90s Movie About The Greatest Conspiracy Theory In History Is Now On Disney+

In Anastasia, Rasputin is shown as the man responsible for the Russian Revolution, cursing the family of Tsar Nicolas in his bid to attain power. Anastasia escapes along with her grandmother, Maria, thanks to the servant Dimitri and his quick thinking, but she suffers amnesia and forgets who she is. Living as “Anya,” the Russian princess eventually sets off on a journey across Europe to find her grandmother.

Despite the horrific real-life events that kickstarted the Russian Revolution, Anastasia remains an upbeat, hopeful film throughout, complete with original songs in the tradition of Disney’s best films. Journey to the Past” was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, though it lost both, for a film from an upstart former Disney animator about one of the most popular conspiracy theories of the last century to even be nominated was astounding.

Anastasia made over $137 million, making it Don Bluth’s most successful film at the box office, and it was even praised by both critics and fans. To help put this number in perspective, the reported budget for the film was $55 million, which makes it more successful than Disney’s most recent Princess film, Wish. The film ended up with a direct-to-video sequel that wasn’t any good but it also adapted into a stage musical and even an ice show.

I was amazed when I went back to Anastasia after having first watched it over 20 years ago and realizing that Don Bluth and 20th Century Fox again took the same route that Dreamworks and Illumination would when competing with Disney: hire major celebrities.

The Russian princess herself is voiced by Meg Ryan, at the height of her 90s popularity, and even the young version is voiced by Kirsten Dunst and Lacey Chabert, while the rest of the cast includes John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, and Angela Lansbury. Broadway was even heavily represented, with most of the singing voices provided by stars of the stage, including Bernadette Peters and Billy Porter.

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For the longest time, whenever I went to Disney, I’d overhear, at some point, someone asking if there was any merchandise from Anastasia. It’s so good that in the same decade that brought us Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King, most people think the same company made it. As a huge fan of Don Bluth, I was surprised when I found out that it was streaming on Disney+, but it wasn’t a sign that maybe All Dogs Go To Heaven or Titan A.E. would appear on the service; nope, instead, it came over when Disney bought Fox.

Still, no matter how it happened, Anastasia has found its rightful place on Disney+, and finally, though it’s on a technicality, Anastasia is now a Disney Princess.