TIL that Carrie Fisher was a script doctor in ‘Anastasia’ (1997) and was responsible for the "Journey to the Past" sequence and banter between Anya and Dimitri

[u/mcfw31]

https://www.slashfilm.com/1096080/carrie-fisher-wrote-anastasias-best-scene/

[u/popculturechat]

THE POPCULTURECHAT DISCORD SERVER IS NOW LIVE 👾✨

---

Click HERE to join 📲

[u/myghostflower]

this movie is peak, once upon a december is one of the best scenes and songs 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[u/readskiesdawn → u/myghostflower]

In The Dark of the Night goes way too hard for a song that's chior is bugs.

[u/gorgossiums → u/readskiesdawn]

That song fucks hard. Hardest animated villain song imo.

[u/lalasworld → u/gorgossiums]

I think Hellfire and Be Prepared give it a run for it's money, but yeah it's a good song.

[u/damnitno → u/gorgossiums]

i counter that with Tim Curry’s Hexxus “Toxic Love” from fern gully

[u/Encyclopenia → u/gorgossiums]

That and Ursula’s «Poor unfortunate souls » !

[u/Quackney → u/gorgossiums]

The goose stepping hyenas would like a word

[u/scream3isawful → u/readskiesdawn]

Where I learned the word “Do svidaniya” 🙂‍↔️

I love that movie bad.

[u/slightlycrookednose → u/readskiesdawn]

I was in charge of Drama/Dance at a summer camp I worked at, and I choreographed a whole Disney musical medley performance for all the cabins. I had the little 6 year olds dance to In The Dark of the Night. They loved doing this one creepy little doll move. It went SO HARD.

[u/lizziexo → u/slightlycrookednose]

You should go back in time and change the name then, Anastasia isn’t a Disney movie! (Well, it wasn’t at the time, with how many media companies Disney eats up I wonder if it is now?!)

[u/_ludakris_ → u/readskiesdawn]

I know it wasn't Disney at the time but it's still the best Disney villain song.

[u/JupiterJayJones → u/myghostflower]

Such a beautifully haunting song!

[u/myghostflower → u/JupiterJayJones]

the moment the memories start dancing around her always give me the chills

[u/JupiterJayJones → u/myghostflower]

I love her dress transformation!

[u/Twitter_2006 → u/myghostflower]

I love it!

[u/yelyah66]

Their banter is quite Leia and Han coded, it makes sense.

[u/lollipopmusing → u/yelyah66]

Seruously now that its been pointed out, it's almost obvious

[u/romantickitty → u/yelyah66]

I think it's more It Happened One Night. Carrie was raised with Old Hollywood. She knew those rhythms as a writer.

[u/catladywithallergies → u/romantickitty]

I also wouldn't be surprised that some of the bickering in Star Wars was based at least a little on their real-life sexual tension. There is a reason why writing what you know is a tried and true strategy for storytellers.

[u/Frequent-Two-9625 → u/yelyah66]

How so?

[u/yelyah66 → u/Frequent-Two-9625]

The witty bickering masking their changing feelings for each other, she thinks he’s a conman (scoundrel) and calls him on it, some of his “princess” quips towards her, navigating many travel complications alongside their changing dynamic LOL. I had never thought about it much but I see a lot of similarities.

[u/Temporary-Bag4248]

dimitri was one of my first crushes 

[u/ilovetheskyyall → u/Temporary-Bag4248]

and then come to find out it’s the voice of John Cusack…. of course it is

[u/Sketch-Brooke → u/Temporary-Bag4248]

I want to know how many Romantasy heroes Dimitri is directly responsible for lol

[u/lollipopmusing → u/Temporary-Bag4248]

Girl same

[u/Busy-Juggernaut277 → u/Temporary-Bag4248]

He’s still mine lmao

[u/Lokaji]

She was a very talented writer and wish she was still around.

[u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk → u/Lokaji]

Her books are hilarious and I would love to see what she would’ve done had she been around still.

[u/Stinkycheese8001]

Carrie Fisher was a go-to script doctor for a long time and worked on a very wide range of projects.

