I absolutely LOVE this movie! I am a little amused by all the people having a problem with this movie not being historically accurate. Need I remind people that this is a cartoon, not a documentary? I was actually impressed with the attention to details: Nicholas looks very much like he did in life, Anastasia's little brother's sickness is not overlooked (he is walking with a limp), 'Once upon a December's words 'Someone holds me safe and warm... ' sound so much like a Russian Gypsy song!
That said, I do have to say that there are a few things that could have been prevented by hiring one Russian speaking person. Examples: When Dimitry and Anya first meet, he has a problem pronouncing her name. That would never happen. Anya is a very common name in Russia and would not be mistaken for anything else. Also, when Sophie opened the door she says something that IS NOT a Russian name, very silly. Another example would be Anastasia looking through her family album, when they make her memorize thing, remember the picture of uncle Vanya? ("Loved his vodka, got it Anya?") Well, he just looks like a common peasant, not a member of royal family.
Bartok . I wonder who thought of the name . It is not a Russian name My guess is that it was meant to be 'BRATOK' which means 'little brother', used to address a companion, a friend.
So.. those are my thoughts. All in all, I highly recommend the movie. Not as an educational historical reference, but as a wonderful entertaining musical animated movie! The fact that is NOT Disney is actually a big plus for me!
Enjoy!
That said, I do have to say that there are a few things that could have been prevented by hiring one Russian speaking person. Examples: When Dimitry and Anya first meet, he has a problem pronouncing her name. That would never happen. Anya is a very common name in Russia and would not be mistaken for anything else. Also, when Sophie opened the door she says something that IS NOT a Russian name, very silly. Another example would be Anastasia looking through her family album, when they make her memorize thing, remember the picture of uncle Vanya? ("Loved his vodka, got it Anya?") Well, he just looks like a common peasant, not a member of royal family.
Bartok . I wonder who thought of the name . It is not a Russian name My guess is that it was meant to be 'BRATOK' which means 'little brother', used to address a companion, a friend.
So.. those are my thoughts. All in all, I highly recommend the movie. Not as an educational historical reference, but as a wonderful entertaining musical animated movie! The fact that is NOT Disney is actually a big plus for me!
Enjoy!