Il segreto di Anastasia

At 17, I thought the Secret of Anastasia was a very sweet animated gem. True, historians may despair by how far it steers away from the facts, but so did Don Bluth's Anastasia, and that was great too. Then again, it is an independent animation, so the inaccuracies are understandable. It is very short, and kids are guaranteed to love it, and I expect adults might too.

There are flaws of course, the animation wasn't always that great, there were some scenes where it just felt slightly rushed and lacked finesse. Also there are one or two corny scenes, due to occasional moments of bland dialogue especially with the character of Goofinoff.

Still, despite all that, there is a lot to enjoy. One thing I did love was the soundtrack, well that's what to expect from John Campbell, the same composer who composed the wonderful music for the fantastic Easter StoryKeepers. I also loved Anastasia, she is very beautiful and strong, and a completely likable lead character. Vladmir was a charming romantic interest, and Prince Paul was a great villain. The four instruments are hilarious, and there is a nicely told story, and on the whole some good scripting(it's not everyday you hear a cello being called "pizzicato breath"). There is also a great voice cast, and a sweet ending. Also this deserves a much higher rating than it has at the moment.

All in all, very sweet, likable, charming and well worth watching. 9/10 Bethany Cox