# Bartok the Magnificent
*Bartok the Magnificent* is a 1999 American direct-to-video animated adventure comedy film directed by [Don Bluth](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-bluth) and Gary Goldman, in which the albino bat Bartok, a supporting character from the 1997 theatrical film *[Anastasia](https://www.edgepedia.org/anastasia-1997-film)*, becomes the hero of his own story set in Russia.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) It was produced by [Fox Animation Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/fox-animation-studios) and released on VHS and DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment on November 16, 1999.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197273/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 16, 1999, direct to video and DVD in the United States[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197273/) |
| Directors and producers | Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, the team behind *Anastasia*[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) |
| Screenplay | Jay Lacopo[3](https://www.intanibase.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=22910) |
| Lead voices | Hank Azaria (Bartok), Kelsey Grammer (Zozi), Andrea Martin (Baba Yaga), Catherine O'Hara (Ludmilla)[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197273/fullcredits/) |
| Music | Original score by Stephen Flaherty; songs with lyrics by Lynn Ahrens[5](https://ahrensandflaherty.com/works/bartok-the-magnificent/) |
| Runtime and rating | 67 to 68 minutes; rated G[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bartok_the_magnificent) |
| Recognition | Annie Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production; two Golden Reel Award nominations[7](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/bartok-the-magnificent/2000051748/) |
## Spoilers
### Story and characters
Bartok, formerly the sidekick of the wicked [Grigori Rasputin](https://www.edgepedia.org/grigori-rasputin) in *Anastasia*, appears here as an albino bat magician and con artist who performs in Moscow with his business partner, a talking bear named Zozi.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) • [11](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/bartok-the-magnificent) When the young heir to the Russian throne, Prince Ivan Romanov, is abducted, the royal advisor Ludmilla points Bartok toward [Baba Yaga](https://www.edgepedia.org/baba-yaga), the witch of the Iron Forest, whom the rescuers believe kidnapped the prince.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bartok_the_magnificent) At Baba Yaga's house, Bartok must complete a series of tasks, gathering items, before she will tell him what he needs to know to rescue Ivan.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) • [12](https://www.persuivant.org/bartok.htm) Ludmilla, who wants the throne for herself, is the film's true antagonist, and the story ends with a dragon-transformation climax.[13](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/bartok-the-magnificent) • [14](https://moriareviews.com/fantasy/bartok-the-magnificent-1999.htm)
The supporting cast includes [Tim Curry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-curry) as a riddle-producing talking Skull, Jennifer Tilly as Piloff, a talking pink snake, and [French Stewart](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-stewart) as the fire ogre blacksmith Oble.[15](https://letterboxd.com/mark_and_movies/film/bartok-the-magnificent/) The character of Baba Yaga draws on Russian folklore; the film's trivia notes describe the legendary witch as having iron teeth, traveling in a mortar and pestle, and living in a house that stood on chicken legs.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197273/)
## Production background
The film was made by the same team as *Anastasia*: director Don Bluth, partner and producer Gary Goldman, and the Fox Animation Studio in [Phoenix, Arizona](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoenix-arizona).[8](https://www.awn.com/news/bluth-makes-anastasia-sequel) According to Animation World Network, it was the first major Fox direct-to-video title produced in-house at the Phoenix facility and the first sequel to a Fox theatrical release.[8](https://www.awn.com/news/bluth-makes-anastasia-sequel) A contemporary report in July 1999 described the film as finished and scheduled for video and DVD release on November 16.[8](https://www.awn.com/news/bluth-makes-anastasia-sequel)
*Anastasia* had earned around $140 million globally and become the highest-grossing Bluth film, and it spawned this direct-to-video spinoff.[9](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/classic/don-bluth-gary-goldmans-anastasia-20-years-old-today-154858.html) A retrospective account describes the film as widely understood to be a make-work project to keep Fox Animation running before production started on *Titan A.E.*[10](https://www.alternateending.com/2020/07/bartok-the-magnificent-1999.html/amp)
