I know this is the equivalent of me rambling about why I like a movie. But I hope you found the video entertaining and will go out and watch this wonderful film.

"do you really think I'm royalty?" "You know I do." "Then stop bossing me around!" Legendary comeback.

I have never spoken to someone who loves this movie half as much as I do and suddenly I see you make a video on it. Needless to say - this made my whole week.

Kids are more resilient than you think. I first watched this movie when I was a little kid and not once did the so called "scary" scenes phase me. I knew Rasputin was evil and so all the weird and dark things he was involved in just seemed natural to me. Ps. Some of my favourite of all time animated films are Anastasia, Treasure Planet, Atlantis, Sinbad, Road To El Dorado, The Land Before Time, and Prince of Egypt.

"Why are you circling me? What, Were you a vulture in another life?" Whoever writes this stuff gets an A+. This movie has so much nostalgia for me. My Great-Aunt would babysit us sometimes and I remember watching Anastasia on VHS at her house on her tiny little box TV. I loved every moment. I really want to watch it now.

I used to love this movie when I was younger. I always danced around and sang the song in my livging room when I was 8 imagineing being a princess. It's so unbelievable that it's so underrated. Great video

Ugh this movie was SO good! I remember watching it at least twice a year as a kid

I love Anastasia, sometimes I catch myself and my family members humming "Dancing bears. Painted wings. Things I almost remember. And a song someone sings. Once upon a December." I get chills every time. And, technically speaking, Anastasia is now a Disney princess XD

I still have the toy train set from 1997! you’re so right, this movie is an underrated gem

I didn't like this movie as a child because it scared me, but somehow, somewhere along the way it ended up being such a comfort movie and becoming very important to me. I can't explain why. It just is. I also really love the stage musical despite all the changes. (I actually find some of them fascinating.)

From Prince of Egypt to this!!! I love how you're covering two of my all time favorite animated movies. Glad to see a man of culture on the platform, loving the content :) P.S. Will you be covering other movies? (*cough*The Iron Giant, Atlantis, Treasure Island, Sinbad*cough*)

Yeah the Once Upon a December waltz is one of my favorites

anastasia is my favorite childhood movie, arguably my favorite movie period, legitimately such an amazing film

This movie is just so much for me. When i was a child i had a almost best friend i'd say. He gifted me this movie on VHS and I Fell in love with it. A year or two later we stoped being friends and i still am sad about this sometimes. But I never stoped loving the movie he gifted and made me able to fall in love with it.

You mentioned that the story of Anastasia has never been done in a film before, but this movie has pretty much the same premise as the 1956 Anastasia movie featuring Yul Brenner. In fact, a lot of the animated Anastasia is based off of that movie- Anya (or Anna, as she's called in the '56 film) having amnesia, her being trained to pass off as Anastasia despite being the real Anastasia, and the romance between her and the conman hoping for reward money. I love the animated film with all my heart, but people give it too much credit for it's originality where it isn't actually original.

I love the persona 5 background music, also, Anastasia was the first "princess movie" that i loved and become obsessed with, everytime i listen to the songs I can't help but to sing and tear a bit :')

Quest for Camelot, and Anastasia were the movies I loved as a kid I always wished were more in the spotlight. I remembered so much of the movies growing up even though I forgot their titles for while there. Everything you say here still holds up true.

Such a great show, loved it as a kid and have watched even as an adult and I still love all of it

This being one of my little sister's favorites means Once Upon a December has a permanent, loving home in my brain.

It rlly is so underrated compared to the other animated films in that decade it’s insane

This film is literally one of my favourites. Lmao I remember my sister having a huge crush on Dimitri, I think she still does🤫

This was one of those movies I watched over and over as a kid. It may be an underrated classic, but to me it's a familiar and nostalgic movie. And somehow all the dark visuals never scared me.

When I was a kid, this was the movie I most often fell asleep to. Love it.

This film along with the Great Mouse Detective and Fantastic Mr. Fox are three of my biggest comfort films thank you so much for talking about them! Also this video is absolutely amazing

I had the VHS growing up and watched it just as much as any of my Disney films, my mom and I Love Bartok and quote that little bat sometimes as an inside joke between us. I like that little bat so much I named one of my cats after him because when I got my cat as a kitten, he was 99% white with big bat looking ears and Bartok was the first name to pop into my head.

