Bartok the Magnificent
Tags: psychedelic

Plot synopsis:
Russia is being terrorized by an evil witch known as Baba Yaga (Andrea Martin), and the only one who is not afraid of her is Bartok the Magnificent (Hank Azaria). Bartok, an albino bat, has just arrived in Moscow and is impressing everyone with his performances, including Prince Ivan (Phillip Van Dyke). However, Ivan's advisor, Ludmila (Catherine O'Hara), finds Bartok annoying and naive, and she tries to make a Cossack stop his performance. After Bartok's show, a bear suddenly attacks. Bartok saves everyone by stunning the bear, knocking it over, and trapping it in a wagon.
Delighted with Bartok's bravery, everyone around him rewards him with gold, including Prince Ivan, who gives him a royal red ring, much to the displeasure of Ludmilla, who reminds him that the ring is only for members of the Romanov family, not commoners. She asks that he take the ring back, but Ivan disagrees, saying it is time for a change. Ludmilla, seeing that she cannot dissuade him, reluctantly allows it and they leave. When Ludmilla expresses that she is upset that Ivan has given a ring to a commoner, especially a street performer, Ivan retorts that that was his intention, and his friend Vol (Diedrich Bader) agrees that Bartok was funny. Ludmilla, on the other hand, believes that Ivan needs to respect his duty to the crown, which incites Ivan, who is tired of listening to her, to say that he will do as he pleases and it is she who must respect the crown.
Meanwhile, Bartok is counting the money he received when the bear wakes up and scares him. It turns out Bartok's amazing rescue was just another act - the bear is Zozi (Kelsey Grammer), Bartok's business partner. Zozi is apprehensive about Ivan's ring and agrees with Ludmilla, that the ring should be returned. Bartok stubbornly refuses to give it back since it was a gift.
Back in Moscow, Ivan is kidnapped by Baba Yaga, which leads to an immediate investigation. Ludmilla finds one of Baba Yaga's iron teeth, and she informs the people what has transpired. When she asks for someone brave enough to rescue Prince Ivan, two children (Kelly Marie Berger and Zachary B. Charles) nominate Bartok. Bartok and Zozi are on their way to St. Petersburg when Zozi spots the Cossacks coming after them. The pair become worried because they assume that Ludmilla wants Ivan's ring returned. Bartok tries to conceal his identity, but he is brought before the people, who explain that Ivan has been taken by Baba Yaga, and that they are relying on him to rescue their prince. Bartok reluctantly accepts, and he and Zozi head to the Iron Forest to confront Baba Yaga and save Prince Ivan.
They find Baba Yaga's hut, but must answer a riddle given by a giant skull (Tim Curry) to enter. When the riddle is answered, Baba Yaga successfully captures Bartok and explains that to save Ivan, Bartok must gather three items from the forest without any help from Zozi, or they'll "both die": Piloff, Oblie's Crown, and the Magic Feather. However, these tasks are very hard, for Piloff (Jennifer Tilly) is frozen to a boulder, Oblie (French Stewart), a giant blacksmith surrounded by an aura of fire, must be tricked into letting his crown be stolen, and the magic feather must be obtained without flight, using only the boulder Piloff was stuck to and Oblie's crown. He gathers the objects demanded, but Baba Yaga still needs something from Bartok himself. He offers everything he can think of, but Baba Yaga rejects everything and bursts out laughing. Bartok, outraged, begins to yell, and he upsets Baba Yaga by accusing her of lying and cheating, and claiming that everyone hates her.
After he apologizes to her, he starts crying and Baba gets the most important ingredient: tears which are from Bartok's heart. She makes a magic potion from the items she had Bartok collect and reveals that she never took Prince Ivan and that the potion she made was meant for Bartok himself. Baba Yaga explains that when Bartok drinks the potion, whatever he is in his heart will show ten times in his exterior. Bartok and Zozi return to town and lead Ludmilla and Vol up to the top of the tower where Ivan is imprisoned.