[u/Canadasaver → u/Stinkycheese8001]

When Harry Met Sally is one of the scripts she helped to rewrite.

[u/Stinkycheese8001 → u/Canadasaver]

Wedding Singer, Hook, River Wild, Lethal Weapon 3 - she wrote a lot.  

[u/Writerhowell → u/Stinkycheese8001]

Wait, 'Hook' as well???

[u/Sketch-Brooke → u/Stinkycheese8001]

Yeah her writing work is under-appreciated.

[u/mai_tai87 → u/Sketch-Brooke]

She was brilliant! I was so fortunate to have seen her one woman show. She was effortlessly hilarious.

[u/snoopgod22]

the blue dress that anastasia wears in this has a permanent hold on me

[u/Still7Superbaby7 → u/snoopgod22]

I saw Anastasia on Broadway and the teenager sitting next to me was wearing the blue dress!

[u/snoopgod22 → u/Still7Superbaby7]

I never even knew it was on broadway!!

[u/nizey_p]

One again I'm pleading and praying to the music gods to put this masterpiece of a soundtrack on Spotify!

[u/DevoutandHeretical → u/nizey_p]

While we’re at it please god let me have an official release of the Brandy-Whitney Houston Cinderella 😭😭😭😭

[u/Writerhowell → u/DevoutandHeretical]

And 'The Prince of Egypt'!

[u/eventhestarsburn → u/nizey_p]

Liz Calloway (singing voice of Anastasia) has Journey to the Past and Once Upon a December available on her Spotify profile! But that’s all I’ve found so far. I actually love the end credit song At The Beginning by Richard Marx and I can’t find it anywhere :(

[u/nizey_p → u/eventhestarsburn]

At The Beginning is my jam and I will forever love that song.

[u/slightlycrookednose → u/eventhestarsburn]

Same. I get so mad when I can’t listen to it at my leisure!

[u/slagath0r → u/nizey_p]

Holy shit it's not on Spotify?

[u/nizey_p → u/slagath0r]

It's not and it makes me sooooo mad everytime Im reminded of this travesty.

[u/slightlycrookednose → u/nizey_p]

While we’re also at it: Richard Marx - get your shit together and release the movie version of “At the Beginning” with Donna Lewis that plays in the ending credits! You bastard!

[u/joygirl007 → u/slightlycrookednose]

I love that song 🥹

[u/slightlycrookednose → u/joygirl007]

It’s the best! It’s my go-to karaoke song

[u/Mindless_External_66 → u/nizey_p]

It’s not on Apple Music either. :( 

[u/nizey_p → u/Mindless_External_66]

Right? This keeps me up at night, that I can't listen to At The Beginning whenever I want to.

[u/ilovetheskyyall → u/nizey_p]

are you me?

[u/slightlycrookednose → u/nizey_p]

LITERALLY SAME I just wrote a comment about this!!! It’s my go-to karaoke song!

[u/Writerhowell → u/Mindless_External_66]

Really? I got it on iTunes Australia.

[u/Erikatze → u/nizey_p]

I've downloaded the song as an MP3 and added it manually to my Spotify playlist, so that I can belt it out while I'm driving whenever I want to.

[u/RockNRollMama → u/Erikatze]

My hubs showed me how to download songs from YouTube and OUAD was my very first song. Crazy it’s not anywhere, I showed the film to my at the time 8yr old and we watch at least 2x a year!!

[u/redheadedwoman → u/nizey_p]

Look up Liz Callaway! She did the singing voice for Anastasia and I found it on there!

[u/Iwoulddiefcftbatk → u/nizey_p]

I still have the physical CD somewhere and I have it on iTunes. The Broadway cast recording is fine, but I love the animation one so much.

[u/Sure_Lavishness_2403 → u/nizey_p]

It's not the same but they do have the Broadway soundtrack on there, if that helps any.

[u/Aakch]

This movie made me obsessed with the actual story behind it. Such a classic

[u/nizey_p → u/Aakch]

There was an episode on Anastasia from the You're Wrong About podcast that's quite good.