And the record of overlapping tastes in movies, TV and UKposts media continues to extend. More than that, it’s really gratifying to hear my reasons for liking it echoed back from you: I don’t really know if I could pinpoint what makes this a masterpiece aside from the music, but it all comes together so beautifully. Not to say that it’s difficult to say what is great about this movie, but unlike with so many Disney movies that have individually great set pieces, this is really more of a package deal where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. And yeah, I don’t know how they got away with all the villain stuff either. It’s Black Cauldron level stuff and it’s mind-blowing that this was a kids movie. Just a last personal thought on this. I went back and watched this a couple of years ago after a long time not having seen it, remembering that I really enjoyed it but not why. I can’t say this about a lot of kids animated movies, but I’d say I got a richer experience much later, and that’s not just because I have a better ear for the music now or I can better appreciate the animation. The witty banter really is something that separates it from most animated movies of this ilk, and understanding the serious history behind the events of the show really impresses on you a gravitas that I couldn’t appreciate as a kid. I can only think of a handful of Disney movies that managed to improve after watching it much later in life, but none so much as this.

I never actually saw this, or even knew about it when I was younger, but my girlfriend did, and she has been lauding it with praise for months, and seeing you make a video on it has convinced me to put significantly higher on our list of movies to watch, and once I do, im gonna come back and watch this. Thank you

A big part of the animation looking the way it does is that it was HEAVILY rotoscoped! They filmed real people and animated directly over it. The animation is done well without the rotoscoping, but there's something I love about rotoscoped and motion captured animation, even if it's not as "authentic." It's more natural, and I love it.

Loved this film so much when I was younger I played Anastasia in my old private school’s Anastasia performance. This movie had such a major impact on me and what got me to love music and animation. It’s a favourite of mine of all times.

Okay, I have loved this movie ever since I first watched it as a little girl. To the point that Once upon a December has became a lagit luluby for my brothers that I used to sing to them to get them to sleep and cumfort them whenever they were hurt or sad. It is now being passed on to my daughter in the same manner. So, thank you for talking about and giving recognition to something that had meant so much to my family.

This movie stuck with me so much that a condensed match up of the different versions of Pnce Upon a December was the lullaby I fell back on when I needed to sing to my children as babies. My 10yo still requests the "princess song" when she has had a hard day or a nightmare.

Don't worry, it's my favourite, i still watch it every December and sometimes even at summer. Rasputin was horrifying to me and still is. Dimitri just amazing as the sassy street knight!

I didn't grow up watching Anastasia, but I recently watched it bc my older sister loves it and I kept hearing Once Upon A December when reading my books, so I cave in and watched it y'know? And God, it was so fun! What u said about the music is so true! Once Upon A December has such a sadness to it and seeing the scene and understanding the context almost made me cry. In The Dark Of The Night is a amazing villain song too, I'm still listening non-stop to it

Great review but really hoped you would have talked about the once upon a december song/scene. As a child, that scene was so magical and mysterious, yet so heartbereaking are tragic. The music, the animation, the imagery, its just so perfect and holds up so well.

Finding a fellow Anastasiaphile is like finding a needle in a haystack. WE MUST ALL CONGRESS AND SHARE OUR JOY TOGETHER

I got to see this in theaters with my grandma. And from then on, I was obsessed with learning everything I could about Anastasia. And from there about other historical figures. It inspired a passion in me that is still alive to this day. Knowing and seeing others who share the love of this movie brings me joy.

I nicknamed my aunt after the name “Ana.” I loved watching this as a 2000’s kid. So much nostalgia from this video, love the way you describe and depict things.

I wanted to watch this with my younger siblings (2, 6, 8, 10 & 13) the other day since it’s one of my childhood favorites and they were complain that it was an old people film. Let’s say they were completely hooked after the first song

This might not be to your taste at all, but I always thought that the first "The Swan Princess" was also an underated film with pretty good music and animation for its time. Love the vids you've been making about some of my favorite animated films, can't wait to see what you cover next!

You're so right. I never think much of this movie but I loved it as a kid and I still think it's fantastic, even if the historical context makes me go a bit "idk how I feel about this" But the movie is so ingrained in my mind that I still can remember the voices in spanish (the version I watched) even all these years later. My brain was just going "this is so wrong!" at the english clips you were putting up. Truly a film that deserves more praise than I have given it. But now that you mention the banter between the characters you make me realize how much this movie might have impacted my writing. It's very much what I always want to archive with dialogue and a goal to own characters this likable. ... I also feel called out because I think baby luca had a thing for Dimitri. Ooops.

