This time our hosts discuss their first animated feature, Anastasia!

Starring Meg Ryan, John Cusack, and Kelsey Grammer, Anastasia reimagines the story of Anastasia Romanov after her family’s assassination as an animated children’s musical! Tsar Nicholas Romanov and his family are cursed by the evil Rasputin – leading to their deaths. Ten years later, rumors persist that the Grand Duchess Anastasia escaped the fate of the rest of her family. Amnesiac orphan Anya is searching for clues about her past when she meets Dmitri and Vlad, con men working on a scheme to swindle the Dowager Empress Marie out of the reward she has promised to anyone who can return her granddaughter to her. As Dmitri and Vlad train Anya to become royalty, she begins to regain her memories and fall in love. Rasputin realizes Anastasia lives and attempts to complete his curse – but Anya saves her grandmother, Dmitri, and the city of Paris from Rasputin’s destruction.

As usual, our hosts cover a lot of topics, both relevant and odd. Justin and Laura spend a surprisingly long time trying to figure out the correct timeline of St. Petersburg and its many names. They also debate whether or not Anya will become a Disney princess in 2019. The movie’s complete rejection of history and unexplained rules of magic also come up more than once. Laura explains her childhood fascination with the Anastasia legend. She also tries to figure out why Justin is so obsessed with what year movies are made. Finally, in true pop culture fashion, our hosts find a way to connect the movie to both Frozen and Woody Allen scandals.

Next Time

Our next film is the modern Tom Cruise classic, Edge of Tomorrow!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS | Subscription Options