\doc\web\97\09\anast.txt http://www.leconsulting.com/arthurhu/97/09/anast.txt Fox studios web page: http://www.anya.com/ Some review from rec.arts.movies.reviews: (posted for educational purposes) Subject: Review: Anastasia (1997) From: Steve Rhodes Date: 1997/12/03 Message-ID: <6648cd$30a$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews [More Headers] _______________________________________________________________________ ANASTASIA A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): *** Cartoons were originally just the opening act to whet the audience's appetite for the cinematic main course. Walt Disney changed all of that in 1937 with the first feature-length animated movie, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Since then what brings people into the theaters, rather than the now ubiquitous video rental emporiums, has changed dramatically. The movies that make money these days rely heavily on star power or special effects, frequently both. Young kids are seen less and less at the multiplex because studios are ignoring them. Is it that fewer kids are coming and therefore the studio's wise marketeers are cutting back on kids' movies to match the decrease in demand? Teenagers, on the other hand, remain the mother lode for theater owners. Yet some animated movies have been successful and a few, such as THE LION KING, have been incredibly lucrative. So what does it take to make a winning movie with cartoon characters? Although there is no sure and certain recipe, aside from having a Disney logo, some of the ingredients include color, images, music, humor, and a compelling story. The non-Disney animated movie ANASTASIA by the directing and producing team of Don Bluth and Gary Goldman has already become a holiday hit. Its popularity comes from a combination of all of the above ingredients, but one part stands head and shoulders above the rest -- the images, which are worthy of a master painter. This film is so beautiful that, if the sound system were to go out, you would have absolutely no reason to demand your money back. Just watching the picture provides the vast majority of the enjoyment, which is not to say that the other parts have problems since they do not. Although the songs are the film's weakest element, even some of them, especially "Dancing Bear", are quite lovely. ANASTASIA is a retelling of the legend of the missing Romanov princess. Historians would be well advised to skip the picture for it plays fast and loose with the facts, but others will not care. This is a cartoon to entertain audiences, not an instructional video. Meg Ryan is the voice of a sassy, tough and attractive Anastasia. Ryan becomes the character rather than the other way around, unlike the Genie in ALADDIN, for example, who became Robin Williams. If your girls are looking for a good role model, look no further. Anastasia is a resourceful and self-assured young woman who is capable of saving her boyfriend rather being saved herself. A con artist named Dimitri (John Cusack) takes a beautiful orphan named Anya (Ryan), and transforms her into a mock-Anastasia, falling in love with his creation in the process. The twist is that Anya may actually be Anastasia. Kelsey Grammer is the voice of Dimitri's companion in crime, Vladimir. If they can convince the Dowager Empress Marie (Angela Lansbury) that Anya is Anastasia, they will get a ten million ruble reward. (Anastasia has a cute little dog named Pooka, who, unlike most cartoon characters, does not get to talk.) Along the way Dimitri and Anastasia have to fight the dastardly villain Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd), who keeps falling to pieces, literally. His hands fly off, his mouth falls down and he generally cannot keep himself together -- we've all had days like that. Rasputin's frequently not-so-willing companion is a wise-talking bat named Bartok (Hank Azaria). The memorable parts of ANASTASIA are the visuals. Although words cannot do them justice, let me mention a few of the best. There is one sequence in a train where they show the boiler of the engine. Oranges and reds dance across the screen as the heat of the flames makes the air undulate in front of the viewers. When the train crashes down into the canyon, it explodes in a fireball both realistic and gorgeous. The characters are all drawn with life-like delicacy. And there is a scene set inside a French house with photo-accurate Impressionist and other paintings on the walls. Finally, there is a simple scene of Anya looking into the waters of a stream, which reflect with a magical luminescence. It is easy to go on, but the film is more to be seen than discussed. ANASTASIA runs 1:34. It is rated G and would be fine for the whole family. There is some potential that the littlest munchkins might be scared by Rasputin, but I saw no evidence of it in our packed theater. _______________________________________________________________________ My son Jeffrey, age 8, said he thought the show was "pretty good" and that he liked the funny doggie (Pooka) the best. His friend