This movie was one of my favorite as a child, I still know every songs tbh and it made me so happy to see someone doing a video essay about it. Every character is well written but my favorite interactions was clearly the villain and his side kick.

I've never donated on this site before. But I just had to for your channel. I appreciate your passion for movies and fun personality in your videos. The part in the beginning about movies you can watch over and over and over and still love hit home for me. Good will hunting and the social network are two that do that for me just due to the incredible dialog. Cheers man, hope you continue making great videos.

I've NEVER seen this movie at all in MY LIFE, see and hear about a lot every now and then almost EVERY YEAR & my Grandma likes it so I'm gonna watch it and I'm gonna come back and talk about it (bc idk I feel like you kinda wanna see that? IDK!?!) I also saw Treasure Planet in this video and @&#$ing LOVE THAT MOVIE. Okay so I'm going to watch it RIGHT NOW.

At The Beginning & Once Upon a December are 2 songs that have stuck with me since childhood and i still actively recall it now and again. Not to mention I know the words by heart to this day This movie is my childhood favorite next to Treasure Planet and it holds a very special and very protected spot in my heart. Even just seeing the title Anastasia brings me happiness and even a tear or two. It is deeply cherished and a movie I'm so glad I saw when I was little and have since then never once forgotten it

This was literally my favourite movie growing up. To the point where my mother tried to 'lose' the VHS when we moved house and had to then buy me a new one because I was so obstinate about it.

Treasure planet, Anastasia, Spirit: Stallion of the cimarron, Atlantis the lost empire. All just great movies with WONDERFUL soundtracks. All my fav movies growing up have GREAT 111213/10 soundtracks. Just they will always have a place in my heart where no new movies can go.

My wife and I are going to watch this movie for the first time today. We are both 90’s kids and this one happens to fly under our radar. I’m exited now! Thank you!!

My wife and I are going to watch this movie for the first time today. We are both 90’s kids and this one happens to fly under our radar. I’m exited now! Thank you!! 🙏

All of the characters are so damn charismatic! I love how you mention the verbal sparring lol

This is one of my childhood favorites, a lot of people like to knock the rotoscoping but something about it makes the movie and its characters feel much more grounded and still unique, the scene where she reunites with her grandmother is one of my favorites to go back and rewatch

I AM SO HAPPY YOU MADE THIS AND IT CROSSED MY FEED!! I never realized how much my love of dialogue and banter came from this movie. I think the musical captured it pretty well and then made the music blossom within the story. From one Anastasia lover to another, don't ever apologize for loving it.

Right after I clicked on this I started singing the st petersburg song, remembering 95% of the lyrics. Its been at least a decade since I've seen it. True classic. Love Don Bluth. Secret of Nimh as well.

Omg your videos have made rediscover my love for animated films and all the ways that I love them. From production, to dialogue, music and more. Thank you so much!! ♥️♥️♥️

I haven’t watched this review yet, but I’m just commenting to say how happy I am that people are rediscovering and now appreciating underrated animated films of my generation! There’s Anastasia, the Prince of Egypt, Balto, Treasure Planet, the Iron Giant, Atlantis: the Lost Empire, and so many more! I love that beautiful 2D animation is now being revered over cheap and easy 3D animation. Back in 3D’s infancy, everyone was seeing it as a marvel and that subsequently resulted in less people going to see 2D movies. Of course, studios took advantage of this, considering that it’s much simpler to produce a 3D movie instead of having to draw a movie out by hand. I’ve already enjoyed your Prince of Egypt and Treasure Planet reviews, so I know this one will be good! Thank you for spreading the good word out there to those discovering these great films! And for indulging the nostalgia of those of us who lived in the 2D era!

I was a ripe old age of 4 when this movie came out, and it became my favorite movie when I was a child. I had the VHS, the soundtrack, the PC video game, the Anastasia Barbie. One of the first things I bought with my own money was a DVD copy of the movie. To this day, I can recite pretty much the entire movie. I even write as her on Tumblr now. It is arguably STILL my favorite movie of all time. Thank you for bringing a smile to my face and bringing my favorite movie back to the spotlight. It's often overlooked.

Another comment to add: I also was enthralled by all the songs/music in this film from the very first time I watched it as a kid. I’d even sometimes randomly get the songs stuck in my head, especially “Once Upon a December”. And the witty dialogue is top tier. I agree that it’s a movie that never gets old!

