History Trivia / Anastasia

** Creator/JohnnyDepp and Creator/RobertDowneyJr. were both considered for Dimitri. Depp balked at the offer, considering cartoon roles beneath him ([[WesternAnimation/CorpseBride which proved to be]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Rango}} rather rich]] [[HilariousInHindsight in hindsight]]), while the producers had misgivings about casting Downey considering his reputation at the time (given this was still over a decade before his big [[Film/IronMan comeback]]).

* MissingTrailerScene: A scene in the trailer of Bartok doing a karate chop as a throwaway joke. It becomes a BrickJoke in ''WesternAnimation/BartokTheMagnificent''.

** Creator/PeterOToole was the first choice for Rasputin, but they cast Creator/ChristopherLloyd based off his connection to ''Film/BackToTheFuture''. Other actors considered include Creator/PatrickStewart, Creator/JonathanPryce, and Creator/TimCurry.

** Creator/RickJones voices Czar Nicolas II as well as some minor characters.

* DawsonCasting: The 36-year-old Creator/MegRyan voices Anya at 18, both Kirsten Dunst and Lacey Chabert were 15 voicing and singing (respectively) her at 8, and the 31-year-old John Cusack voices 20-year-old Dimitri.

* CelebrityVoiceActor:
** The film managed to snag several big-name actors of the '90s: Creator/BernadettePeters, Creator/JohnCusack, Creator/KelseyGrammer, Creator/MegRyan, Creator/AngelaLansbury, Creator/HankAzaria, and Creator/ChristopherLloyd.
** A double dose for the young Anastasia: Creator/KirstenDunst as her young speaking voice and Creator/LaceyChabert for her young singing voice.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/{{Anastasia}} The most compared to the other Don Bluth movies]].

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/Anastasia The most compared to the other Don Bluth movies]].

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** The early drafts followed the historical events more accurately before producers decided the real history was too dark for a children's film. The composers were surprised when they went down this road - and their stage musical adaptation is closer to their original vision.
** Dimitri was originally named Philippe.
** In the film, Rasputin's reason for being evil is never really explained - he's briefly described as being a "fraud" and a "traitor", but nothing else - and it's the Tsar's attempt to expel him from court that leads to him swearing vengeance against the entire Romanov line. In the original drafts of the story, Rasputin only became evil after the relatives of the Tsar made an assassination attempt against his life - [[RasputinianDeath which historically killed him]] - and he swore vengeance after mistakenly assuming the Tsar had arranged it. His VillainSong still refers to the royals having "betrayed" him.
** Rasputin also didn't drown and end up in limbo in these drafts; instead, he escaped to the countryside in a traveling wagon, and only returned when he realized that Anastasia was still alive.
** Before Rasputin was chosen as the villain, Don Bluth had ideas for a fictional police chief who had a personal vendetta against Anastasia herself. This character eventually [[AdaptedOut took Rasputin's place]] in [[Theatre/{{Anastasia}} the stage version]].
** Vlad and Sophie were originally supposed to be dancing together in the opening scene, giving a greater insight as to how they know each other, and how they're connected to Anastasia's family.
** There were more characters planned, mostly animal-based, such as a cat and mouse duo named [[http://ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external;jsessionid=C13BDD522F2C2D43A2926CD48E8CDA0B?lang=eng&sp=1002204&sp=T&sp=1&suite=def Masha and Jean-Claude (the latter named Vladimir at one point)]] and a rat partner for Bartok named [[http://ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external;jsessionid=C13BDD522F2C2D43A2926CD48E8CDA0B?lang=eng&sp=1002239&sp=T&sp=1&suite=def Rodan]].
** Rasputin at one point had more menacing [[http://ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external;jsessionid=C13BDD522F2C2D43A2926CD48E8CDA0B?lang=eng&sp=1002244&sp=T&sp=1&suite=def minions]] and [[http://ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external;jsessionid=C13BDD522F2C2D43A2926CD48E8CDA0B?lang=eng&sp=1002243&sp=T&sp=1&suite=def monsters]] but they're labeled as Obsolete. These were possibly meant for the "In the Dark of the Night" VillainSong.
** Had Don Bluth not chosen this script, he would have made an animated version of ''Theatre/MyFairLady,'' or possibly a MUCH BETTER version of ''Theatre/TheKingAndI'' – [[WesternAnimation/TheKingAndI not like this one]]. Another choice he considered was an animated ''Theatre/AnnieGetYourGun''.
** Liz Callaway was only brought in to record some demos, hoping to land a "background vocals" slot. Producers liked her songs so much, some of them were used in the final film - and she became the singing voice of Anastasia.
** Creator/PeterOToole was the first choice for Rasputin, but they cast Creator/ChristopherLloyd based off his connection to ''Film/BackToTheFuture''. Other actors considered include Creator/PatrickStewart, Creator/JonathanPryce, and Creator/TimCurry.
** Bartok was written for Creator/WoodyAllen to play but they were reluctant to offer it to him after his abuse accusations came out. Creator/MartinShort was also considered.
** Creator/JohnnyDepp and Creator/RobertDowneyJr. were both considered for Dimitri. Depp balked at the offer, considering cartoon roles beneath him ([[WesternAnimation/CorpseBride which proved to be]] [[WesternAnimation/{{Rango}} rather rich]] [[HilariousInHindsight in hindsight]]), while the producers had misgivings about casting Downey considering his reputation at the time (given this was still over a decade before his big [[Film/IronMan comeback]]).
** Anya was going to be seen riding a bicycle during "Journey To The Past", but the idea was abandoned because the writers realized she hadn't begun her journey yet - and was only on the cusp of it.
** The various movie storybooks, which presumably reflect an earlier screenplay, all seem to imply that Anastasia and her grandmother will never meet again after she elopes with Dimitri. Empress Marie's words of encouragement to her granddaughter are "Whatever you choose, I will always hold you in my heart" instead of "...we will always have each other," Anya's farewell letter lacks "We'll be together in Paris soon," and Marie's subsequent dialogue with Sophie has the latter lamenting that they're losing Anastasia again when it seems like just yesterday they found her, to which Marie replies "At least we had that yesterday. She has her tomorrow." Presumably, the filmmakers realized that this would make the ending too [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]] and make the audience lose sympathy with Anya for abandoning her grandmother, so the scenes were rewritten to make it clear that she and Marie will still be in contact and that Marie and Sophie are happy for her.
** The movie storybooks also contain a penultimate action sequence before the confrontation with Rasputin on the bridge, where the topiary animals in the French royal garden come to life and chase after Anya and Pooka.
** At one point, instead of a dog, Pooka was an [[http://ecollections.scad.edu/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?lang=eng&sp=1002209&sp=T&sp=1&suite=def orphaned wolf pup]].
** Some early drafts of the screenplay had [[spoiler: Dimitri be the one to kill Rasputin in the end]], but eventually it was decided to [[spoiler: avert the "boy rescues girl" cliché and have Anya defeat Rasputin herself.]]

