In the Age of Live-Action Remakes, I’m Begging Disney to Leave “Anastasia” Alone

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably aware that Disney’s 2025 live-action remake of Snow White has been the PR disaster to end all PR disasters. The Snow White controversy started long before the film hit theaters in March 2025. In September 2022, stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot attended the D23 Expo to promote the film, and to say it didn’t go well would be a massive understatement.

When asked how they were bringing a “modern edge” to the classic film, Zegler infamously answered, “I just mean that it’s no longer 1937.” After Gadot chimed in with, “she’s not going to be saved by the prince,” Zegler continued, “She’s not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming of true love. She’s dreaming about the leader she knows she can be. The leader that her late father told her she could be if she was ‘fearless, fair, brave, and true.’ It’s just an incredible story for young people everywhere to see themselves in.”

The backlash from this interview (and other comments Zegler made at the D23 Expo) allegedly caused filmmakers to conduct major reshoots, shifting the film’s initial release from March 2024 to March 2025. Audiences were upset for many reasons. The first was how much the film was going to deviate from the original story, and the other was the girlbossification of Snow White. There’s an unfortunate (and arguably misogynistic) belief that wanting romance makes you weak and that feminine strength is inferior to masculine strength. Feminine strength makes so many Disney Princesses, like the original Snow White, compelling characters. In short, it felt like a slap in the face to the original film that put Disney on the map in 1937.

Unnecessary changes aside, it doesn’t help that Zegler is basically a real-life version of Rachel Berry from Glee. From inserting her political opinions into a promotional tweet for Snow White to wishing half of the country to “never know peace” post-election, it’s safe to say she’s a polarizing figure. Her behavior not only allegedly caused drama with the filmmakers, but her divisive nature and holier-than-thou attitude put a scarlet letter on the film long before its release.

To the surprise of literally no one, the film was a critic and commercial flop, so much so that Disney has put a pause on their upcoming live-action remake of Tangled. Controversy and Disney live-action remakes seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Despite this recent flop, Disney is more than likely to continue to capitalize on this trend, but there is one movie that I pray they’ll never revisit, and that’s Anastasia.

What Is Anastasia About?

For the uninitiated, Anastasia is a 1997 animated film that tells a fictionalized version of the Romanov family murders and the rumors that the youngest daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia, survived the massacre (unfortunately, DNA evidence proves that there were no survivors of the infamous murders). It’s also partially inspired by Anastasia’s most famous impostor, Anna Anderson, who inspired the 1956 film Anastasia, which earned Ingrid Bergman her second Oscar for Best Actress.

The story opens with an 8-year-old Anastasia fleeing the Russian Revolution, only to suffer from amnesia after she falls and hits her head. Ten years later, 18-year-old “Anya” has no knowledge of her past other than a locket that says “Together in Paris.” In St. Petersburg, she meets a con man named Dimitri who convinces her that she could be the Grand Duchess and convinces her to go along with his scam to convince Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna that he found her long-lost granddaughter in exchange for ten million rubles. Since she’s determined to get to Paris to try to find her family, she agrees.

As they travel, Anya and Dimitri bicker, but her personality helps charm Dimitri’s friend and former nobleman, Vlad. As Anya learns about Grand Duchess Anastasia, her memories slowly start to come back. During a meeting with the Dowager Empress’ lady-in-waiting, Anya tells the story of how she was able to escape the palace because a kitchen boy helped her and her grandmother. Since Dimitri was the kitchen boy, he realizes not only that Anya was the real Grand Duchess, but that he’d fallen in love with her.

At a ballet, Dimitri tries to convince the Dowager Empress that he’s found the real Grand Duchess Anastasia. Tired of being conned by grifters pretending to be her beloved granddaughter, she calls out Dimitri for being a con man, which Anya overhears. After Anya storms out, Dimitri convinces the Dowager Empress to meet with Anya, who tearfully reunites with her granddaughter.

Satisfied with helping Anya find her real family and returning the real Grand Duchess to the Dowager Empress, Dimitri turns down the monetary reward that initially led him to introduce Anya to the Dowager Empress to return to St. Petersburg. At a ball, the Dowager Empress tells Anya (now Anastasia) that Dimitri turned down the money, leading her to realize she’s in love with him. They reunite and elope, leading to a perfect ending, or as the Dowager Empress says, “a perfect beginning.”

