Bartok the Magnificent

I just finished watching Bartok and I must say I was thoroughly impressed. This movie had all the ingredients for a superb animated feature that so many cartoons these days lack.

The cast was excellent and the whole story was downright hilarious. Hank Azaria as Bartok is a wonderful, loveable and a funny little character people can't help but love. I myself chuckled everytime he opened his mouth. Kelsey Grammer also turns in a great voice performance as Zozi the big bear. The voiceovers are something else to comment on. Very seldom these days do I see cartoons taking time to match up the words of the character with the proper lip movement, but Bartok the Magnificent pulled it off wonderfully.

I can't say enough about this fantastic movie that hasn't gotten enough recognition. I recommend it to people of all ages. There is enough content and humour throughout to entertain adults and the fluent and colourful animation will be awe-inspiring to kids, no matter what their interests are.

Admittedly, in parts the animation quality leaves a lot to be desired. It, like quite a few aspects of the film, feels quite rushed, especially in contrast to the scenes which are quite polished.

But that would be my only criticism. Sure, it's a touch cheeseball and tacky, full of cliché, but deliberately and well-timedly so. It works with the context of the scenes.

The characters are utterly adorable and the talent behind them really shines through.

I absolutely would rate this far higher than the movie it is a spin-off of, and a littlemore time spent polishing this little gem could have made it great.

This film, about a circus bat in Russia, off to save the prince from the "evil" Baba Yaga, will no doubt have a great appeal on children. It is sure to entertain them and they will be likely to sing and dance along with it as soon as they know the words of the songs.

As an older person, such as a grown-up or teenager, this film may fall flat on its face. It is quite babyish and the animation - including the backgrounds, could possibly do with a little bit more work. However, this film is likely to entertain the older anyway. The songs are very charming and so is the plot. The characters are also very lovable. One thing that can be said happily, is that they use a very English actor to voice - not a baddie - but a goodie, a thing which many American films do not have (including "The Lion King")! The other voices are good too.

So, enjoy "Bartok The Magnificent", who is the specifically, terrifically magnificent!

Following the massive success of Anastasia in 1997, directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman took it upon themselves to create a direct-to-video prequel entitled Bartok the Magnificent, focusing on Hank Azaria's lovable bumbling bat character from the first film. Known as the only followup to a Bluth film that the original creator himself was involved with, the film has gone on to achieve a small cult following from fans of Anastasia and Bluth enthusiasts alike, even if its existence alone remains fairly questionable. For a small direct to video prequel about a sidekick, it's not half bad.

The film centers on the titular Bartok who makes his way as a street magician and a con artist having to unveil the kidnapping of the young czar prior to the Russian Revolution. Because the premise of the film is super simple at its core, the execution is all the more impactful, down to a strong message of discovering inner strength through selfless acts and overcoming what you appear to be. Every character in the film is defined through a definitive role, whether it be Bartok's flamboyant partner Zozi the thespian bear, the czar's cunning assistant Ludmilla, and even the misunderstood witch Baba Yaga. Zozi is arguably the most lovable character in the whole feature, as his overly confident persona allows for a strong contrast between the more insecure Bartok, making the journey all the more delightful from start to finish. By embracing the limitations in format and presentation, Bluth, Goldman, and even the cast did their absolute best in performing through their hearts, something that can always be appreciated in musical cinema and animation.

Arguably though, the real star of the movie has to be the musical numbers, written once again by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. With the film's establishing number sets up the film's world with appropropriate danger and fear from the people of Russia, which then connects to Bartok the Magnificent pitching his concept of who he is to the public, all with the right amount of dazzling showmanship to be found. Arguably the biggest heartwarmer would have to be A Possible Hero, showcasing how much Zozi encourages Bartok to be far more than he appears to be. The lyrics in every song are jam packed with whip smart material, demonstrating Sondheim's method through forming patterns of catchy sound and simple words easy to remember by the audience, on top of cleverly expressing all the story and character you have. The blending of Russian folk music and Broadway jazz suits the tone very well, pulling off different genres through modern swing and Russian mythology. Through so much self worth and projection, this film's soundtrack is easily one of the best in Bluth's filmography.

As far as other notable qualities are concerned, despite the low budget showing in some aspects, the art and animation direction are quite impressive. Bluth's trademark character animation direction works in the film's favor with a lot of strong acting and staging shown throughout. Even with a lot of crowd scenes, the normal issue of there being too much going on in just one shot alone in a Bluth film remains toned down to keep the clarity strong and intact. The small but effective usage of computer generated imagery adds into the unsettling atmosphere in some sequences, complete with Baba Yaga's skull entrance/guard posing a spooky albeit playful presence to our heroes. Perhaps some of the backgrounds do look a bit pug fugly in saturation, but the more gloomy backdrops add a nice contrast to the eyes. Considering that the film was not optimized for the big screen, one would probably be disappointed that Bluth's talents were utilized in a smaller aspect ratio than usual, but once again, the limitations worked within everyone's favor in the end.

Despite being a fairly simple endeavor in Bluth and Goldman's filmography, Bartok the Magnificent has a lot to offer in terms of characterization, performance, musical accompaniment, and visual choices. Given that this film was made with little interference from Fox, it is both a blessing that this film came out as good as it was, and a curse that it remains obscure in spite of its triumphs. I would definitely recommend it to anyone regardless if you have seen Anastasia or not, for just like the movie's hero, this tiny project will surely leave an impact in one way or another.

I liked Anastasia, but it suffered from one particular thing, the "Bluthiness" or what you'd call it. It tried to juggle the darker stuff with the 90's Disney aesthetic, and it worked out fine, but with this spin-off movie about the little fast-talking bat we get an all-out Bluth movie with some bizarre characters and more spookiness and that's its biggest strength.

If you like Bartok, this movie is for you, but even if you don't you'll get a handful of enjoyable side characters voiced by well-known actors like Kelsey Grammar, Tim Curry and Jennifer Tilly.

It was an enjoyable watch even if the production value was noticably lower, because of its smaller budget and the story was kind of predictable. Not a must watch, but harmless kiddie fare with an unmistakable Bluthanian aesthetic.