## Music
[Lynn Ahrens](https://www.edgepedia.org/lynn-ahrens) and [Stephen Flaherty](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-flaherty), who wrote the Oscar-nominated score for *Anastasia*, wrote five new songs for the film, and Flaherty also composed the original score.[16](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-18-ca-34753-story.html) • [5](https://ahrensandflaherty.com/works/bartok-the-magnificent/) One listed song is "Baba Yaga," with music by Stephen Flaherty and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, performed by the ensemble.[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197273/)
## Reception
The film received mixed notices. Joe Leydon of *Variety* wrote that tykes would likely be charmed by the brisk pacing and engaging storyline, and that co-directors Bluth and Goldman did a respectable job of establishing what promised to be a new direct-to-video franchise, while noting the film was not as lavish as its big-screen predecessor.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) The *Indianapolis Star* called it "quite good for video-only release."[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) Later assessments were cooler: a [Letterboxd](https://www.edgepedia.org/letterboxd) review called it a half-baked spinoff that barely connects to *Anastasia*, with immediately forgettable songs, though it praised the voice cast.[15](https://letterboxd.com/mark_and_movies/film/bartok-the-magnificent/) The Alternate Ending review described uneven animation in which polished, CGI-sweetened sequences share frames with cheap, crude scribbling, but judged it still the second-best Bluth film of the 1990s.[10](https://www.alternateending.com/2020/07/bartok-the-magnificent-1999.html/amp)
Audience aggregates reflect the lukewarm response: Rotten Tomatoes lists a 46% Popcornmeter score from more than 5,000 ratings, and IMDb users give it 6.1 out of 10.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bartok_the_magnificent) • [17](https://screenwiseapp.com/media/bartok-the-magnificent-movie) The film was nominated for a 2000 Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production and for two Golden Reel Awards, for sound editing in music and in direct-to-video sound editorial.[7](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/bartok-the-magnificent/2000051748/)
## Home media and availability
The film was first released on VHS and DVD on November 16, 1999, and was re-released in 2005 as part of a two-disc set with *Anastasia* titled Family Fun Edition.[1](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent) As of recent listings it can be bought or rented digitally on Amazon Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home, and streamed through Hoopla.[11](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/bartok-the-magnificent)
## References
1. [Bartok the Magnificent, Big Kids TV](https://www.bigkids.tv/kids-films/bartok-the-magnificent)
2. [Bartok the Magnificent (Video 1999), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197273/)
3. [Bartok the Magnificent (1999), The Internet Animation Database](https://www.intanibase.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=22910)
4. [Bartok the Magnificent (1999), Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0197273/fullcredits/)
5. [Bartok The Magnificent, Ahrens + Flaherty](https://ahrensandflaherty.com/works/bartok-the-magnificent/)
6. [Bartok the Magnificent, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bartok_the_magnificent)
7. [Bartok the Magnificent, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/movies/bartok-the-magnificent/2000051748/)
8. [Bluth makes ANASTASIA sequel, Animation World Network](https://www.awn.com/news/bluth-makes-anastasia-sequel)
9. [Don Bluth and Gary Goldman's 'Anastasia' Is 20 Years Old Today, Cartoon Brew](https://www.cartoonbrew.com/classic/don-bluth-gary-goldmans-anastasia-20-years-old-today-154858.html)
10. [Bartok the Magnificent (1999), Alternate Ending](https://www.alternateending.com/2020/07/bartok-the-magnificent-1999.html/amp)
11. [Bartok the Magnificent streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/bartok-the-magnificent)
12. [Bartok the Magnificent, Persuivant](https://www.persuivant.org/bartok.htm)
13. [Bartok the Magnificent | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere](https://moviesanywhere.com/movie/bartok-the-magnificent)
14. [Bartok the Magnificent (1999), Moria](https://moriareviews.com/fantasy/bartok-the-magnificent-1999.htm)
15. [Bartok the Magnificent review, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/mark_and_movies/film/bartok-the-magnificent/)
16. [Sidekick Bat Spreads His Wings in 'Bartok', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-18-ca-34753-story.html)
17. [Bartok the Magnificent, Screenwise](https://screenwiseapp.com/media/bartok-the-magnificent-movie)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Animated and family franchise film entries › Comedy and adventure entries*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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