In the love story’s background, the evil Rasputin places a curse on the Romanov family, selling his soul to destroy them. When Anastasia survives, he’s in limbo for a decade and tries to kill Anastasia multiple times before rising from the dead to kill her in person. When he tries to attack her, Dimitri comes to rescue her, but Anastasia saves Dimitri. It’s a wildly unhinged plotline, but it’s also part of what makes the movie a masterpiece—especially when you realize Rasputin wasn’t just a fictional villain, but a real historical figure who was arguably even darker in real life. Sure, he didn’t have magical powers, but he did manipulate the Romanov family at one of their most vulnerable moments.

The film’s success inspired a 2016 Broadway musical, which eliminates the fantasy elements of the plot and Rasputin by making the villain a Bolshevik guard. Other than some additional songs and a few minor changes to Dimitri’s backstory, the musical is a close adaptation of the iconic film.

What Makes Anastasia Great

Casting, Characters, and Romance

Like many animated films made in the ‘90s, Anastasia has an all-star cast. Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria, Kirsten Dunst, Bernadette Peters, and the iconic Angela Lansbury star in the film.

While I’d argue that every character is cast well, nobody could have played the Dowager Empress as well as Angela Lansbury. Fresh off her success as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, her familiar voice adds a sense of grandmotherly warmth to the character, making her both likable and easy to root for. Even though viewers know it’s coming, it’s hard not to get emotional when she tearfully realizes she’s finally reunited with her beloved granddaughter.

While the writers do a flawless job of weaving the real Anastasia’s vivacious personality into the story, Meg Ryan adds the spunk and wit that make her the perfect protagonist, and John Cusack plays the perfect romantic lead. The casting of Ryan and Cusack as Anastasia and Dimitri suggests that they were going for a rom-com vibe for the romance aspect of the film, and it’s safe to say that they delivered. The film begins with them as children, and Dimitri is so awed by Anastasia that he risks his life to save hers.

Ten years later, he’s a jaded con man determined to swindle the Dowager Empress. Anastasia’s charming sense of humor no longer works on him, leading to a strong enemies-to-lovers dynamic. While they begin to develop feelings for each other as they travel, his feelings are solidified when he realizes she’s the real Grand Duchess Anastasia. This culminates in the iconic, Titanic-esque scene at the ballet where Dimitri is speechless when he sees her in her evening gown at the top of the stairs. Anastasia’s growing feelings for Dimitri only make the betrayal of him originally using her as part of a con hurt even more, but it also makes their reconciliation even sweeter when she saves him from Rasputin’s wrath.

While one can argue that the enemies-to-lovers trope in romantic media isn’t always healthy, there’s something about Anastasia and Dimitri’s romance that tug on the heartstrings of even the biggest cynic.

The Music

Other than it being an animated musical film about a princess, one of the main reasons many believe Anastasia is a Disney film (even though Disney acquired Fox in 2020, making Anastasia an unofficial Disney Princess) is because the soundtrack is as good as a Disney Renaissance film. The songs are not only well done, but they all move the plot forward and make it both entertaining and engaging. “A Rumor in St. Petersburg” perfectly sets up the plot while updating viewers on what has happened since Anastasia’s accident. We learn of the rumors of her survival, Dimitri and Vlad’s plan to con the Dowager Empress, and how even though the people of the city are suffering from the effects of the Revolution, they live for the gossip of Anastasia’s possible survival.

“Journey to the Past” is so interesting that I'd argue it's in the same league as classic “I want” songs from the Disney Renaissance, like “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid and “Reflection” from Mulan. The hauntingly beautiful “Once Upon a December” shows Anya remembering her past as she enters her family's old palace, the ghosts of her family greeting her before Dimitri and Vlad find her.

The rest of the songs don’t pack as much of a punch, but they still serve their purpose and move the plot forward. “In the Dark of the Night” is an eerie, creepy villain song that introduces us to some of Rasputin’s motives, “Learn to Do It” is a My Fair Lady-style number where Anya learns the ins and outs of royalty, and “Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart” introduces her to her new world after leaving Russia for the first time.

Animation and Attention to Historical Detail

From featuring one of Anastasia's real-life drawings to portraits of Tsar Nicholas II being sold at a bazaar, I could write a dissertation on how the animation in this film does such a wonderful job with historical detail. For the sake of this article (and my sanity), I've narrowed it down to the three musical numbers that showcase it best.

