There’s a lot to like about the first animated feature produced by 20th Century Fox, even if the sum of the parts is a bit uneven. Directors Don Bluth and Gary Goldman (The Secret of NIMH, The Land Before Time) can always be relied upon for solid aesthetic design, but the merging of CGI with traditional animation is a little clunky here. The voice cast is solid, including Meg Ryan as a scrappy Anastasia and John Cusack as a con-man who falls for her. Their banter counterbalances the underlying sentimentality of of the story. Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd, Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, and Hank Azaria make up the noteworthy cast of supporting players.

The biggest standout is the music, featuring a rich, dramatic score by the constantly under-appreciated David Newman, and a handful of better-than-usual songs from Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. The “Once Upon a December” number is my favorite, featuring ghostly dancers who emerge from dusty paintings in an abandoned palatial dance hall. The comedic elements, chiefly the villain Rasputin (Lloyd) and his bat sidekick (Azaria), are the film’s biggest disappointment. If the foes were treated with more dignity and fright, the film’s climax would have been more compelling.

Oscar Nominations: Best Score, Best Song (Journey to the Past)