think they did a good job. Recomended for people who just want to see all of Don Bluth's movies.

GREAT MOVIE!
Ithink this was a great movie for families to share together.It has alot of emotions expressed and I personally think that it helps to remind us, that goodness still exsists and in the end,goodness always prevails!

Hated it
My opinon on this movie believes that it shouldn't be a movie. The character design was very blah- although I did enjoy Gnorga The evil Queen of the trolls. The character that got on my nerves the most was Gus. (The little, fussy kid that was spoiled rotten to the core.) I usually like watching movies where i enjoy the main character- but this movie only made me hate him. I was actually glad at the near end when something bad happens to him- too bad it didn't last. The songs didn't appeal to me either. The little kids I know aren't fans of Don Bluth- and obviously- neither am I. If I were recommend a Don Bluth, The Secret of Nimh was pretty well done. It could be that I saw the wrong Bluth movies, but i'm tellin ya this isn't a 5 star, 4 star, or 3 star movie. Show your kids, or watch a a movie worth your while! I recommend not wasting your money on this one. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

A GREAT MOVIE!!
The Full Moon Mating Ceremony, a real-life penguin tradition, requires that bachelor birds present pebbles to their sweethearts. And in this film, a shy bird named Hubie has the perfect stone for his love, Marina. But there's considerable competition for Marina's affections, and in an exciting race against time, sea, storm and a host of other obstacles, Hubie learns that it's not the perfect pebble - but rather the perfect penguin - that always gets the girl.

A good movie
I remember this movie scaried the crap out of me. I recomend This for 9 and older. There are some parts that will be to scare for kids to handle. It about this penguin mande Hubby who is try to appress Morgania a beautiful female penguin.

He is thrown from anartic by drake and evil penguin. Who is ver musucular looks like he was gentical combined with arnold Swarsenager.

He teams up with rocko a rock hopper on aquest to return to anartica.

Far from an animated classic
I really don't know what other people see in this movie. I must some how be seeing another "Pebble and the Penguin" because whenever I come across this movie I find myself disgusted with every aspect of it.

The animation is far from great, even for the time this film was released. By theatrical standards, the quality is comparable to the most mediocre of Saturday morning cartoons. This is especially true with the opening shot with the ice falling from glaciers and disappearing in thin air.

The main character, even for an underdog, is REALLY unlikeable. I had a hard time at first figuring out whether they were a guy or a girl! Finding out it was voiced by Martin Short didn't help either. The only way I can figure this answer is the fact the character is attracted to girls, but that doesn't say much.

Plus, the villain is laughable. You might say that's OK for a kid's movie, but you can't expect me to care for the hero when his opponent doesn't seem too threatening. The guy has two huge pecs that suggest he defeats his oppoents by crushing their head in the middle of his chest. He has a very thin lower body though, suggesting weak legs under a heavy top. You have to wonder why Hubie didn't kick him in the ankle 5 minutes in.

Finally, this movie has the most awful songs in the history of corny cartoon soundtracks. They were most likely written by Elton John...'s brother...'s cousin...'s friend. The only decent one was the "Good Ship Misery" but THAT'S stretching it. Even after ten seconds that song stops being catchy.

Avoid this movie. And no, don't even show it to your kids. It will teach them bad things about animation, like adding vomit-inducing songs is OK.

Superb!
This, along with "Thumbelina," "All Dogs go to Heaven," and "Rock a Doodle," are among the best Don Bluth films ever made. Why are they so disliked?! In my family, we have watched these movies repeatedly for years and laughed, cried, etc. They are so much fun! The music in this movie is WONDERFUL and the voice acting, particularly Martin Short's Hubie, is great. A cute movie and a cute story.

Other notes: Penguins have eyelashes, deal with it. Drake is an abnormally muscular and busty Adele penguin. Marina's flower is magic. Or plastic.