“A Rumor in St. Petersburg” not only captures the chaos and economic instability of post-revolutionary Russia, but also beautifully illustrates the unique architecture of the city. From the snow falling to the synchronized dance moves of the characters, this musical number is any animation lover’s dream come true.

The ballroom where Anya performs “Once Upon a December” resembles some ballrooms of imperial palaces in St. Petersburg, but also illustrates all Anya has lost. The ghosts escaping the portraits to dance at a ball represent the nobility, the three young women who greet her like an old friend are her sisters, and she shares a dance with the ghost of her father before he kisses her on the forehead. While all of these images are heartbreakingly beautiful, nothing captures historical detail quite like Anastasia's brother, Alexei, walking with a limp, one of the many side effects he experienced because he suffered from hemophilia.

“Paris Holds the Key to Your Heart” showcases iconic Parisian landmarks and also features cameos of notable figures from the city’s 1920s artistic movement, like Maurice Chevalier, Josephine Baker, and Isadora Duncan. The style of animation further pays homage to famous French painters like Claude Monet and Georges Seurat.

Anastasia Doesn’t Need to Be “Modernized”

The problem many fans have with Disney live-action remakes is how they try to “modernize” classic characters. While I’d argue that the live-action remakes of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin did a decent job at trying to add more depth to their female heroines while remaining true to the original story, the only film to execute this perfectly was the 2015 version of Cinderella.

Cinderella worked because it expanded on its source material to add more depth to both the characters and the plot without making drastic changes. The story is even more romantic than the original, the visuals are stunning, and the performances by Lily James as Cinderella and Richard Madden as Prince Kit are to die for. It’s safe to say that Disney struck gold with this film, and they have yet to recreate that magic. While part of me hopes they can recapture that magic again, the direction Snow White took has mostly crushed any nostalgic optimism I had left.

While there’s a chance Disney might learn from the missteps of “modernizing” Snow White too much, we’ll have to wait and see—especially as live-action projects like Tangled and Hercules inch toward production. I want to stay hopeful, but I’m not holding my breath.

While there have been no discussions of a live-action Anastasia, it’s only a matter of time before the cycle of nostalgia demands it. The 2016 Broadway musical did a perfect job of expanding the story without changing too much of the original, and that's why fans love it. While some argue that it would be cool to see a live-action version of the stage musical, I’d argue that the story won’t translate well from stage to film. The use of this medium allows Anastasia’s past to come into the story by literally walking on the stage and appearing as ghosts through the lighting, and that’s something film can’t recreate. Unfortunately, Wicked is the exception to the rule of movie musicals, for many are destined to flop like Cats and Dear Evan Hansen.

I’m probably biased, but I’d argue that Anastasia is a near-perfect film. This brings me back to a conversation I had with a high school friend when the Mean Girls remake/musical adaptation came out last year. She put our frustration with the film into four simple yet perfect words: “You can’t remake perfection.” The new Mean Girls tried to recreate the magic of the original film by setting it in modern times and adding musical numbers, but it failed because it lacked the soul of the original film. Films like Anastasia and Mean Girls have stood the test of time because they make the audience feel something by tugging on their heartstrings. Anastasia attempts to correct a historical tragedy by trying to give her a happily-ever-after, and Mean Girls humanizes some of the most elusive high school archetypes that we all know in film and real life with a touch of humor. Both films go to show that some things are so well done that they should be left as they are.

If audiences want more of Anastasia’s story, they could take time to learn about the real Grand Duchess Anastasia or watch films about her, like the 1971 masterpiece Nicholas and Alexandra. The film not only tells her parents’ love story but shows the beautiful relationship that Anastasia shared with her family, making the ending all the more tragic. If Hollywood insists on telling her story again, they should focus on telling her real story instead of recreating a highly fictionalized version of her life.

Disney could very well remake the 1997 film, and they’ll likely try to “modernize” her by changing the essence of her character to suit a political or social agenda, but there’s something important that sets Anastasia apart from her fictional peers. Unlike Snow White, Grand Duchess Anastasia was a real person. She had hopes and dreams that were tragically cut short by a Bolshevik’s bullet. She was loved and loved others, and her legacy is still felt around the world as the consequences of the Russian Revolution still affect us through communism and Putin’s tyranny. If her story is to be told, her true personality deserves to be honored, and it's done well in both the 1997 animated film and the 2016 musical. She's proof that you can be tough, bold, funny, friendly, loyal, and loving at the same time. To “modernize” her for a political or social agenda would be an insult to not only the young woman she was, but the woman she could have been.