Anastasia (1997) is an animated feature film directed by Don Bluth, and is one of the only two projects that was ever launched from Fox Animation Studios. Because of lack of box office gross, the animation company was forced to shut down, making this film a rare one, for it’s animation style, origin, and non-Disney animated musical that dared to compete with the tail end of the Disney Renaissance. In a bright, colorful, and beautifully animated design, Anastasia is the story of the lost princess of the Romanoff family that was attacked and betrayed by Rasputin, in early 1900’s Russia. Over the course of the film, she tries to find her identity and family in a fun-filled journey. Along the journey, she crosses paths with a con-man from Saint Petersburg, a palace guard, and finally, finds herself in her rightful place with her grandmother in the great Russian palace she was robbed of in her childhood in the massacre of 1918. The film itself is a masterpiece of western animation, and has a heavy focus of costume design that give the characters multiple dimensions against beautiful painted backgrounds. Through intricately designed costumes for each animated character, Anastasia brings audiences from all around the world on a journey to the past.
To begin, Anya’s character (voiced by Meg Ryan) has multiple different costumes throughout the film that display her situation, and progression to her social status that she was given through birth right (commoner to royalty) in the story. The very first outfit we see her in, which is a tattered trench coat, old purple scarf, news boy cap, and boots, easily demonstrates low status. After the Romanoff palace was attacked by Rasputin’s (voiced by Christopher Lloyd) doing in 1918, Anya lost all memory of her identity, and was placed into an orphanage, unable to pick and choose clothes based on style; anything she wore during this time in her life, was practical, and to keep her warm in the low temperatures of Russia. While her outfit seems ridiculous to the layman, it certainly provides the insight and understanding that she didn’t grow up in a society that valued materialistic things, but rather, had a focus of survival. She sports this costume in the first solo number of the film, “Journey to the Past.”
When Anya leaves the orphanage, she joins ranks with an unlikely con man, Dimitri (voiced by John Cusack) and a retired palace guard, Vlad, (voiced by Kelsey Grammer) to try and bring her back to her family. The only clue they have is Anya’s necklace, which directs the trio to Paris. The necklace Anya wears, being crafted of fine jewels and metallurgy, juxtaposes her common, unflattering clothing, and foreshadows her much more royal upbringing. Through these items of clothing, it allows the audience to understand the intentional mise en scène of the film. It conveys class standing of individuals. Alongside that, it also represents the time period of the movie, in industrial Russia of the early 1900s. Combining both desires to accurately display the historical attire, and social aesthetic, the director and animation design team intentionally use the costumes of the piece to continue progressing Anya’s character in her journey to the past.
Dimitri, out of a simultaneous attempt to make Anya look more presentable for the Grand Duchess, and to, in a way, win her affection, he buys her a nice blue dress that she can use to replace her rather embarrassing, hand-me-down outfit we first see her in as an adult in the film. (“Learn to Do It”) This first outfit change, as depicted in the chronological reality of the film, allows us to visually watch Anya’s character progress and upgrade, as she gets closer and closer to being reunited with her family, and discovering her who truly is.
Another costume Anya has in the film, is when she is finally reunited with her Grandma (voiced by Angela Lansbury) and cousin, Sophie (voiced by Bernadette Peters) in Paris. Once she passes many tests, and questions that confirm her identity as the lost Romanoff princess, she is invited to a night out in Paris, (in the musical number, “Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart”) and to the Russian ballet. Now that she has plenty of access to expensive things, she wears a very flattering, extravagant navy dress that is clearly tailored with excellence. This allows the audience to understand that Anya is making the transition to Anya’s higher status as a grand duchess of Russia, by upgrading her outfits throughout the film.
The final costume we see Anya in, is when she has reclaimed her identity as Princess Anastasia, Grand Duchess of Russia. Though this is not the first time we’ve seen the brilliant gold dress with a blue sash, and diamond crown, seeing her in this dress outside of a dream or her imagination, her royal status is further confirmed. In the musical number, “Once Upon a December”, we see a preview of this dress, which in essence, suggests that this is what Anya would be wearing if the palace was never attacked when she was a child. The high quality and stunning beauty of the dress provide a visual finale in essence, that accompany Anya’s belonging, and success in accomplishing the goal she set out for; to find her past. All these intentional choices in costume change progress the story of the lost princess in a visually stunning motion picture.
Throughout the film, through excellent and unique animation, and carefully planned character designs, Anya’s journey to the past is depicted through the visual aid of her changing costumes that create a colorful guide that delivers her character from point a to point b. From a lost orphan in a tattered coat and scrapped together winter gear, she ends the film in a beautiful and extraordinary golden ball gown, complete with dazzling jewels and intricate designs, along with a crown that compliments her grace, spirit, and confirms her royal status that she was given by birth. The animators very clearly transitioned each segment of the story with costume changes, all with a connotation that is a shift towards maturity, growth, and realization. Her identity as the lost princess of Russia is reclaimed, and further emphasized in the increased pleasing aesthetic of her character’s costuming design.
Sources:
Anastasia. Dir. Don Bluth. Perf. Meg Ryan and John Cusack. Fox Animation Studios, 1997.Internet Movie Database. Web. 15 Jan. 2015. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118617/?ref_=nv_sr_1>.
Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan . Trans. Array Looking At Movies Fourth Edition. . Fourth Edition W.W. Norton & Co., 2012. Print.