OH MY GOD; YOU SPEAK OUT OF MY SOUL I remember having it on VCR as kid and since then i watch it almost every year, it has a special place in my heart like almost no other movie. And I listen to the songs all through the year as a pick me up! I can sing along to all of them in 2,5 languages^^

Anastasiadoesn't get the love it deserves (also I love how you included Treasure Planet here because it's heartbreaking how I haven never met anyone who loves or even remembers this film :( ) thank you for making this video! I actually just re-watched Anastasia a few days ago so this really made me happy thank you!

It's been so long since I have heard of this movie and this video is definitely bringing back the nostalgia and making me want to watch it again.

sinbad, anastasia, treasure planet, and Atlantis the lost empire were my absolute faves as a child and i'm only finding out in like the last 3 years that nobody knows these these movies

I grew up with the films of Don Bluth - notably The Land Before Time - and Anastasia is a movie I love too. The songs are gorgeous and the romance arc is a well-written slow burn and believable. Also, on the note of "role models" in animated films, a role model of mine (since the age of ten) has been Manfred/Manny the mammoth from the 2002 animated film "Ice Age." Ice Age is another one of those films I consider an underrated masterpiece, and ironically enough, Don Bluth was set to direct Ice Age before it was sent to Blue Sky after the failure of Titan A.E. so it has a vague Bluth connection too. Plus, Ice Age (2002) is harsher, compared to its sequels, and is a *dramady* and is able to hit both its dramatic and comedic tones masterfully. I recommend watching it if you've never seen it Ice Age is one of my absolute faves. :)

I'm going to see the musical soon, so this video popped up on my feed at the right time!

anastasia, atlantis, and treasure planet are my favorite movies of all time

I always had a fondness for this movie, for all the reasons you said. Rasputin here is so delightfully unhinged but can still be genuinely menacing at the right moments. The "Once Upon a December" sequence was always especially beautiful to me, with her exploring and pushing the boundaries between her conscious and unconscious memory, and especially what animation can do when you're only limited by the character's mind. But of course, the risk Bluth took by tackling a proven, documented figure of comparatively modern history, rather than a fairy tale, folktale or ancient mythology figure, kind of comes back to dampen the fun upbeat ending. One has to wonder how long the high of finding her grandmother and ending up with Dimitri would have lasted once she processed that her parents, sisters and brother were imprisoned and shot to death. And like the movie doesn't exactly deny that they were executed, but never point-blank states it either. But that's just me being morbid lol

I use to have the dog as a plush and would carry him around singing Once Upon a December . I adored this movie and when December comes around on the 1st I play the song ( I'm 30 now).

Started with your Jinx/powder video, saw this and it's a favorite movie of mine too. How are you not more popular on YT?! I've got to find your steam channel more,!

I still have In The Dark Of The Night pop into my head from time to time.

This actually was one of my top movies as a child. Always watched it with my mom (who adores it as well) when it came on around christmas, later buying it on vhs, and frequently thinking about it :) the songs slap, put "once upon a december" on my playlist after watching your vid!

This is one of my sister's favorite animated films. In fact, I have a feeling this movie was the catalyst that eventually resulted in said sister spending a year or two in Russia about a decade ago.

So... I just finished.... OMFG I LOVED IT SO MUCH I (hate to be redundant) BUT I WAS SMILING EAR TO EAR THE ENTIRE TIME The banter between Dimitri and Anastasia was so FUN can't believe I laughed at something that was intended to be funny, that hasn't happened in months I relate to the white Bat, just DONE with Rasputin at this point It has a LOT of things that I don't usually like... But I LOVED and I don't know HOW OMFG I literally BOUGHT IT, I rented it to watch and right after I BOUGHT IT

This is still one of my all time favorite films. The music is divine, Once Upon A December being one of my favorite songs in an animated movie. I still have my music box/jewlery box that, when opened does play Once Upon a December

I smiled so much when the opening showed Treasure Planet while he talked about an absolute masterpiece of a film. These are two are my all time favorite movies, it’s crazy to think that Anastasia just started off as a rip off of the Disney princess high but it’s an actually really good movie. I’d argue that Anastasia is better then like half of the official Disney princesses.

I like hearing about the things that just make people happy. There is so much fun to be had seeing others have fun.

Anastasia was my favoriteeeee growing up and I had completely forgot until I watched it a few years ago and yesss the soundtrack hits!

I still have the vhs and play it atleast once a year

Loving the Vlad appreciation!!! Definitely one of my favorite childhood movies (and still stands up today)!