When they arrive, Ludmilla locks Bartok and Vol up with Ivan and reveals she had Vol kidnap the prince (telling him to "get him out of the way" as in kill him, while Vol misunderstood and locked him up, supposedly for his own safety) while she framed Baba Yaga as part of her scheme to forcibly seize the Russian throne. She steals Bartok's magic potion and leaves Bartok, Ivan, and Vol trapped in a well tower filling up with water. She drinks it, believing her beauty will become tenfold, singing "The Real Ludmilla Comes Out" as she descends the tower, gleefully boasting that she will be unstoppable. Unbeknownst to her, the potion causes her to steadily transform into an enormous dragon as it is what she is on the inside.
Upon this discovery, Ludmilla goes on a rampage through Moscow, setting many buildings alight with her newly acquired fire breath ability. Zozi then comes to the rescue, saving Bartok, Vol, and the Prince. Bartok battles Ludmilla and tricks her into climbing the tower. When she gets to the top, the tower starts to become unstable and causes the top of the tower to fall, flooding the streets and dousing the flames. As the townspeople gather around Ludmilla's dead body, Zozi reveals that Bartok is a true hero, not only because he stopped Ludmilla, but because he had showed Baba Yaga compassion. Bartok returns Ivan's ring and Baba Yaga appears, writing "Bartok, The Magnificent" in the sky. Bartok gives Baba Yaga a goodbye hug as she and Piloff depart, counting on seeing Bartok again.

Review: This film, about a circus bat in Russia, off to save the prince from the "evil" Baba Yaga, will no doubt have a great appeal on children.
It is sure to entertain them and they will be likely to sing and dance along with it as soon as they know the words of the songs.As an older person, such as a grown-up or teenager, this film may fall flat on its face.
It is quite babyish and the animation - including the backgrounds, could possibly do with a little bit more work.
However, this film is likely to entertain the older anyway.
One thing that can be said happily, is that they use a very English actor to voice - not a baddie - but a goodie, a thing which many American films do not have (including "The Lion King")!
In this follow-up to ANASTASIA, the title character (and most of the others) are gone, so I can only suppose that BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT portrays the future of the Romanoff family (Prince Ivan looks like he could be Dimitri's grandson or something).
Bartok, after the demise of Rasputin, now works in his own two-man circus act that reinacts his fictitious heroic deeds.
After Prince Ivan is kidnapped by the evil witch Baba Yaga, the gullible people of Moscow force Bartok (whom they totally believe to be the real McCoy) and his supposedly dead bear friend, Zozi, to rescue him from the evil witch.When I first saw this on the shelf, I was dismayed.
Thankfully, my fears were dispelled as soon as I heard and saw the opening sequence telling the tale of Baba Yaga.
The animation is smooth, flowing, and the lip-synching actually works.
The voice of Kelsey Grammer for Zozi fits like Mickey's glove; you can tell Zozi is Frasier.
The story isn't quite as poignant as ANASTASIA: this time 'round, Bluth and co.
have opted for a comedy in the form of BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT.
If you liked ANASTASIA, certainly watch BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT, if you didn't like ANASTASIA, watch it anyway!
Bartok originally seen in Anastasia goes on a quest against his natural inclinations to save the Russian Prince..
As an earlier commentator noted, "Bartok the Magnificent" is a prequel to "Anastasia".
I guess animated bats live for a REALLY long time.
But if you are going to quibble about dates then just what will you say about the existence of talking bears, musical witches and a huge animated riddle asking skulljust go with it.
For all the sequential fuzziness, I find this film a real joy.The voice talents of Kelsey Grammar as the Russian Dancing (and classical theater loving) bear Zozi is wonderful as are also Tim Curry's, as the Huge Talking Skul and Jennifer Tilly's role as Piloff.
Whatever she is, Tilly's voice makes her seems gentle and funny (and a little ditsy but in an attractive kind of way) while also being impervious to whatever Bartok does to get her off the bolder (and a strange looking bolder it is toolooks more like a construction girder) as demanded by Baba Yaga.