Kerry, also 8, said she thought the movie was "great!" Her favorite scene was when Anastasia hands Dimitri a stick of dynamite to uncouple two stuck railroad cars. A surprised and wide-eyed Dimitri remarks, "That will work." Previous | Next | Results | View Thread | Author Profile | Post Message | Post Reply | Send Email Copyright © 1995-97 Deja News, Inc. All rights reserved. Home · Resource Directories Quick Search · Power Search · Search Filter · Interest Finder · Browse Groups Article 23 of exactly 2300 Text Only Help Previous Article Next Article Current Results View Thread Author Profile Post Message Subject: Re: Anastasia: find the priest with the hidden wood. From: "Lorne" Date: 1997/12/01 Message-ID: <01bcfe2d$aec41240$e10167d1@default> Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.current-films [More Headers] Wooden pickle wrote: > > Can anyone confirm this: > > The priest gets major wood after looking at Anastasia (I suppose it's > briefly) in the scene where Anastasia marries Dimitri. Hmm... didn't see this, but you *can* see Anastasia's little pink nipple when her nightie blows up while she's about to jump off the boat. -- Lorne Last five movies seen, rated out of (****): Alien Resurrection (**1/2) Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (***) The Rainmaker (***) Anastasia (**) Seven Years In Tibet (***1/2) * To reply, remove the second "o" from my address (between "d" and "g"). Previous | Next | Results | View Thread | Author Profile | Post Message | Post Reply | Send Email Copyright © 1995-97 Deja News, Inc. All rights reserved. Home · Resource Directories Quick Search · Power Search · Search Filter · Interest Finder · Browse Groups Article 1 of exactly 3 Text Only Help Previous Article Next Article Current Results View Thread Author Profile Post Message Subject: Brief review of ANASTASIA From: gitrekker@aol.com (GI Trekker) Date: 1997/12/02 Message-ID: <19971202225901.RAA02825@ladder02.news.aol.com> Newsgroups: misc.kids [More Headers] Historically speaking, it's about as accurate as "Pocahontas", and there are a few scenes that might disturb younger children. However, overall, the animation is SUPERB. Darn sight better than that "Hercules" mess that Disney turned loose earlier this year. The movie uses both standard and computer-generated animation and for the most part it works well together. There's a ballroom scene that makes the one on "Beauty and the Beast" look pathetic. I've never been especially impressed with Don Bluth's work, but this time, he's produced a very decided winner! I highly recommend it! Previous | Next | Results | View Thread | Author Profile | Post Message | Post Reply | Send Email Copyright © 1995-97 Deja News, Inc. All rights reserved. Home · Resource Directories Quick Search · Power Search · Search Filter · Interest Finder · Browse Groups Article 2 of exactly 12 Text Only Help Previous Article Next Article Current Results View Thread Author Profile Post Message Subject: Review: Anastasia (1997) From: Jamie Peck Date: 1997/11/17 Message-ID: <64ptmm$b7i$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews [More Headers] ANASTASIA RATING: *** (out of ****) 20th Century Fox / 1:33 / 1997 / G (off-screen killings) Vocal Cast: Meg Ryan; John Cusack; Kelsey Grammar; Christopher Lloyd; Hank Azaria; Bernadette Peters; Angela Lansbury; Kirsten Dunst Directors: Don Bluth; Gary Goldman Screenplay: Susan Gauthier; Bruce Graham; Bob Tzudiker; Noni White "Anastasia" marks 20th Century Fox's first feature-length foray into animated filmmaking, and while Disney still owns the field, they now have a reason to watch their backs. Quite an accomplished opus, "Anastasia" gets Fox off to a solid start despite its occasional flaws. The credit is probably due to the creative mind of Don Bluth, who with "The Land Before Time" and "An American Tail" has shown himself to be the most innovative non-Disney cartoon film-creator working today ... tankers like "Rock-a-Doodle" and "The Pebble and the Penguin" aside, of course. "Anastasia" opens in 1916 St. Petersburg, where the Romanov dynasty is celebrating the 300th anniversary of its Russian rule. The party is crashed by evil sorcerer Rasputin (voiced by Christopher Lloyd), who has doomed his own soul for the power to destroy the family and returned from exile in order to use it. With the help of courageous servant boy Dimitri, young Princess Anastasia ("Interview With the Vampire"'s Kirsten Dunst) and her grandmother, the Dowager Empress Marie (Angela Lansbury), escape; Rasputin offers chase but ends up drowning in the icy waters of the Volga River. Anastasia and Marie make it to a train station, but the confusing mob scene tears them apart and leaves Anastasia lying on the boarding platform, unconscious and alone. Jump forward into the 1920s, and Anastasia is now headstrong 18-year-old Anya (Meg Ryan) and has no idea of her true legacy. As fate would have it, she runs into an older version of Dimitri (John Cusack), now a con artist scanning the countryside for an Anastasia-lookalike that he can bring to Paris to