Bartok the Magnificent
Bartok the Magnificent is a 1999 American direct-to-video animated adventure comedy film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. It is a prequel to the 1997 film "Anastasia" which was also directed by Bluth and Goldman. The film centres around the kidnapping of the young czar prior to the Russian Revolution. Hank Azaria reprises his role from the previous film as Bartok, Rasputin's former bumbling small albino bat sidekick. While several of Bluth's films have received sequels, spin-offs and television shows, this is the only such project he has been involved with . Plot. Albino bat Bartok arrives in Moscow and makes himself known by performing for the locals. His grand finale involves defeating a savage grizzly bear. Delighted with Bartok's bravery, the townspeople shower him with gold, including the young czar Ivan Romanov, who gifts Bartok with a royal ring, much to the chagrin of Ivan's assistant, Ludmilla. After the show, Bartok counts his earnings and is startled by the stirring bear, revealed to be his business partner and to not be savage at all, Zozi. Although Zozi is apprehensive about the ring, Bartok refuses as it was gifted. When  Ivan is kidnapped by the witch Baba Yaga, there is an immediate investigation. In seeking a rescuer, two children nominate Bartok, who, with Zozi, was already on his way to St. Petersburg when spotted by Cossacks. Bartok is brought before the townspeople, who are relying on his courage to save Ivan. Reluctantly, Bartok accepts, and he and Zozi set out for the Iron Forest. Upon arriving at Baba Yaga's hut, the duo must answer a riddle given by the entrance, a giant skull. With the riddle solved, Bartok is then captured by Baba Yaga, who explains that, in order  to save Ivan, Bartok must retrieve three artifacts from the forest, without any assistance: her pet Piloff, Oble's Crown and the Magic Feather. However, Bartok quickly finds that these tasks are difficult, as Piloff is frozen to a boulder; Oble, 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, utilizing only the previous two items. Returning to Baba Yaga with the objectives completed, the witch reveals that she needs something from Bartok himself. Baba Yaga rejects all his offers and, outraged , Bartok lashes out at her, accusing her of lying and cheating, and claiming that everyone hates her. Suddenly stricken with guilt, Bartok apologizes and cries, allowing Baba Yaga to obtain the most important ingredient: tears from the heart. She conjures up a potion from the objects, and reveals that she never kidnapped Ivan and that the potion was intended for Bartok himself; it will make whatever he is in his heart ten times on the outside. Bartok and Zozi return to town and lead Ludmilla and Vol, the Captain of the Guard, up to the top of the tower, where  Ivan is imprisoned. There, Ludmilla locks Bartok and Vol in with Ivan, revealing that 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 instead, supposedly for his own safety) while she framed Baba Yaga as part of her evil plan to steal the throne. She steals Bartok's potion and leaves her prisoners in a well tower, quickly flooding with water. Ludmilla consumes the potion, thinking her beauty will become tenfold. Unbeknownst to her, the potion, in fact, causes her to transform into  a giant, wingless, three-horned, pinkish-purple dragon, as it unveils her true wickedness. After seeing her reflection, Ludmilla's mind degrades to a mere beast, and she goes on a rampage, burning the town with her fiery breath. Zozi comes and rescues Bartok, Ivan and Vol. Bartok battles Ludmilla and tricks her into climbing the tower. When she reaches the top, the tower crumbles, crushing Ludmilla and unleashing a wave of gushing water that douses the flames. As the townsfolk (including a young Grigori Rasputin) gather around the wreckage, Zozi hails Bartok as a true hero, not only for  defeating Ludmilla but also for showing Baba Yaga compassion. Bartok returns Ivan's ring and Baba Yaga appears, writing "Bartok, The Magnificent" in the sky. Bartok bids Baba Yaga and Piloff goodbye, undoubtedly counting on seeing him again someday. Cast. Bartok's future master Grigori Rasputin makes a silent cameo appearance among the many townsfolk who gather around the wreckage of Ludmilla's crashed tower during the film's epilogue. Production. A spin-off film was devised as "Hollywood audiences went batty over the impish Bartok in Fox's 1997 animated musical "Anastasia"". Chris Meledandri, then-president of 20th Century  Fox Animation said: "Once we thought about a lot of ideas, our favorite idea was the one you see". Music. The film's songs were written by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, both returning from "Anastasia". Release. Marketing. In late 1999, pancake purveyor IHOP started selling two versions of Bartok, as part of promotion. The company planned "to sell about 500,000 of the six-inch-high toys - Bartok Puppet and Turban Bartok - for $2.99 with any food purchase". It was "also offering $2 mail-in rebate coupons for the $20 video...and free activity books for children . Home media. Bartok the Magnificent" was