Bartok the Magnificent

Rating:
Summary: Why Bartok's story is something special.
Review: I would never have expected, even with family sequels so prevalent nowadays, that anyone would think of making a movie to track the life of Rasputin's tiny sidekick in Anastasia. I guess I'm not alone in what character traits appeal to me, however. Interestingly enough, some days before I saw Anastasia I woke from a dream in which the villain and sidekick from Disney's Aladdin, Jafar and the parrot Iago, were floating on an abandoned raft during a nighttime lightning storm and lamenting their mistakes together. It seemed foolish when I woke, because those characters were nothing like what my dream made them to be... but when I saw Anastasia, I was amazed at how well Rasputin and Bartok fit the bill. I didn't think anyone else would be so charmed at how the helpful bat-like creature offered sensible advice to his evil liege even while dragging back his fallen-off body parts and displaying a general sort of affection. What a great little guy, I thought, and what a pity he's fallen into such bad company. It was heartwarming to see him turn to the aid of good at the end. All that is why Bartok the Magnificent charmed me so much. It's certainly not a sequel to Anastasia, and I'm sorry the previous reviewer was expecting it to be. It's a spin-off, rather, for anyone curious whether that little whitebat managed to make anything of his life after abandoning his master. What fun to see that he's pursued the life of street showman, which seems oddly appropriate. This movie is casual and makes little effort to establish a setting, which groups it with other sequels/spin-offs and is why I give it only four stars, not five. Chronologically, the characters shown on the Russian throne make no sense and beg the question of what happened to Princess Anastasia. Yet, when we view this Moscow as something of an unreliable fairytale land (and the movie does follow certain tenets of fairy-tales), it seems quite believable. Bartok is obviously the hero of his movie, and he lives up to the role well. He is immodest, an unusual trait among genuine heroes, but it works on him. Of especial note is the fact that while his integrity is questioned at times, hardly anyone ever points out that Bartok is quite small--so how could he make anything of himself? Naturally, this issue itself has been explored time and again in children's movies and books, and is properly treated as a sidenote here. For his part, Bartok is all the more inspiring by how he resourcefully makes use of the physique he has. He is never shown doing anything unrealistic for his size or strength, and neither is there much of the inordinate luck small characters in movies like this often have in besting those larger than them. In my opinion, that implicit honesty makes this movie a real treasure. Bartok is more than just an amusing voice and more than just another unlikely hero--he is an inspiration for those who must confront tasks they know appear far beyond their means to carry out. The tools at hand are determination, perseverance, and ingenuity, all of which are put fully to the test in Bartok the Magnificent, and all of which succeed.

Rating:
Summary: Life after receiving Bartok
Review: My 4 year old just LOVES this tape! The songs are wonderful, and there is a nice story as well. It is a spin off from Anastasia - which is also a wonderful video. My 7 year old nephew likes it too! I highly recomend this for your video collection! again ***** 5 stars! I even like to sit down and watch it too!

Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly good film!
Review: My very favorite Don Bluth film in all the world, and one of my favorite movies of all time, is "All Dogs Go To Heaven". However, I have absolutely no use for the sequel, All Dogs 2. When I sat down to watch "Bartok the Magnificent", I expected the same effect. And was pleasantly surprised! This movie, if not handled in a very careful way, had the potential to be ridiculous. The plot was decent, but not original enough to loosely stand on its own. However, a few twists and turns on the conventional storyline kept this movie interesting. My congratulations to the screenplay writer, who managed to tell a story entertaining for kids but could keep adults interested as well. And KUDOS to Hank Azaria and Kelsy Grammer! They handled their roles with excellence; I wouldn't have enjoyed this movie at all if not for the humor they displayed in their roles. It was a wonderful change from the usual, heart-rending dramatic moments that are displayed in many cartoons and movies. This was simply light and easy, keeping all entertained and laughing. Every actor and actress was having fun with their roles, and it showed. Great, great job. What else can I say? Don Bluth, great job on an excellent family movie!

Rating:
Summary: A surprisingly good film!
Review: My very favorite Don Bluth film in all the world, and one of my favorite movies of all time, is "All Dogs Go To Heaven". However, I have absolutely no use for the sequel, All Dogs 2. When I sat down to watch "Bartok the Magnificent", I expected the same effect. And was pleasantly surprised! This movie, if not handled in a very careful way, had the potential to be ridiculous. The plot was decent, but not original enough to loosely stand on its own. However, a few twists and turns on the conventional storyline kept this movie interesting. My congratulations to the screenplay writer, who managed to tell a story entertaining for kids but could keep adults interested as well. And KUDOS to Hank Azaria and Kelsy Grammer! They handled their roles with excellence; I wouldn't have enjoyed this movie at all if not for the humor they displayed in their roles. It was a wonderful change from the usual, heart-rending dramatic moments that are displayed in many cartoons and movies. This was simply light and easy, keeping all entertained and laughing. Every actor and actress was having fun with their roles, and it showed. Great, great job. What else can I say? Don Bluth, great job on an excellent family movie!

Rating:
Summary: Great for kids!!!
Review: Seen a sneak preview of this movie, really good for young kids, even has sing-a-longs after the movie. - should keep any child happy. Not as good as Anastasia but great animation for a straight to video release.

Rating:
Summary: Not worth the money!
Review: This movie was very boring! If you want some real entertainment, watch the original Anastasia!