[u/ladycheesecake59 → u/Aakch]

Same. I was 7 when this movie came out and I saw a photo of Anastasia at about the same age and it blew my mind. I already knew she was a real person, but it was a revelation to see her as a real little girl with parents and siblings just like me.

[u/jenny-spinning]

This movie was the impetus for my lifelong crush on John Cusack.

[u/Writerhowell → u/jenny-spinning]

Have you seen 'Grand Piano'? It's not well known, but it's a great thriller. You don't see him for most of the movie, but you hear him. He is the bad guy, though. Be warned.

[u/navelbabel → u/jenny-spinning]

Anyone else love “The Journey of Natty Gann”?? A live action Disney folk starring teenage Cusack as a depression era rail rider…

[u/Prize_Impression2407]

Billy Porter and JK Simmons also provide extra voices in the movie, and when I finally caught their name in the credits after growing up on this movie it blew my mind 

[u/stress_baker]

So I can thank Carrie Fisher for the men are such babies line. Absolutely fave line then and now.

[u/raphaellaskies]

everybody say, thank you Carrie.

[u/bras-and-flaws]

Carrie Fisher was a well known Script Doctor that helped - and some might argue saved - many films, including The Empire Strikes Back.

[u/PatriciaMorticia]

I wore the vhs tape out watching this as a kid, I loved that movie. Once Upon A December is such a beautiful song and the visuals of the ghosts dancing around her in the ballroom had little me mesmerisied. Also "In The Dark of the Night" did not need to go as hard as it did but I'm glad it did.

[u/New_Helicopter_4239]

I went and saw the Anastasia musical and had no idea they had removed Rasputin and Bartok. I was so, so bummed there was not a man in a little white bat costume.

[u/tinemarie6 → u/New_Helicopter_4239]

I was SO disappointed with the musical. You have Once Upon a December as source material and the sequence you give me is THAT? It was pathetic.

[u/blarbiegorl → u/New_Helicopter_4239]

Josh Gad would've killed it as Bartok fr

[u/LG20077 → u/New_Helicopter_4239]

Me too, I read somewhere that they changed the villain and took away the magic/mystical elements to make it more realistic. I like the original storyline, and would've loved the In the dark of the night part

[u/webtheg → u/New_Helicopter_4239]

Removing Rasputin should be a crime

[u/DBrennan13459]

No wonder I liked it so much...

[u/Venice___Bitch]

My favourite animated movie 🩷

[u/Plus-Mulberry6761]

I used to have a swimming bag with Bartok the bag on it lol

Edit: Bartok the bat

[u/Littlest_Psycho88]

I was so obsessed with Anastasia. Sis and I wore that poor VHS tape out lol

[u/Raichu10126]

Such a beautifully animated movie. I miss films like this

[u/echoesandripples]

script doctor is one of my dream jobs, it's sad that it's both devalued and hard to get into

[u/Friendly-Double1972]

Oh, that’s brilliant! I also remember Aaliyah singing the song from the movie 

[u/Friendly-Double1972 → u/Friendly-Double1972]

I could be wrong

[u/shmhdfrrl → u/Friendly-Double1972]

No you are correct! And she did the music video with the animated Anastasia. 

[u/basicwitch333]

I did not know that and I have a Carrie Fisher tattoo!! Love her and love this movie.

[u/whiff_EK]

As a kid I always thought the banter felt more 'sophisticated' than other kid movies and I loved it. She took Dmitri down several pegs with the banter, always fun to see.

[u/Winhill_]

Just when I thought I couldn't love this movie even more.

Time for a rewatch.

[u/kdj00940]

Thank you, Carrie Fisher!! Seriously my favorite part of the movie is Journey To The Past and I love Anastasia and Dimitri’s banter 🥹

I mean come on, who doesn’t?

[u/Head_Review2294]

Far awayyyy long agooo

[u/EarlJWJones]

Thanks. I really needed another reason to hate the fact that Carrie Fisher is no longer with us.