Top 10 Moments from Anastasia (1997)
These are some of the top moments from one of my favorite animated movies and favorite Don Bluth movies the 1997 animated movie Anastasia.
After Dimitri's entire plan is exposed, Empress Marie becomes furious with him for using her to pass off Anya as Anastasia in order to obtain her money. Determined to make Marie meet with Anya, he essentially kidnaps her and takes her to where Anya is staying. As the two begin talking, Anya gradually starts regaining her memory. Marie now realizes that Anya is, in fact, her long-lost granddaughter, Anastasia.
After being forced to leave the orphanage and work at a nearby soup factory by the owner, Anya decides not to go there. Instead, accompanied by a stray dog she names Pooka, she chooses to go to Paris in the hopes of finding her family. Inspired by the inscription on her locket, she sings a musical number called "Journey to the Past".
After Bartok arrives in Limbo with Rasputin's reliquary, he plots to eliminate Anya/Anastasia in order to fulfill the curses he placed on the Romanov family. Like any typical animated movie villain, he sings a song about it called "In the Dark of the Night!"
In his final effort to kill Anastasia, Rasputin goes to the surface to finish her off himself. He uses the magic from his reliquary to do the job, but Anastasia doesn't back down. Dimitri comes to her aid, and Anya finishes off Rasputin by breaking his reliquary, killing him. His life is drained from him before he disintegrates into dust.
After having his reliquary returned, Rasputin sends a couple of green demons to derail the train and destroy a bridge. His hope is to send the train crashing and kill Anastasia. However, Anya, Dimitri, and Vladamir manage to get off the train before it goes off the broken bridge.
Most beautiful scene, no doubt.
In an attempt to kill Anastasia, Rasputin tries to trick her into sleepwalking off the ship to her death. He does this by planting a fake dream of Anya's family happily swimming and then asking her to join them. Fortunately, Dimitri arrives just in time and wakes her up.
After passing Sophie's test, she invites the trio to Paris for some shopping. A huge musical number breaks out. Meanwhile, Dimitri finds himself at a crossroads. He realizes that Anya is, in fact, the real Anastasia, but he understands that their love cannot happen due to her royal status.
After escaping from the train, Dimitri and Vladamir inform Anya that in order for her to see the Grand Duchess, she must first prove that she is Anastasia. This seems like an impossible task, but the two not only show her how to properly act like royalty but also help her remember the family's history.
After Rasputin gives his warning to Czar Nicholas that he and his family will die within the fourth night, he sells his soul for a magical reliquary. He uses it to place a curse on the Romanov family, sparking the Russian Revolution. This eventually leads to a siege on the palace. Amidst the chaos, only the Dowager Empress Marie and Anastasia manage to survive. With the help of Dimitri, they escape through a secret door.
When Anastasia runs in the palace and imagines she is dancing, her memory is interrupted with "Hey, what are you doing here!"