first released on VHS and DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on November 16, 1999, and was later re-released in 2005 as part of a 2-disc set alongside "Anastasia" entitled Family Fun Edition. "Bartok the Magnificent" was also included as a special feature on "Anastasia" Blu-ray, released in March 2011. The tape and DVD conclude with sing-along segments that reprise the original tunes by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens" - "Bartok the Magnificent", "A Possible Hero", "Someone's in My House" and "Once Upon a December" (from "Anastasia"). Other DVD  extras also include "Bartok" and "Anastasia" trailers, and a Maze Game that features three mazes. The aspect ratio is 1.33:1 – Full Frame. The DVD release has the original aspect ratio, and it is not anamorphic. As the source is video and not film, and because there is no widescreen aspect ratio available, the quality is at the same level of the original film. Digitally Obsessed says: "The colors are nicely rendered, with a minimum of bleeding" but when viewed on "a 115 foot projection screen through a progressive scan player...the image was fairly grainy and uneven". The film has  English and French audio. Digitally Obsessed says: "The DS2.0 mix is more than adequate for this fun little bat romp [though there is a] lack of directionality in the mix. The dialogue is clear and center speaker weighted". It concluded by saying "this is a great DVD for kids, because besides just watching the movie they can enjoy the three sing-alongs or try to find Prince Ivan in the mazes. Bartok teaches moral values in a way that kids can understand". According to LoveFilm, the film has been dubbed into English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, and Dutch. It  has subtitles in Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Swedish. Fort Worth Star-Telegram implied this was one of the rare direct-to-video films that is great quality, saying "the made-for-tape bin can yield an undiscovered bargain [such as] "Bartok the Magnificent"". Lexington Herald-Leader said "to my surprise...the movie overall [is] quite good". Critical response. Dan Jardine of "Apollo Guide" gave the film a score of 71 out of 100. Michael Dequina of "The Movie Report" wrote a review in which he scored it 1.5 out of 4, writing the film as uninspired and short  fun adventure for kids, but boring for everyone else. "Family Video" said that "the film is marked by imaginative scenery, catchy songs, comic characters and Bartok's own funny and neurotic commentary". "Hartford Courant" described the film as "enjoyable". "Indianapolis Star" said "'Bartok' is quite good for video-only release". "Digitally Obsessed" gave the film a Style grade of B+, Substance rating of A, Image Transfer rating of C, Audio Transfer rating of B, and Extras rating of B+ - averaging out to a B+ rating of the film as a whole. It said "Stephen Flaherty's score is very nice . On Love Film", the film has a rating of three of five stars based on 222 member ratings. John Laydon of "Variety" explained: "Tykes will likely be charmed by the brisk pacing, vibrant (albeit stereotypical) characters and engaging storyline, while parents may be especially grateful for a cartoon with much better production values than "Pokémon"". He noted "even very small children will notice early on that Ludmilla...a duplicitous regent, is the real villain of the piece". He said co-directors Bluth and Goldman "do a respectable job of establishing what promises to be a new direct-to-video franchise , also adding that though certainly not as lavish as its bigscreen predecessor "Anastasia", the sequel is attractive and involving, with Tim Curry and Jennifer Tilly well cast as supporting-character voices". He said Azaria has "amusing brio", while Grammer "is the real scene-stealer this time". He described the songs as "pleasant but unremarkable". "Fort Oglethorpe Press" described the film as "spectacular", "frolicking" and "fun-filled", adding that it is "loaded with breathtaking, feature-quality animation", and "spectacular music", and "enchanting new songs". "The Trades" questioned its existence, saying: "I am unsure what reason this spin-off was made, but  regardless, it was a well done one". It added that "the same team directed and produced the second movie, and unlike many direct to video movies, it is animated as well as the first and uses a healthy portion of CGI, something many movies of that nature tend to lack. Backgrounds have the same detail as the original movie, making this a definite worthwhile watch". "The Dallas Morning News" notes ""Bartok the Magnificent" does even more disservice to Russian history than "Anastasia" did". Accolades. "Bartok the Magnificent" was nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production" at the  28th Annie Awards in 2000, losing to Disney's "An Extremely Goofy Movie". It also received Gold Reel Award nominations for "Best Sound Editing" for both television films and direct-to-video presentations from the Motion Picture Sound Editors that same year, beaten by "" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein", respectively.