Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical drama film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman in association with Fox Animation Studios, distributed by 20th Century Fox, and starring the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Hank Azaria, Christopher Lloyd, Bernadette Peters, Kirsten Dunst, and Angela Lansbury.[3] It is an alternate history film loosely based on rumors that Grand Duchess Anastasia escaped the execution of her family. Its plot follows an eighteen-year-old amnesiac Anastasia "Anya" who, hoping to find some trace of her family, sides with con men who wish to take advantage of her likeness to the Grand Duchess, with Grigori Rasputin as the main antagonist; thus the film shares its plot with Fox's prior film from 1956, which, in turn, was based on the 1954 play of the same name by Marcelle Maurette. Anastasia premiered at New York City on November 14, 1997, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 21. The film was positively received by many critics and audiences, who praised the animation, themes, characters, voice performances, and the soundtrack, though it was criticized by some historians for its fantastical retelling of the life of the Grand Duchess. From a $50-million budget, Anastasia grossed over $139 million worldwide, making it the most profitable film from Bluth and Fox Animation Studios. It received nominations for several awards, including for Best Original Song ("Journey to the Past") and Best Original Musical or Comedy Score at the 70th Academy Awards. The success of Anastasia spawned various adaptations of the film into other media, including a direct-to-video spin-off film, a computer game,[4] books, toys and a stage musical, which premiered in 2016.[5][6] Due to the creation of Fox Animation Studios, Anastasia was the first 20th Century Fox animated feature to be produced by its own animation division 20th Century Fox Animation.