1997: Anastasia

: DNA testing in the early 1990s and 2000s eventually confirmed that all members of the Romanov family, including Anastasia, perished in Yekaterinburg.

The film treats this tragedy as a prologue, swiftly moving from the siege of the palace to a fantasy adventure. We meet a young girl named Anya, an amnesiac orphan living in St. Petersburg (now Leningrad) in the grim post-revolution era. She dreams of a past she cannot remember, represented only by a necklace that reads "Together in Paris." Anastasia 1997

The narrative structure is classic storytelling. It is a road-trip movie, a mystery, and a romance all wrapped into one. The stakes are raised by the supernatural villain, Rasputin. In a creative divergence from history, Rasputin is recast not just as a mad monk, but as an undead sorcerer who sold his soul to destroy the Romanovs. His curse is the reason the family fell, and his continued survival in limbo serves as the antagonist force hunting Anya across Europe. : DNA testing in the early 1990s and

: The primary antagonist is a fictionalized, undead version of Rasputin, who places a curse on the Romanov line. Musical Highlights Petersburg (now Leningrad) in the grim post-revolution era

In the sprawling landscape of the 1990s animated musical, two titans dominated the box office: Disney’s Renaissance era (from The Little Mermaid to Tarzan ) and the scrappy, upstart DreamWorks SKG. But nestled in the shadow of Hercules (1997) and The Lion King re-releases, one film dared to do something radical. It traded talking animals and fairy godmothers for the Russian Revolution, Rasputin, and a heroine with amnesia.

Seeking a ticket to Paris and answers to her past, she teams up with two con men: the dashing but cynical Dimitri and his comedic partner Vladimir. They are holding auditions for a look-alike to impersonate the Grand Duchess Anastasia to claim a reward from the Dowager Empress Marie. Unbeknownst to them, Anya is the real deal.