True love
I was feeling pretty low in High School. This film related to my earnest desires to find romance. well I didn't find my true love but I loved this film. I'm a big fan of cartoon romances and sweet love sonnets. Now and Forever is my favorite song. I recommend it over any disney sequel. It has warmed my heart and renewed my faith in true love. It says that anyone can find their true in the most unusual people. Hubie is not the most handsome penguin in the rookery. Marina sees his finer traits even though he's a wimp and a nerd and even a little wacky. But he has a good heart. It made me realize that I don't have to be the prettiest girl to find romance it will find me.note Hubie isn't ugly but his gentle and warm heart made him the better suitor than the manly and suave Drake. Don't give up on romance people. Everybody needs love including nerdy and shy wacks like Hubie! ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A surprisingly good film!
My very favorite Don Bluth film in all the world, and one of my favorite movies of all time, is "All Dogs Go To Heaven". However, I have absolutely no use for the sequel, All Dogs 2. When I sat down to watch "Bartok the Magnificent", I expected the same effect. And was pleasantly surprised! This movie, if not handled in a very careful way, had the potential to be ridiculous. The plot was decent, but not original enough to loosely stand on its own. However, a few twists and turns on the conventional storyline kept this movie interesting. My congratulations to the screenplay writer, who managed to tell a story entertaining for kids but could keep adults interested as well. And KUDOS to Hank Azaria and Kelsy Grammer! They handled their roles with excellence; I wouldn't have enjoyed this movie at all if not for the humor they displayed in their roles. It was a wonderful change from the usual, heart-rending dramatic moments that are displayed in many cartoons and movies. This was simply light and easy, keeping all entertained and laughing. Every actor and actress was having fun with their roles, and it showed. Great, great job. What else can I say? Don Bluth, great job on an excellent family movie!

Bartok the Magnificant
Great movie! Sure, it wasn't the same as the original Anastasia, but oh well. The songs in Bartok are catchy and enjoyable (esp: Someone's in my House, which is sung by the witch Baba Yaga). The overall visual style is much like that of Anastasia (only brighter!) so it's familliar to the eye. The story line was innocent and appealing to older people too. Hats off to Don Bluth! I hope Bartok takes the same route as The Land Before Time (multiple, and enjoyable, films) because I want more of Bartok!

Well-written and Very Colorful
Get this movie for kids and adults. It's very funny and charming. The animation has the quality of a feature, not a direct-to-video. The cast is first rate: Hank Azaria, Kelsey Grammer, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara.

Life after receiving Bartok
My 4 year old just LOVES this tape! The songs are wonderful, and there is a nice story as well. It is a spin off from Anastasia - which is also a wonderful video. My 7 year old nephew likes it too! I highly recomend this for your video collection! again ***** 5 stars! I even like to sit down and watch it too!

Why Bartok's story is something special.
I would never have expected, even with family sequels so prevalent nowadays, that anyone would think of making a movie to track the life of Rasputin's tiny sidekick in Anastasia. I guess I'm not alone in what character traits appeal to me, however. Interestingly enough, some days before I saw Anastasia I woke from a dream in which the villain and sidekick from Disney's Aladdin, Jafar and the parrot Iago, were floating on an abandoned raft during a nighttime lightning storm and lamenting their mistakes together. It seemed foolish when I woke, because those characters were nothing like what my dream made them to be... but when I saw Anastasia, I was amazed at how well Rasputin and Bartok fit the bill. I didn't think anyone else would be so charmed at how the helpful bat-like creature offered sensible advice to his evil liege even while dragging back his fallen-off body parts and displaying a general sort of affection. What a great little guy, I thought, and what a pity he's fallen into such bad company. It was heartwarming to see him turn to the aid of good at the end. All that is why Bartok the Magnificent charmed me so much. It's certainly not a sequel to Anastasia, and I'm sorry the previous reviewer was expecting it to be. It's a spin-off, rather, for anyone curious whether that little whitebat managed to make anything of his life after abandoning his master. What fun to see that he's pursued the life of street showman, which seems oddly appropriate. This movie is casual and makes little effort to establish a setting, which groups it with other sequels/spin-offs and is why I give it only four stars, not five. Chronologically, the characters shown on the Russian throne make no sense and beg the question of what happened to Princess Anastasia. Yet, when we view this Moscow as something of an unreliable fairytale land (and the movie does follow certain tenets of fairy-tales), it seems quite believable. Bartok is obviously the hero of his movie, and he lives up to the role well. He is immodest, an unusual trait among genuine heroes, but it works on him. Of especial note is the fact that while his integrity is questioned at times, hardly anyone ever points out that Bartok is quite small--so how could he make anything of himself? Naturally, this issue itself has been explored time and again in children's movies and books, and is properly treated as a sidenote here. For his part, Bartok is all the more inspiring by how he resourcefully makes use of the physique he has. He is never shown doing anything unrealistic for his size or strength, and neither is there much of the inordinate luck small characters in movies like this often have in besting those larger than them. In my opinion, that implicit honesty makes this movie a real treasure. Bartok is more than just an amusing voice and more than just another unlikely hero--he is an inspiration for those who must confront tasks they know appear far beyond their means to carry out. The tools at hand are determination, perseverance, and ingenuity, all of which are put fully to the test in Bartok the Magnificent, and all of which succeed. ... Read more