If you've never seen the Swan Princess, it is another underrated movie. It's a perfect 7/10 and it is unironically my favorite movie

Finally! A humble youtuber! I am subscribing for sure!

The ending song, At the Beginning, was the song I picked for the bride and groom dance at my wedding. Me and my husband still get dopy grins on our faces whenever we hear it pop up.

I absolutely love Anastasia. I've loved it ever since I was little. I enjoy it every time I watch it and my enjoyment has never dwindled, it only increases with every new detail and fact that I discover. I hope my future kids will love it just as much as I do.

Man, I loved that film. I recall basically having it on repeat over Christmas break whilst I played the Rogue Squadron demo on pc

This was a wonderful film, grew up with it on my VHS and I just want to revisit it 8 years later

this, and treasure planet are 2 of my favorite movies. and i agree with your reasonings. keep at it!

We are getting this as a stage show the coming season. We're waiting for it very enthusiastically. The localisation is very good in this film.

I love Don Bluth films so this was one of my all time favorite childhood movies - loved your video on it! (and yes, I had a huge crush on Dimitri, lol)

As an early adopter of DVDs, I can tell you that Anastasia wasn’t actually released on DVD when it first came to home video. It was very frustrating because I was DONE buying VHS tapes.

Anya was absolutely one of my biggest role models as a little girl. I adore this movie. I recorded it on cassette tape so i could listen to it at bedtime 🤭 one if the best soundtracks

This movie...was my childhood. At one point as a child, I haven't seen the film in over 2 years. And yet..."Once upon a December" haunted my memories. I could never remember the words at the time but the tune...felt so comforting to me. And when I watched the film again, I fell in love all over again. I remember hoping the real Anastasia truly survived...until I found out the truth. I love Don Bluth's work. This was his very best. It makes me happy knowing how many others adore this film. When you mentioned the film being one of those films that don't seem to have significance but when you bring it up, it lightens up the people that have seen or perhaps even heard of it. Thank you for giving your piece, my friend

I used to watch this movie all the time when I was little. I remember doing the puzzles and singing the songs and just loving it. P.s. the end of the video was so sweet

I’ve rewatched this movie twice this week and I was 7 when it came out in 1997. Pure love for this movie ❤

How have I only just stumbled on this? Anastasia is the VHS I watched till it fell apart as a child. This video has everything I've ever said about that movie. Consider yourself subscribed to

I've been rewatching this movie since I was a little kid and not once do I remember ever being bothered by the darker parts. I do remember watching it in 5th grade and one of the kids questioning if it was appropriate when Rasputin died though, lol. The movie also made me super interested in the actual history, which I still love to read to about! Once Upon a December is also my favorite song ever!

This movie has always been one of my favorites ever since I was a little girl. It always makes me sad that it gets so little love compared to other animated movies! Maybe because it wasn’t originally a “disney” movie until they bought the rights to it. But Mulan and Anastasia were always me favorite “princesses” because they were strong, independent, smart, resourceful, funny, compassionate, heroic, and so many other great things. Thanks for making a video about how much you love this movie!

You sold me. I'm definitely hunting it down. ☺️

You should do the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. Very much underrated imo. 🙌

I absolutely loved this movie as a kid, even if it _did_ freak me the f out 🤣🤣 I had an Anastasia musical diary I got either for Christmas or a birthday which played "Once upon a December". I loved that song and sung it at my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. I still cringe at that but I recently rediscovered the song and I'm glad I did because I need this amazing music in my life!

This was 100% one of my favorite movies as a child. I STILL have the VHS tape. Anastasia and Jumanji are the two movies from my childhood collection that I refuse to let go. (I don't even have a VHS player!) Once Upon a December still lives rent free in my head over two decades later. The dancers exploding out of the paintings as the music swells is seared into my mind as one of the most magical on-screen moments I've ever seen.

I have always loved this movie, especially the music. A classic that I would rank close up there with Treasure Planet. What makes me sad and kind of ruins the fun after I learned the facts is that the real-life Anastasia was tortured and shot dead by the communists as a child, alongside her whole family. Somehow a legend was born saying that she had gone missing, so dozens of women came forth claiming to be her throughout the decades, but her remains have been found and identified. Rest in peace.

People forget about The Prince of Egypt, Anastasia, Quest for Camelot & The Land Before Time. Love that you love this movie as much as many of us!

I grew up watching this all the time, so I'm shocked when I hear it's "underrated". Same with other underrated animated films like Atlantis: The Lost Empire and Titan AE.