Line #30 WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfAnastasia


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/secret_of_anastasia.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:No, not [[WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}} that one.]]]]
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4	''The Secret of Anastasia'' is a 1997 DirectToVideo AnimatedMusical by Creator/UAVEntertainment. It follows the journey of [[DidAnastasiaSurvive the lost Russian princess Anastasia]] to find her family, the Dowager Empress.
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6	Sound familiar? As par the course for UAV, the film is a blatant [[TheMockbuster Mockbuster]] of [[Creator/DonBluth Don Bluth's]] film ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}''. That being said, it ''does'' correct some of the mistakes from Bluth's film (while adding even more of its own). For example, it portrays Anastasia's grandmother as living in her native UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} after the Revolution, as well as pronouncing Anastasia the Russian way (ah-nah-STAH-see-yah). It also doesn't pretend that the UsefulNotes/RussianRevolution was caused by an evil sorcerer's spell.
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9	!!Tropes:
10	* AdaptationalNameChange: Anastasia's sole appearing sister is called Titania, as opposed to Tatiana.
11	* AdaptedOut: This movie only states that Anastasia has one sister (Tatiana), when in RealLife she had two more sisters (Olga and Maria).
12	* AnimatedMusical: One of its songs even managed to [[PrinceCharmless name a trope.]]
13	* AnimateInanimateObject: Anastasia's instruments.
14	* ArrangedMarriage: Anastasia and Prince Paul were engaged to marry one another when they were very little. (He's apparently based on, or at least named for, Prince Paul von Haraldberg, who was Anastasia's DisposableFiance in [[Film/{{Anastasia}} the Ingrid Bergman version]].)
15	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: ZigZagged. While it's still blatantly a work of fantasy, what with the talking musical instruments, not to mention having Anastasia survive at all, this movie actually gets a few details ''right'' that the movie it's ripping off didn't! For example, it doesn't depict the Russian Revolution as being caused by an evil sorcerer.
16	* BalancingDeathsBooks: [[spoiler: The royal family/instruments are able to save Vladimir, but at the cost of having to return to heaven because they revealed their true identities to Anastasia]].
17	* BrattyHalfPint: Accordion[[spoiler:/Alexei]] is the youngest and smallest of the instrument quartet, and is always causing trouble. He's also an AnnoyingYoungerSibling to Cello[[spoiler:/Tatiana]].
18	* BrokenBird: Grandmere has had to deal with so many con artists pretending to be her lost granddaughter that she point blank refuses to entertain the idea that this Anastasia is the real deal. [[spoiler: She comes around after hearing Anastasia sing a song only she would know.]]
19	* CallingTheOldManOut: Or rather, calling the old ''woman'' out. After Grandmere still refuses to believe she's really her granddaughter, a heartbroken Anastasia angrily rants how the older woman has allowed her grief to harden her heart.
20	-->'''Anastasia''': As a child, I cherished your visits to our family, as any child looks forward to a special treat or a new toy. Now I see that you are nothing but a scared old woman. You won't believe because your heart is closed so tightly that you can't feel!
21	* CassandraTruth: Vladimir doesn't believe Anastasia when she claims to be the real princess.
22	* DamselInDistress: Anastasia.
23	* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:After falling into the river, Vladimir lies dying in Anastasia's arms. Her family decide to give up their reincarnate forms to restore his life]].
24	* DisneyVillainDeath: Played with--[[spoiler:Paul[=/=]Cheka falls from a great height, but he doesn't die from it; rather, he dies by drowning in the river he fell into]].
25	* EmoTeen: Cello. She's constantly going on about how her life is pain and how miserable everything is, and [[spoiler: she is eventually revealed to be the teenage Princess Tatiana reincarnated into a musical instrument]].
26	* FourStarBadass: General Vladimir can hold his own in a fight.
27	* GilliganCut: Vladimir refuses to jump off the train with the instruments. A few seconds later, he, Anastasia and the instruments are all in the snow outside.
28	* GracefulLadiesLikePurple:
29	** Anastasia's gown when being presented to Grandmere.
30	** Grandmere herself wears a dress in different shades of purple.
31	* GreenEyedMonster: Vladimir as Anastasia spends time with Paul. Bonus points for actually ''having'' green eyes.
32	* HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection: The film has zero references to communism and makes no mention of the bad guys' ideological leanings, with them only being referred to as the "Secret Police". Really, the closest it gets is naming one of the villains "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheka Cheka]]" and having him wear a red star on his hat.
33	* HighClassGloves: Anastasia wears these when meeting Grandmere and the rest of high society.
34	* HistoricalBeautyUpgrade: Inverted with Nicholas II. In real life, he was pretty good-looking, but this movie's depiction makes him short and chubby.
35	* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Nicholas II is described as "a nice guy once you get to know him." While he was quite personable, he wasn't exactly TheGoodKing like this statement implies.
36	* LimitedAnimation: It's a feature film, but has animation worse than most Saturday morning cartoons.
37	* LostOrphanedRoyalty: Anastasia feels lost and the rest of Russian society [[{{ReportsofMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated}} presumes her to be dead]], she is an orphan [[spoiler: though the souls of her family live on as talking musical instruments]], and she's a Russian Grand Duchess (though inaccurately referred to as a [[GratuitousPrincess princess]]).
38	* MayDecemberRomance: [[spoiler: Vladimir is said to have been a general in the Tsar's army, which would make him notably older than Anastasia, who was only a child when her father was deposed. The two ultimately end up together]].
39	* MiniatureSeniorCitizens: Anastasia's grandmother is noticably shorter than her granddaughter.
40	* MorphicResonance: The musical instruments bear such a strong resemblance to [[spoiler:the members of Anastasia's family]] that many viewers likely guessed their true identities even before TheReveal at the end.
41	* MySisterIsOffLimits: Alexi dismisses both of Anastasia's suitors upon meeting them. He eventually warms up to Vladimir.
42	* OlderHeroVsYoungerVillain: Vladimir was a general in the Tsar's army during Anastasia's youth, while Cheka is apparently closer to Anastasia's age, [[spoiler:having impersonated a young prince she was previously betrothed to]]. The two end up fighting in the climax.
43	* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Vladimir's motivations for helping Anastasia "pose" as a princess... at first, at least.
44	* PrinceCharmless: Paul [[spoiler: A.K.A. Cheka is a rather extreme case. He even gets a song titled with the exact phrase]].
45	* PrincessClassic: Anastasia. Beautiful, innocent, and the daughter of the last Tsar.
46	* PunnyName: Goofenov (goofin' off), the comic relief ButtMonkey.
47	* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Grandmere realizes that Anastasia is the real deal when she hears her singing "In the Sun" - a song which Grandmere ''only'' sang to Anastasia.
48	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Anastasia.
49	* TrainingMontage: "A Princess After All."
50	* UglyGuyHotWife: Tsar Nicholas II is portrayed as short, fat, and balding while his wife Alexandra is a blonde, slim, StatuesqueStunner. In real life Nicholas II was around the same height as Alexandra and still retained a full head of hair.
51	* ViewersAreGoldfish: [[spoiler: Alexei]] is mentioned and addressed by name no less then three times, once in his human form and twice as [[spoiler: the accordion]]. It's possible that the writers were counting on the viewers forgetting the name since the first mention was at the start of the movie and the second two are passed the half-way point and near the end, respectively.
52	* VillainSong: [[spoiler: Prince Paul (A.K.A. Cheka)]] gets one.

Context WesternAnimation / TheSecretOfAnastasia