Major film production companies have stopped releasing films in Russia. Are old classics also disappearing in the rest of the world?
The invasion of Ukraine has left the whole world speechless. Since confronting a nuclear power militarily could mean the Apocalypse, most countries have opted for the boycott.
Company and services around the world they are allowing to operate in Russiain an attempt to make citizen discontent force Putin to stop the war.
This has led film production companies such as Warner, Universal, Disney and others to cancel their theatrical releases in Russia. In addition, this very morning, Netflix has announced that it has stopped broadcasting there. Disney haven’t gotten that far, but a famous film inspired by the history of Russia, has disappeared from its catalogue.
Surely you know or have seen Anastasia, the famous animated movie from 1997created by Fox Animation Studios, and directed by the legendary Don Bluth.
Disney bought Fox in 2019, and Anastasia has gone to your catalog. It was broadcast on Disney +, but three days ago, disappeared from the North American catalog. Although it can be seen in Spain.
Anastasia tells the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolayevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Nicholas II, the last Tsar of Russia. Both the Tsar and his entire family were assassinated by Bolshevik revolutionaries in 1918, which meant the end of the dynasty and the birth of the Soviet Union.
But there is an unconfirmed legend that states that Anastasia Nikolaevna managed to escapeand it is that escape (with many invented elements), which narrates theto film Anastasia.
Part of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is related precisely to the heritage of the Russian empire of the tsars and the territories of the Soviet Unionthat’s why the first thing that everyone thought is that Disney + has removed the animated film Anastasia from its platformin the United States, due to the associated controversy.
Disney itself has been quick to say that the decision has nothing to do with the invasion of Ukraine, but with a rights issue. In the United States Anastasia goes to the Starz platform, and will return to Disney + when “conclude the negotiations“.
In Spain Starz can be contracted through Amazon Prime Video. However Anastasia continues to air on Disney+.
A rather complicated mess to understand, considering that Anastasia is a film produced by Fox, a company that Disney bought in 2019. But perhaps there are other associated rights, which Disney has now lost to Starz.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism