Rasputin

**Rasputin**(also known as **Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin)** is the main antagonist of the 1997 Don Bluth feature film, *Anastasia*. He was voiced by legendary actor Christopher Lloyd, while his singing voice was provided by the popular and renowned voice actor Jim Cummings.

He is based loosely on the real-life Grigori Rasputin: however, in the film, he is depicted as a far more malevolent being of black magic than the real-life Rasputin, though the two share the common title of "Mad Monk". Rasputin was banished for treason by the czar, Nicholas Romanov.

Eager for revenge, Rasputin plans on destroying the Russian royalty. He sold his soul to the otherworldly forces of darkness in exchange for an unholy amulet that held the powers to destroy the czar and his family, in the process becoming a lich (a type of undead creature with magical powers). He then returns to the Russian palace and inflicts on the czar's family the deadly Romanov curse. All of the royals are killed by Rasputin and the Russian soldiers, except for the czar's mother, the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna, and his eight-year-old daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. Rasputin eventually attempts to murder Anastasia while chasing her across a frozen river but drowns after falling through the ice, losing his amulet in the process and he is unable to die until he completes his curse.

## Background

### Physical Appearance

Rasputin is a tall, scary-looking man. He wears a brown robe (however, in the books it has a gold interior) with black shoes, (Which appear to be high heeled). He wears some sort of purple clothing beneath his robe, but the only part of this that is shown is the sleeves. His robe trails along the ground. He has black hair that is tied back into a ponytail and has a black mustache that connects to his long black beard going below his waist. His skin is a rotting, pale green color and he has skeletally long fingers and fingernails. He has a hood that hangs off of the back of the neck of the robe. Around his waist is a gold rope sash with three beads. The rope is tied around his Reliquary which hang at his shins. His sleeves go as long as his waist. Another noticeable feature is that he appears to be wearing nothing under his robe yet he has a strange purple clothing at the neck and sleeves.

After selling his soul, Rasputin is thus transformed into an undead being with supernatural powers (especially skillful evocation of strange green demons), resulting from a Reliquary made ​​of glass, which he is linked to. Being undead for almost 10 years, his body is now rotten and unstable; it follows that on numerous occasions Rasputin loses one or more pieces of his body, though can still put himself back together.

### Personality

Since at the beginning of the film, Rasputin was seen as a very manipulative, diabolical, arrogant and wicked man, to the point of killing the entire family without any remorse. He is the type of man who is capable of giving everything to fulfill their promises, bequeathing to the point of selling his soul to dark forces just to have the power to destroy the Romanov Family. He is also seen to be somewhat reckless, obsessive, spontaneous and impulsive with his objectives when these are not achieved, such as the case of Anastasia. He is a man of crude and opprobrious nature, due that he constantly hits his assistant Bartok. Rasputin also has to walk the line between being a truly villainous character yet play a part in a lot of the comedy of the film.

## Role in the Films

### *Anastasia*

Rasputin is a sinister powerful sorcerer, once believed to be a holy man, who was banished from Russia by Tsar Nicholas II. Eager for revenge, Rasputin plans on destroying the Russian royalty. He sold his soul to the otherworldly forces of darkness in exchange for his amulet and for the power to destroy the czar and his family, in the process becoming a lich (a type of undead creature with magical powers). He then returns to the Russian palace and inflicts on the czar's family with the Romanov curse. All of the royals are killed by Rasputin and the Russian soldiers, except for the czar's mother, Mary Romanov, and his daughter, Anastasia. Rasputin eventually attempts to murder Anastasia while watching her cross a frozen river, trying to stay hidden from the bridge above. He tosses his reliquary aside with fury as his passion to kill the young girl with his bare hands consumes him. He tackles Anastasia face down in the snow making her scream as he is barely able to latch a bony hand to one of her snow soaked feet. She flips over to face her attacker, making it easier for the evil man to grip onto her right ankle and scraping it along the thin ice. The empress screams for help, desperately trying to save her granddaughter from the murderous Rasputin who is now grimacing with pleasure as he thrashes her by the leg; taunting her precious life. The ice starts to break around them just as her leaves her with a threatening promise: “You will never escape me, child!” He trembles as he feels his robe fill with icy water, partially tugging Anastasia’s small foot in the current with his massive grip. She screams and pleads one last time: “Let me go!” His giant fingers lightly loosen up and she uses the chance to twist her ankle out of his icy cold hand. He plunges in and screams for the help of his sidekick. Her grandmother snatches Her away from the growing hole in the ice before Rasputin swings at her legs in another vain attempt of saving himself. He violently drowns, losing his reliquary in the process and he is unable to die until he completes his curse.

Ten years later, it is revealed that he survived in Limbo as a living corpse, unable to die until Anastasia is killed. Bartok, his bat servant, explained that Anastasia was still alive in St. Petersburg. Bartok also provided Rasputin with his magical reliquary, thus restoring his old powers. Rasputin summons a legion of Gargoyles to kill Anya and completes his revenge, resulting in two failed attempts. This includes a narrow escape from a separated train with an engine and baggage car from the dining car and coaches in Poland that Anya, Vladimir, and Dimitri jump off the train to avoid falling to their deaths, and a nightmare aboard a ship en route to Paris from Stralsund, Germany, where Anya nearly sleepwalks overboard until Dimitri rescues her, alerted by Pooka. These failures make Rasputin realize he must kill her in person.

Rasputin takes advantage of Pooka leading Anastasia into a garden maze and traps her there to reveal himself. He then tries to kill her on the Alexander Bridge over an icy Seine River; mimicking the same tragic night on the ice they once shared before. Dimitri returns to save her but is injured and knocked unconscious of the Black Pegasus.

Anastasia survives and is filled with hatred. She attacks Rasputin and they both wrestle body to body. Anastasia manages to destroy Rasputin's reliquary by crushing it under her foot. With the reliquary gone, Rasputin is unable to keep his end of the devil's contract, so his gargoyle minions turn on him, causing his flesh to be liquified, His Cloak dissolving, and His skeletal body to crumble away to nothing.

### *Bartok the Magnificent*

Although he doesn't officially appear in Anastasia's spin-off, in the scene the Bartok explains his adventure to the people of Moscow, a man that looks a lot like him appears trying to touch the potion.

## Trivia

* Character animation was supervised by Len Simon.
* In reality, the real Rasputin died of homicide on December 29, 1916, and he had no magic powers to end the Russian Empire.
* Christopher Lloyd also worked on the films "Back to the Future" (his most well-known work), Professor Plum in the movie adaption of Clue, in Who Framed Roger Rabbit as the sadistic ruthless Judge Doom. Lloyd also voiced Merlock, the main antagonist from 'Ducktales the Movie:Treasure of the Lost Lamp', Lloyd also voiced Pagemaster in from The Pagemaster, who like Rasputin is a sorcerer for long-term goal and abuses his sidekick. Lloyd is also known for voicing the Woodsman in *Over The Garden Wall*.
* Grigori's last name is Rasputin.
* He could be a lich because he's a sorcerer, his soul is in a reliquary that if destroyed results in his death and he's undead.
* He was voiced by Joachim Kemmer in the German voice-over of the movie, who also portrayed Jafar in the German voice-over of *Aladdin*, and *The Return of Jafar*.
* He is considered one of the evilest Don Bluth villains, next to Jenner.
* Rasputin become the enemy of Thomas, Twilight Sparkle and their friends in *Thomas and Twilight Sparkle meets Anastasia*.
* Rasputin returns to get revenge on Thomas, Twilight and their friends in Thomas and Twilight Sparkle's Adventures Series after being revived by the Black Cauldron.

## Gallery

Rasputin with his reluctant minion, BartokRasputin gasps as his reliquary rolls to Anastasia's feet.Dimitri arrives to the rescue and punches Rasputin in the face.Anastasia smashing Rasputin's Reliquary with her foot.Anastasia gives the reliquary one more stomp.Rasputin shrieking in terror as hiis demons fly towards him to make him pay.Rasputin screaming as the demons drain his life out of him.Rasputin melting.Rasputin's skeleton disintegratesRasputin reduced into dust, which the wind blows away.Rasputin's cameo in the prequel Bartok the Magnificent.