Reviews (153)

Not historicaly correct, but a great movie overall
When I first saw it in the theaters, I fell asleep. I'm not sure if the movie got to boring, or if I was just tired. But anyways, on to the movie:

Story: Anastasia, her grandmother, and the rest of the Romanov family are enjoying a royal ball in their palace. But alas, there's always a bad guy,.......Rasputin in this case. He says that Anastasia's whole family will die soon, and that happens (off screen of course). Well, everybody except for Anastasia and her grandma. Her grandma escapes to Paris. "Anya" falls off a train, hits her head, and ends up in an orphanage. 10 years later, two conmen named Dimitri and Vladamer are "collecting" girls that look/act like Anastasia. This is because Marie (Anya's grandma) is holding a grand reward of 10 million rubels for anyone who finds her lost granddaughter. And Anastasia? She is finally released from the orphanage. But instead of going "fishing" like the lady at the orphanage tells her to, she goes to St. Petersburg to find her family. Following her is the undead Rasputin (ha, and you thought he was dead). He's trying to get revenge since Anya lived. The rest of the story follows the journey's of Anastasia, and how she finds her grandmama.

As for the historical record? Well, Rasputin was actually a "friend of the family" as you might call him. He helped to cure little Alex, Anastasia's brother, from a fever. From what I've heard, I guess Anya's whole family (including her) was killed. Not a very happy ending is it? Of course, they can't let the kids know this, so it's all "re-arranged". As for Pooka (the dog), who knows if the Romanov family had a dog or not. Dimitri? He looks suspiciously like Alex dosn't he? And what about Bartok (the bat)? Of course, he is purely fictional. I have to admit that he seemed like the main character more than Anya, since he had the most "personality". Kind of a cute little guy actually.

Overall, it's fun, cute, and whimsicall. Sounds like a kids movie dosn't it? That's because it is!! But all in all, I think you'd enjoy it.

So Well Done You'll Think It's Disney!
Not to diss Fox and Dreamworks and other studio heads, but when you see a great animated film, you automatically think Disney did it. I was only 9 when I first saw this movie, and I really thought it was Disney. It's not historically accurate, but if it was, it wouldn't be a children's movie. Now they have it that Anastasia and her grandmother escaped the palace, but were seperated. Anastasia[Anya] falls, loses her memory, and becomes an orphan. She heads to St. Petersburg to find her family, and on the way she meets a dog, the boy who saved her life as a kid, though she doesnt know it, and the boy's friend. I agree that Anya's character was a bit self-centered, which I didn't like. She wants to find her family which is fine, but she acts a little spoiled at times. But overall I thought it was very good, the music was so awesome I had to go buy the soundtrack. Meg Ryan, John Cusak, and Kelsey Grammar are all very good and solid in their parts, but the best actor is Hank Azaria, who throws himself into playing Rasputin's batty sidekick. The clean jokes and gags he makes are clever and he never loses character for a second. It's a very good film that is not accurate to history, but you know what? A five year-old isn't going to know anyway.

An Alternate View of Russian History
At the end of last week I had the opportunity to see Anastasia. Due to the prevalence of magic and the changing of history, Anastasia does qualify as a fantasy film.

When the Russian empire falls (in a fortnight due to Rasputin's curse), young Anastasia escapes with her life but not her memory. An old member of the court and an old member of the palace staff look for a girl they can pose as Anastasia in order to collect a reward. The girl they pick turns out to be the genuine article. After some harrowing adventures made more difficult by the efforts of Rasputin from beyond the grave, Anastasia is reunited with her grandmother. Then, just as all obstacles and plot complications are out of the way of romance the final showdown with Rasputin occurs.

One of the main reasons I had wanted to see this film was that it was the first true challenge to Disney's animation empire. I was very surprised to find out that Don Bluth (All Dogs Go To Heaven and other dogs) was behind the film. Bluth seems to have finally figured out how to make a good film and Anastasia will hopefully not be the last.

There are a few faults (of course) with the overall plot and the dealings with history but if one accepts this as alternate history they are not a real problem. For one, Rasputin dies by accident (although he does drown). Anastasia is found and reunited with her family. The Russian Empire is likened to Camelot where all is good for everyone. Rubles seem to have worth outside of Russia. But if you can handle that, you should have no problem with the story. The only real problems I had with the production involved the musical numbers and the animation. There was some good music but it just wasn't as clear as it should be. Oftentimes one had to guess what the song was about. The problem with the animation stems from to jarring an interface between the computer animation and the cell animation. Hopefully these small problems can be eliminated in future projects.