appease Marie, who is still alive and consumed with a passion to find her long-lost granddaughter. Anya fits the bill perfectly -- although neither party realizes how perfectly. All of this Romanov commotion causes Rasputin's resurfacing; sure, he's literally in hell, but his spiritual state doesn't keep him from a connection with the outside world thanks to his batty bat sidekick Bartok (Hank Azaria). As a history lesson, "Anastasia" is spotty and scant. An intriguing back story is paired with somewhat head-scratching development, mostly the fault of the film's villain -- Rasputin might be an entertaining guy to watch, but when it comes to supplying motivation, the movie is clueless. Why does he hate the Romanovs so much? The question is never adequately answered, and therefore we're spared a truly hissable bad guy. But let the record show that it's a risky venture for any studio to embrace fact-based occurrences in an animated film ("Pocahontus" certainly *is* Disney's dullest toon flick yet); when doing so, you run the risk of altering chronology so much that it becomes distracting. But whatever "Anastasia" lacks in historical departments is made up for in sheer, splendid showmanship. This is one gorgeous movie, even when the animation is just a tad under the level established by Disney. The occasionally stiff look could be attributed to the animators' dedication to realism -- these characters are drawn to look somewhat more "human" than the Mouse's many curvy Prince Erics and Princess Jasmines. There are dazzling set pieces aplenty, including a dangerous dalliance on a runaway train and a ghostly ballroom dance sequence that's a true breath-taker. The songs are very adequate; while the number of true showstoppers is limited, the tunes that really work here are the more subtle ones. Marie and Anastasia's gentle ballad "Once Upon a December" is beautiful while Rasputin's anti-good rant "In the Dark of the Night" (with slimy cockroaches singing backup!) strains a little. Impressive vocal performances by the likes of Ryan and Cusack are an added treat; so's the Bartok-provided comic relief, which is funnier than it first seems. Even if "Anastasia" is missing the emotional draw that Disney's semi-serious features ("Beauty and the Beast" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame") have pulled off without a hitch, it's still got some powerful moments. And even if it's never as roaringly comic or colorful as Disney's lighter films ("Aladdin" and "Hercules"), it does have its bright spots. There's a little room for improvement, but not so much that really matters (although some children will likely be bored with its heavy dramatics) -- "Anastasia" is a beautiful, potent, graceful film. Unlike the leprosy-stricken Rasputin, it hardly ever loses its footing. © 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/ Previous | Next | Results | View Thread | Author Profile | Post Message | Post Reply | Send Email Copyright © 1995-97 Deja News, Inc. All rights reserved. Home · Resource Directories Quick Search · Power Search · Search Filter · Interest Finder · Browse Groups Article 3 of exactly 12 Text Only Help Previous Article Next Article Current Results View Thread Author Profile Post Message Subject: Review: Anastasia (1997) From: James Berardinelli Date: 1997/11/18 Message-ID: <64r911$24u$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews [More Headers] ANASTASIA A Film Review by James Berardinelli RATING: ***1/2 OUT OF **** United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 11/12/97 (limited); 11/21/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:37 MPAA Classification: G Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Featuring the voices of: Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst Directors: Don Bluth, Gary Goldman Producers: Don Bluth and Gary Goldman Screenplay: Susan Gauthier & Bruce Graham, Bob Tzudiker & Noni White Music: David Newman, Stephen Flaherty Lyrics: Lynn Ahrens U.S. Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Finally, there's a legitimate challenge to Disney. And, while it's unlikely that Twentieth Century Fox's ANASTASIA will break the Mouse's stranglehold on animated films, it's a good place to start. ANASTASIA is easily the best non-Disney animated movie in recent memory, and it is good enough to rival such titles as THE LION KING and ALADDIN. The key is enjoyability and appeal to both adults and children. This degree of magic and energy has been noticeably absent in movies like POCAHONTAS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and HERCULES. Maybe with another studio to push them, Disney will get back on track. The first thing to note about this delightful animated adventure is that it should not be confused with an historical account of the Russian revolution. Aside from borrowing a few names, facts, and dates, this is pure, unadulterated fantasy. Someone expecting even a loose reliance upon history is going to be horrified, but then anyone who falls into that category probably doesn't belong at this movie