Indestructible gentle femininity is a good thing.
Of course Bartok (voiced by Hank Azaria) is himself a hoot.
Also Kelsey Grammar's voice in song is as full of life and warm as is his speaking voice.
Both the video and the DVD comes with the songs separate with sing along lyrics--nice touch..
Best Animated Feature I've Seen In A Long Time!.
I just finished watching Bartok and I must say I was thoroughly impressed.
This movie had all the ingredients for a superb animated feature that so many cartoons these days lack.The cast was excellent and the whole story was downright hilarious.
Hank Azaria as Bartok is a wonderful, loveable and a funny little character people can't help but love.
Kelsey Grammer also turns in a great voice performance as Zozi the big bear.
Very seldom these days do I see cartoons taking time to match up the words of the character with the proper lip movement, but Bartok the Magnificent pulled it off wonderfully.I can't say enough about this fantastic movie that hasn't gotten enough recognition.
There is enough content and humour throughout to entertain adults and the fluent and colourful animation will be awe-inspiring to kids, no matter what their interests are..
I didn't expect to like the movie as much as I did Anastasia and I was right.
They chose the character I didn't care much for, but as I said in my Anastasia review he was very appealing to the kids.
So when it comes to Bartok the magnificent, this cartoon is more for just children.
So the drawing is not as beautiful, there are less details of Russia and songs are not as great.Also, as somebody who grew up over there and had a lot of Baba Yaga in my childhood, I really didn't like the portrayal of her or her house, was so different from what it was in my childhood.
This of course wouldn't make a difference for most viewers and kids but this is where movie lost some points with me.
I wish it was her old house with chicken legs in the middle of a beautiful Russian forest.It is still not a bad movie for kids.
And I personally liked to have more of Kelsey Grammar in it who now had a bigger part as Bartok's friend the bear..
I liked Anastasia.
It wasn't the best animated movie ever, but it was nice.
And Bartok was my favourite character, so....
I was all the more disappointed with this movie.
But please, please, give the movie a story!
This one mixes an old Russian fairy tale about a witch (in the original she lives in a house with 4 chicken legs, so the house can walk around, I believe) with a PC-game-alike plot:1) Go on quest.
Etc. etc.Add in some poor songs, some really really obvious morals, and you've got one of the worst direct-to-video sequels ever devised for a major animated feature.
Not as good as Anastasia but still entertaining!.
Anastasia is my personal favourite Don Bluth movie, but this film actually does it justice if not as good.The animation is mostly good, bright and colourful, that falls a tad flat in the scarier bits.
The story is a bit noisy, but well told, considering that the film itself is too short.
The dialogue is good, the best coming from Zozi, and the morals are admirable.The songs are quite good, but not as beautiful as Anastasia.
The voice talents are impeccable, Bartok is a little annoying but Hank Azaria voices him well, but Kelsey Grammar is perfect as Zozi.
Andrea Martin is convincing as Baba Yaga, and Catherine O'Hara is a suitably over the top villain, a bit too OTT perhaps.
Tim Curry is also very good as the skull who was brilliantly animated, and Jennifer Tilly is great as Pilaf .An entertaining movie!
Bethany Cox. Great film to go back to if you'd like to revive your childhood.
If you take this film outside of the world of Anastasia (cause they're only connected through one character) - you'll get a good impression out of it.Is it a great animation for today?
BUT: it has a very pleasant, unique magical atmosphere that makes you want to watch this movie with a sense of lightness, like you have nothing in the world to worry about.
It puts you right into your childhood mode, and especially if you've seen it before.AND, the music is simply amazing!!!
I would definitely recommend watching it, but just try not to expect a masterpiece or it being connected to Anastasia too much.
Bartok gets his own spin-off?
That little white bat from Anastasia.
Out of all Don Bluth films and characters, this one was the one that simply had to have a movie of his own?I mean...
What more is there to say?We could have had another Land Before Time movie.
(That one was actually pretty good...) Another...
Thank Cthulhu!)You know, the more I think about this, the less awful in principle it actually sounds.So, long insane rambling aside, is the film any good?It's not...
It's colourful, looks pretty damn great given the no doubt small budget, and the characters are...
And given that it has talking bears, Baba Yaga, mythical quests, kings, queens, dragons and all that usual jazz, that's something of an achievement.
Movie has to try to be this boring.
the best character is piloff....
Not as good as "Anastasia" but great fun besides!.
As a sequel/prequel to "Anastasia", Don Bluth's infamous Disney rip-off and one of my personal favourite animated flics, "Bartok the Magnificent" *does* fall short, but it still stands on its own with its own sentimental qualities; cute humour, great voice acting, and endearing (albiet childish) animation.
Even though Bartok is a pseudo-villain in Anastasia (he faithfully assists Rasputin without really seeming evil), he makes a great hero.The plot flows thusly - Bartok (played once more by the incomparable Hank Azaria) has a road-side, travelling show, in which he portrays himself and sings about his (completely made-up) heroic doings, while staging the dramatic killing of a vicious bear (portrayed by Bartok's partner-in-crime, Zozi - played by Kelsey Grammar).
Through these antics the little white bat gains quite a fan-base, including the young Czar-to-be, Prince Ivan.
And so, it is no surprise to anyone (except perhaps Bartok himself) when he is begged to rescue the Prince from the evil witch of Russian folklore, Baba Yaga (Andrea Martin).
In his journey, Bartok meets a wonderful cast of characters, including a snake-thing called Piloff (Jennifer Tilly) and a riddling skull (Tim Currey), and discovers the hero in him he never knew.While the ending leaves a few things unanswered (for example; if Bartok becomes a beloved hero in Moscow, as he does, how did he end up falling in with the wicked Rasputin?), "Bartok the Magnificent" gives for good fun for the whole family - kids will laugh at the corny jokes (maybe their parents too) and the talking animals.
Adults will enjoy the use of great voice actors like Azaria, Grammar, Martin, Tilly and Currey, as well as Catherine O'Hara, cast as the voice of diabolical Regent Ludmilla (a character so hilariously over-the-top that she becomes just as "magnificent" as the title character).All in all, yes, "Bartok the Magnificent" fails to live up to the very high standard set by its predecessor, but it remains a cut and entertaining addition to Don Bluth's resume..
Bartok the Magnificent, contrary to previous report, was not an actual sequel.
If you watched Anastasia, and know anything about history, you already know that the the Czar has not only abdicated, but has also been killed, with the exception of Anya.
While companies are not fully true to history, at the time Anastasia was made, it was believed that the infamous Romanoff was still alive, and going by the name Anya, later disproved.
Bartok the Magnificent is the sequel prequel, lol.
It was made after Anastasia, but judging from the palace(The palace was destroyed in Anastasia), and the fact that the Romanoff line is still alive, it is most likely a prequel.
I honestly was not thinking highly of this movie at first glance, however, after watching it, I LOVED it.
This movie is adorable and the animation of Baba's Skull Guardian thing, is well, magnificent.
This is definitely a cute movie for the whole family to watch, and is undoubtedly worth your while, despite the lack of hubbub about it..
Suffers from being put next to the better Don Bluth movies.
Well, I never thought for once that they would make a show about the little white bat from Anastasia but they did it and I have to say, it was a little bit annoying but overall OK.
The story seems to take place many years before Anastasia happens which makes me wonder how old Bartok really is.
He seemed the same age as when he was in Anastasia but yet we see Ivan Romanov as a little boy.
I know that it's a simple thing to want to fall on advisors overthrowing the thrown as the bad guy but they could have done something else.
It's only near middle of the movie that she seems to have something going for her.
The bear Zozi pretty much has no real character but to push Bartok into doing what he's doing and spout play quotes.
He had nothing more then to be a layed back side character with no real meaning.The artwork was rather disappointing.
I would have thought that it would be better coming from Don Bluth and how nice Anastasia was compared.