* NonSingingVoice: Liz Callaway sings for Creator/MegRyan as Anya. Creator/LaceyChabert sings for Creator/KirstenDunst as the young Anya. Jonathan Dokuchitz sings for Creator/JohnCusack as Dimitri. Creator/JimCummings sings for Christopher Lloyd as Rasputin.

** Creator/KelseyGrammer and Creator/ChristopherLloyd (both American) as Vlad and Rasputin, who are Russian. Creator/RickJones (Canadian) also voices [[ActingForTwo both]] Tsar Nicholas (with accent), one of the revolutionary soldiers (unaccented) and a ticket agent (using a blatant [[FakeAmerican Brooklyn accent]]).

** Creator/KelseyGrammer and Creator/ChristopherLloyd (both American) as Vlad and Rasputin, who are Russian. Creator/RickJones (Canadian) also voices [[ActingForTwo both]] Tsar Nicholas (with accent) and one of the revolutionary soldiers that attacks Anastasia (without accent).

** Creator/KelseyGrammer and Creator/ChristopherLloyd (both American) as Vlad and Rasputin, who are Russian. Creator/RickJones (Canadian) also voices [[ActingForTwo both]] Tsar Nicholas and one of the revolutionary soldiers who attacks Anastasia.

** Creator/KelseyGrammer and Creator/ChristopherLloyd (both American) as Vlad and Rasputin, who are Russian. Creator/RickJones (Canadian) also voices the Russian Tsar Nicholas.

** Creator/KelseyGrammer and Creator/ChristopherLloyd (both American) as Vlad and Rasputin, who are Russian. Rick Jones (Canadian) also voices the Russian Tsar Nicholas.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: At the time that the movie was being made, the BBC had already adapted the stage play to their Sunday Night Theatre series in 1953, it had been preserved on Kinescope but since Fox now owned the rights the BBC had to destroy the recording, however the Head of BBC Drama Michael Barry hid it in the Archives were it was rediscovered in 2004 and in 2015 the restored tape was screened by the BFI.