So, overall I really enjoyed the movie. It was a fun story with some old cliches eliminated (Tracy thinks they too a close look at the success of Buffy The Vampire Slayer). The animation was beautiful, if jarring in a few spots. The characters were likeable and believable and were backed by some excellent voice talents. If you get a chance to see this one on a big screen you should take that opportunity; it's worth it. If not, get the DVD.

Anything is Possible in History & Animation.
This nice little story of the search for and recovery of the heir to the Russian throne. It is full of adventures to keep the children interested but includes many complicated plots and subplots going on at the same time for the adults to enjoy. When found, Anya was told she had the beauty of her mother, Alexandra; her father had been the last czar, Nicholas.

On the ship to France, curses were being thrown Anya's way by Rasputian. She feels like she is falling apart. A waif for many years, she is hoping to find her family and her destiny. At the Effiel Tower, we saw a beautiful dancing water show similar to that at the downtown park in Chicago in summer.

The elderly Empress with her white hair has reached the point of despair and will no longer interview any of the many girls who claim to be Anastasia. She had a cat with a fluffy tail. Her maid Sophia, the blonde bombshell with Dolly Parton attributes, informs them of the Soviet ballet and takes them on a fantastic shopping spree.

Dimitri had been a servant lad in the palace and had led the group to safety during the revolution. Now he has turned into a conman to find the heiress. He is pictured with my son Geoffrey's hair and even his smile. There is a model in Chicago who is Jeff's 'double' so it could have been based on him.

Out in the streets of Paris, there is dancing as in HAVANA NIGHTS cartoon style. At the Moulin Rouge shaped like a windmill we see the can can dancers' show.

On the way to the ballet, we saw a huge statue of Rodin's THE THINKER. Cinderella was the ending of the ballet; we did not see the beginning. When confronted with Anya, she wearily inquires, "How much pain will you inflict on an old woman?" Now, she had decided to end her days with a lonely life in peace. Dimitri carjacked the Empress to explain how and why he knows for sure this is the right Anastasia. "I know you've been hurt," he says, by his search for the young girl he had fallen in love with.

Anya had prayed, "Please let her remember me." It was the thing she wore around her neck which opened the music box which was the deciding factor. As we watched the music box dancers, we hear a lovely song, "Once Upon a December."

She had become bitter toward Dimitri when learning of his con game. "From the beginning, you lied," she'd proclaimed thinking he was just after the reward money. Upon learning that he had refused the fortune due to a 'change of heart,' we see a bittersweet "goodbye."

The mutt was a good mood-changer. He was so cute, as was the bat which Rasputian had who wished he would just 'get a life.' He got his own at the end of this movie.

Anya was lured into a maze built around a beautiful fountain by evil forces. She told Rasputain, the mad monk, "I'm not afraid of you." He'd declared, "What goes around comes around." She is saved by Dimitri who had returned to claim her as his own and they destroyed his evil by tearing up the lighted skull. Rasputain is turned into ashes after Dimitri had an encounter with a destructive Pegasus.

After she tells him that 'all men are babies,' they eloped. Isn't that romantic?! A perfect ending to a perfect beginning.

The short documentary, Anastasia: A Magical Journey, aided the viewer not schooled in Russian literature to understand what the whole thing was about. Long live the Romanovs.

A Gratifyingly Entertaining Movie
While this movie does have its flaws, it's worth watching, and is over-all rather pleasant.
The villain, Rasputin, is essentially unneeded and detracts from the movie. Christopher Lloyd does a fabulous job doing the voice for the role, but the character himself adds nothing to the plot, and his screen time is when you start to feel time dragging. Many of his scenes also make the movie unsuitable for young or sensitive children. While the majority of the movie would be entertaining for all ages, Rasputin's scenes tend to involve depictions of his rotting corpse that would've scared me as a child, and I find them unpleasant even now.
The rest of the movie is really rather well done. The animation, while not spectacular or awe-inspiring, is pleasant and has character. The dialogue is rather clever, and the voice actors do a very nice job delivering it. There's a great mix of fun, adventure, and humor, to go along with the sentimental parts that will touch your heart. The highlight of the movie is definitely its soundtrack. Even if the plot does nothing for you, the songs are beautiful. They could carry the movie on their own; fortunately they don't have to, and you'll find yourself wrapped up in Anya's search for family, acceptance, and ultimately love. ... Read more