Sometimes it was well done with lots of detail but other times, it felt like they used the wrong colors for some things and took way little time with them.
The world outside the city of Moscow was very disappointing because it looked like a fantasy land rather then the landscape of Russia.The voices were pretty well done though seem to be rather downcast next to the artwork.
Each character was what I would imagine them to sound like.
Sadly, Bartok, the very center of the movie, was really annoying.
He was good as a sidekick for a villain but when he gets his own show, the whole movie suffers from his raspy voice.
I don't have anything against the voice actor but just like Iago from Aladdin, this was one of those characters that shouldn't be singing.
The songs and music were sub standard and not really memorable so it doesn't even feel like I should bring them up..
Not As Bad As It Could Be. I had seen Bartok The Magnificent several years ago and I recently re-watched it.
Along with The Pebble And The Penguin and A Troll In Central Park, Bartok The Magnificent is not as good as An American Tail, All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Land Before Time, and especially The Secret Of NIMH.
While re-watching it, I expected to be really corny but it's by no means awful and there are actually some good things about it.
The animation is quite nice and there are some pretty cool characters.
Baba Yaga is suitably menacing, Pilaf is adorable, and Zozi and the skull crack me up.
On the flip side, the script/story suffered from being somewhat predictable and I don't care for the songs.
Also, Bartok is kind of annoying but is actually less annoying here than he is in Anastasia.
Not the best movie ever but nowhere near as bad as it could have been.
PS: The way Baba Yaga reacts to being hugged is absolutely hilarious..
This is quite possibly the worst film I have ever had the displeasure of seeing, I don't know what made me want to see this, but everyone was saying how terrible it was so I had to see what the fuss was about.
The character are awful with no interest or morals.
The animation is atrocious, and looks like a five year old did it, I actually a five year old could do better.
I mean, my gosh talk about getting all the joy sucked out of me in the very intent the movie comes on.
After this I will say I'm glad I own How to Train Your Dragon, because after watching this piece of horse manure I needed to get my faith back into animation.
I needed something to get my mind off this terrible excuse of a movie.
Lets hope this is the last time we get an animated film this bad well at least in a long time.
And the last thing, should kids see this?
No. Not that its bad with inappropriate innuendos or jokes, its just kids will get bored with this.
Oh, and those rodent characters that try to be the minions, I have one thing to say.
Animation: D- Characters: F Story: D+ For Kids: No Music: C Voice Acting: D Overall: D-.
Disappointing follow-up to very well done 1997 film "Anastasia"....
1st watched 2/2/2013 – 3 out of 10(Dir-Don Bluth): Disappointing follow-up to very well done 1997 film "Anastasia" by Director Don Bluth and Producer Gary Goldman.
This straight-to-video release takes one character from the previous mentioned film, Bartok, voiced by Hank Azaria, and places him into an older setting where the Romanov's still reign and Bartok is a traveling entertainer in Moscow with his bear friend voiced by Kelsey Grammar.
He fakes the crowd into thinking he has powers – so when the current Prince appears to be kidnapped – the people want Bartok to rescue him from the clutches of a strange witch.
Technically this movie looks very good, and the animation holds up against the 1997 film.
The music was created by the original team from "Anastasia", but the songs do not hold up, and are not memorable at all.
The main problem with the movie, though, is the story and screenplay – which is not funny, and seems like it was pieced together.
Bartok is irritating at times and pretty much all of the secondary characters are pretty lame(although the bear voiced by Grammar isn't bad).
One of the villains of the piece is a strange witch that turns out to be very un-scary even though the initial music makes it seem like she's just the opposite.
She hands out three simple tasks to Bartok before she supposedly hands over the prince, and then ends up not having him??
It was done primarily to reveal the real villain which ends up being the backup person to the Prince's throne(how original was this??).
Sorry about the plot revelations, but if you watch this movie you won't really care about this anyway.
If you think the movie is OK for kids, it's notit's a little too creepy in some scenes and has some adult humor.
So basically, this movie is definitely a flop in many ways.