in the first place. Even moreso than POCAHONTAS, ANASTASIA uses reality as nothing more than a convenient backdrop. The story opens in 1916 Russia, just before the revolution, and depicts the fall of Czar Nicholas II as the result of a curse placed upon him by the evil monk Rasputin (voice of Christopher Lloyd). Every member of the Romanov family is killed, except Nicholas' mother, Marie (Angela Lansbury), who escapes to Paris, and the Czar's youngest daughter, Anastasia (Kirsten Dunst), who is missing. Rasputin is also slain, but, because his curse was not fulfilled, he ends up languishing in limbo. Fast-forward ten years. Marie has offered a 10 million ruble reward for anyone who finds her granddaughter. Back in St. Petersburg, a pair of con artists, Dimitri (John Cusack) and Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer), are holding auditions for an "Anastasia" to take to Paris. When they discover Anya (Meg Ryan), little do they realize that the 18 year old young woman is actually the real princess. Together, Dimitri and Vladimir teach Anya how to act like royalty, preparing her for an audience with Marie. Meanwhile, Rasputin finds a way out of his nether- domain and plots Anastasia's demise. While the animation in ANASTASIA still doesn't quite match up to that of Disney's recent features, it's light years ahead of the likes of THE LAND BEFORE TIME, BALTO, and even AN AMERICAN TAIL (also by ANASTASIA's director, former Disney animator Don Bluth). There are times when the characters' lips don't perfectly synch up with the vocals, and other occasions when the background detail is lacking, but, on the whole, ANASTASIA's visual pallet is quite rich. Many of the most complex sequences are majestic, and effective use is made of computer generated effects and background paintings. Consider, for example, an impressive view of a shining St. Petersburg as Anastasia approaches it from over a hill. Story-wise, ANASTASIA is every bit as strong as any new wave Disney film except BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. There's a little adventure, a little romance, a little mysticism, and a little drama. The lead character is easily the strongest, most independent animated female to grace the screen, surpassing even Belle for spunk. Meg Ryan is perfect for this role. Anastasia's love interest, Dimitri, isn't very interesting, although John Cusack gives him a spark of personality. The villain, Rasputin, looks hideous, but his nastiness is relatively generic. In fact, most of the time, he's just a diversion from the real story, which is about Anastasia's quest to find her family. There are two "cute" animals: a voiceless dog named Pooka and a bat called Bartok (Hank Azaria), who is very talkative. Musically, ANASTASIA is better than anything from Disney since death deprived them of their key lyricist, Howard Ashman. All of the big production numbers in ANASTASIA have their roots in Broadway musicals, with a lot of well-choreographed dancing and singing. The songs themselves (there are six from Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens) are lively, and several, including "A Rumor in St. Petersburg", "Once Upon a December", and "Paris Holds the Key", stick in the memory. It's interesting to note that, of those who have speaking parts, only Kelsey Grammer, Bernadette Peters, and Angela Lansbury are allowed to do their own singing. Liz Callaway doubles for Meg Ryan, Jonathan Dokuchitz fills in for John Cusack, and Jim Cummings replaces Christopher Lloyd. The whole process of watching ANASTASIA is a thoroughly enjoyable one, and it proves that any studio willing to put forth the time, money, and effort can match Disney. In fact, understandably, a lot of kids will mistake ANASTASIA for the Mouse's latest offering. Twentieth Century Fox should consider this a compliment, not a slight. If every non-Disney animated film in production or on the drawing board is as good as ANASTASIA, the executives at the Magic Kingdom have good reason to worry. Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli - James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net Now with more than 1300 reviews... The ReelViews web site: http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/ "For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake." - Alfred Hitchcock Previous | Next | Results | View Thread | Author Profile | Post Message | Post Reply | Send Email Copyright © 1995-97 Deja News, Inc. All rights reserved. Home · Resource Directories Quick Search · Power Search · Search Filter · Interest Finder · Browse Groups Article 12 of exactly 12 Text Only Help Previous Article Next Article Current Results View Thread Author Profile Post Message Subject: Review: Anastasia (1997) From: Michael Dequina Date: 1997/12/03 Message-ID: <664ba2$8ch$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews [More Headers] Anastasia (G) *** Months before its release, Fox's epic animated musical Anastasia had been touted as the first legitimate challenge to Disney's animation empire, which looked more