Disney+ removes Anastasia due to contract dispute

The 1997 animated film, Anastasia, has been pulled from Disney+.  Yet, the reasoning behind the US removal has nothing to do with the current Russian/Ukrainian conflict, but rather a contract dispute between Disney and Starz.

In a blog post, first published by What’s On Disney+, the author further elaborated the dispute:

"Unfortunately, this month, the classic animated film from 20th Century Studios, “Anastasia”, has been removed from Disney+ in the United States.   However, the film is still available on Disney+ in other countries.  This removal from Disney+ has nothing to do with the current crisis involving Ukraine and Russia."

Once the dispute is negotiated, Anastasia will return to the Disney streamer.  Just how long the negotiations will take is unclear.  Come Friday, March 18th, the movie will be available on Starz.

The contractual dispute did come at an unfortunate time as it has been reported that Disney has delayed film releases in Russia in response to the invasion.  Pixar’s upcoming movie Turning Red is one of the releases.

Anastasia was produced and created by 20th Century Entertainment and then owned by Fox.  The film was also directed by former Disney animator Don Bluth.  When the Disney Company acquired 20th Century in 2019, the film went with the acquisition.  Naturally, Anastasia became part of the Disney+ catalog in December 2020.

The film’s storyline was loosely based on the mystery of the Grand Duchess Anastasia and whether she died with her family where her father was Czar Nicholas of Russia or escaped the massacre.  In the film, Anastasia-or Anya- is a recovering amnesiac who only wants to remember who she is and where she came from.  With the help, or rather the manipulation of two men, Dimitri and Vladimir, she discovers that she is the last of the Imperial family and has found her place again with her grandmother along with finding love with Dimitri at the end.

Rasputin curses the Romanovs and tries to stop Anastasia from the truth so he can control all of Russia.  His bat sidekick, Bartok, serves as comedic relief to his darkness.

Furthermore, Anastasia was artistically designed by implementing both digital and hand-drawn pieces into the process.  The results were truly breathtaking and became of the film’s most memorable traits.

Anastasia achieved box office success, earning $140 million upon release and attained Oscar nominations for the movie’s soundtrack.

Sadly, and factually, the real Anastasia Romanov was executed with the rest of her family in 1918 by the Bolshevik Army.  For many years, there was a woman by the name of Anna Anderson who claimed that she was the actual Anastasia and became something of a media legend.  Due to DNA testing of all of the Romanov’s remains, and with Anna’s in the early1990s, Anna’s claims were debunked.