vulnerable than ever after the disappointing box office (and, as it turns out, merchandising) performance of the fun-but-phoned-in Hercules. Now that the film has arrived in theatres, does the Mouse indeed have reason to worry? During its exquisite first twenty or so minutes, I found myself agreeing with the buzz, but the film soon collapses under the weight of convention, becoming a merely pleasant entertainment. A harrowing prologue set in 1916 swiftly gives us the necessary backstory: during a revolution the entire Russian royal family is killed save for the czar's youngest daughter, Anastasia (spoken by Kirsten Dunst, sung by Lacey Chabert), who is lost after escaping from the palace; and her grandmother, Dowager Empress Marie (Angela Lansbury), who left Russia for Paris just before the unrest. Then the film flashes forward in time, jumping into its buoyant opening number, "A Rumor in St. Petersburg," which introduces the main action: the presumed-dead princess is rumored to be alive, and with their eye on a possible financial reward from the Empress, con men Dimitri (spoken by John Cusack, sung by Jonathan Dokuchitz) and Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer) seek out a young woman who can be a believable Anastasia stand-in. While a big opening production number is part of the Disney formula, directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman approach it in a fresh way. In Disney films, the characters do little more than sing and slightly sway to the music; here, the style is more live-action Broadway and MGM, with background characters forming a full-on dance chorus, spontaneously breaking into heavily choreographed moves. Dimitri and Vlad ultimately find their perfect impostor in orphan Anya (spoken by Meg Ryan, sung by Liz Callaway), and that's no accident--she truly _is_ Anastasia, but with barely any recollection of her royal past. Freshly released from an unpleasant orphanage, Anya articulates her dream of having a family in the stirring "Journey to the Past." This number is equivalent to the Disney "I Want" song in function, but once again the stage-influenced execution sets it apart, with Anya literally prancing her way through the snow-covered forest and even capping her song by dramatically raising her arms into the air (you almost expect the movie to pause for audience applause). Right before Anya meets up with the scheming duo comes a truly stunning, magical moment--as it turns out, the film's way-too-premature peak. She steps foot in the ballroom of the abandoned palace, crooning the hauntingly beautiful "Once Upon a December," a lullaby her grandmother used to sing with her when she was young. After a single verse, the ghosts of the past waltz in through the windows, enveloping her, creating a lavish ball out of thin air. By this song's end, the glitter and glamour disappears, and so does much of the luster of the film. The songs by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens (the latter of whom holds a special place in my and many others' hearts for her enduring work on ABC's Schoolhouse Rock!) become increasingly forgettable, and even worse, the story loses some steam. The strict adherence to the established Disney formula becomes a hindrance. There is really no dramatic need to include an out-and-out villain in the piece, but, true to convention, there is one: evil monk Rasputin (spoken by Christopher Lloyd, sung by Jim Cummings), whose supernatural curse on the royal family caused its near-destruction. While the dying Rasputin's plot does lead to some standout sequences (in particular a suspenseful and spectacular sea storm scene), and the running gag of his body parts constantly fall off is amusing, I never felt as if he and his sidekick, wisecracking albino bat Bartok (Hank Azaria), played a necessary role in this story; they seemed to be shoehorned in for formula's sake. More interesting and involving than the good-versus-evil plot is the romantic sparring between Anya and Dimitri; this may sound odd, but Ryan and Cusack generate a lot of chemistry with their voices. But the resolution to their romance is far from satisfying. Instead of being moved by the ending, I was merely pleased. One thing, however, does remain consistently impressive throughout Anastasia, and that is the visuals. The animation is a little ragged and not nearly as fluid as Disney work, but the artwork is outstanding. From its beautiful handdrawn images to the three-dimensional computer-generated work, all shot in the 2.35:1 CinemaScope aspect ratio (the first animated feature to be shot so since 1959's Sleeping Beauty), Anastasia truly looks and feels like an epic even when the goings-on are less so. In the end, the heavily hyped Anastasia does not announce Fox's animation division as a challenger to Disney's throne. What it does announce, however, is Fox as a _potential_ challenger. Anastasia may not be great, but it is good, and if the film is a jumping-off point for the fledgling animation house, the Mouse should be prepared for a war. __________________________________________________________ Michael Dequina mrbrown@ucla.edu | michael_jordan@geocities.com | mj23@the18thhole.com mrbrown@michaeljordanfan.com | mj23@michaeljordanfan.com mrbrown23@juno.com | mrbrown@iname.com | mst3k@digicron.com Visit Mr. Brown's Movie Site at http://members.tripod.com/~MrBrown/ Personal Page: http://members.tripod.com/~MrBrown/home.html Michael Jordan Beyond the Court: http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Field/2302/ A Michael Jordan Fan's Heartbreak: http://members.tripod.com/~mj23/mj.html "I've failed over and over and over again in my life... and that is why I succeed." --Michael Jordan "If you chase something, then sometimes you never get it. If you put forth the work and all the attitude, next thing you know it's bestowed upon you." --Michael Jordan __________________________________________________________ Previous | Next | Results | View Thread | Author Profile | Post Message | Post Reply | Send Email Copyright © 1995-97 Deja News, Inc. All rights reserved. rec.arts.disney.animation #25230 (5 + 263 ( )--(1)--(1)--(1)+-[1] more) \-[1]--[1]- Date: Tue Nov 25 02:28:32 PST 1997 ( )--[1] From: dhomeric@jps.net (David Homerick) [1] Re: Disney has finally crossed the line. Of course, SOME Disney fans don't give a shit. Still, this brings to mind an interesting image: Anastasia is walking down a snowy road, singing. ANYA: Somewhere down this road/I know someone's waiting... Ariel slips out from behind a tree, wielding a tire iron. She takes two or three steps, approaching Anastasia from behind, and belts the taller girl viciously behind the ear. Anastasia screams and collapses. Belle, Pocahontas, and Jasmine appear, all converging on the sobbing girl as she tries to crawl away. Cut to Danny Glover. DANNY: We'll have more shocking footage after these messages on "When Disney Characters Attack." Stay tuned. > just my humble 2 cents.... -- David rec.arts.disney.animation #25436 (2 + 251 more) (1)+-(1)--(2) From: elurio@aol.com (ELurio) \-(1)+-(1)--(1)--(1) [1] Re: Hercules Sequel \-(1)--(1)--[1] Date: Wed Dec 03 13:37:04 PST 1997 -[1]--[1] Lines: 12 X-Admin: news@aol.com Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com >>Yeah, but making money off a D2V sequel whose original was pretty unpopular is not the best way to make M-O-N-E-Y... Pete<< Excuse me, Pete, but "Hercules" has made over $99 million domesically. Of this almost half was made at second run theaters charging three bucks or less. Aside from the fact that everyone compares the take with "The Lion King" which made an unprecidented quarter billion. What makes you think that a hundred million grossing film is unpopular? eric l. From: anim8rfsk@aol.com (ANIM8Rfsk) |-[1]+-[1]+-[1] [1] Re: Anastasia made $ 15 mill! A _hit_, or...? | | \-[1]--[1] Date: Mon Nov 24 08:42:50 PST 1997 | \-[1] Lines: 18 |-[1]--[1] X-Admin: news@aol.com \-[1] Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com ((Or should I say; will it make it's money back?)) Nope. Can't happen, at least not theatrically. Claimed budget is 53 million; films need to make between 3 and 5 times cost to break even, to cover the theater's cut, advertsing, etc. Anastasia spent well over 50 mill advertising, so that's gonna make it in the high end mulitplier, let's say 4 times. That means 212 million to break even. But . . . 53 million is what they're telling the press. Word (very reliable word) is just under 100 million is a more accurate figure. And that's NOT counting start up cost of the studio. The wide range to break even: Somewhere between 159 and 500 million dollars. Reasonable range? 200 to 300 million. With a 15 million opening weekend in second place, they'll be lucky to gross back the advertising budget. Could still clean up in home video and merchandising, though; gotta love the Burger King toys! Arthur Hu Subject: 2cents on Anastasia Summary: Expires: Sender: Followup-To: Distribution: Organization: Northwest Nexus Inc. Keywords: Cc: Me, I thought that the trailers looked a heck of a lot better than Hercules, and I thought the movie was better, but it won't make a ton of money if it's better because it's not disney. Liked the CG integration, the CG crowd looks much better than the hunchback figures which looked like they came out of a disney ride. Must have rotoscoped real people, and used CG to place them on the dance floor or something. Songs were good, but not up to best Disney, I'm swearing off on fast food toys. The 12" dolls look very good, but I don't know who's going to buy all 4 figures, wait until they're cleared out. 4 figures, wait until they're cleared out. My kids dragged me out to get a coke when they started the !@#$% train scene. Nice job. Best line - what did they teach you in the orphanage??? Nice tension makes you want to scream Go for the girl. Don't let the guy go. generation of kids...) I thought Ferngully was Fox's first attempt at animation, and Totoro was their 2nd. +- Views do not reflect any other organization or group--------------+ Arthur Hu Join my diversity mailing list or arthurhu@halcyon.com