a journey to the past anime

by Flossie Prohaska Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago 7 min read

Who wrote the song Journey to the past?

" Journey to the Past " is a song written by lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty for the animated musical film Anastasia (1997).

Is there an anime based on the journey to the west?

These anime are directly or loosely based on the Journey to the West novel by Wu Cheng'en. See all anime tags. Patalliro Saiyuki! Can't find what you're looking for?

What is the meaning of journey to the past by Anya?

According to the book Show Music, "'Journey to the Past' effectively states [Anya's] goal to find 'Home, love, family' while revealing a feisty spirit."

What is the message of journey to the past?

According to Linda Buchwald of American Theatre, "Journey to the Past" is also about overcoming and facing one's fears. Jeffrey Gantz of the Boston Phoenix identified the ballad as "self-fulfillment anthem", comparing it to similar songs used in previous animated Disney films.

Who produced Journey to the Past?

Kraft conceived the idea of using "Journey to the Past" to promote the film to a broader audience, following Disney's example of hiring popular singers to record commercial versions of theme songs from some of their animated films, some of which became successful singles. Kraft recruited record producer Guy Roche to produce a pop version of "Journey to the Past" before expressing interest in American singer Aaliyah to record it.

What is the meaning of the song Journey to the Past?

Used to initiate the story in order to depict Anya "moving on" from the orphanage, Ahrens explained that "Journey to the Past" is intended to be "a traveling song that took her from that point all the way to this point.

How many dubbings did Anastasia have?

International versions. On its theater release in 1997, the movie numbered 27 dubbings worldwide, to which 3 more were added in the following years, raising the number of official versions to 30. Spanish singer Virginia Martínez performed Anastasia's song both in Catalan and European Spanish.

What is the music video for Journey to the Past?

The single's music video features scenes of Aaliyah alternating between then-modern day America and the film's animated incarnation of Russia during the 1920s, interacting with various characters and locations from the animated film. Aaliyah is shown traveling through snow-covered landscapes wearing a beige jumpsuit and floor-length mink coat. The music video begins in a modern-day American neighborhood on a seemingly warm day. Aaliyah is seen singing in the windows of a small grocery store and on the street where children are playing in an open fire hydrant. Tying into the theme of going back to the past, Aaliyah goes back and forth from the real modern-day world to the animated world of Russia in the 1920s, the time in which Anastasia is set. She is then seen in several of the movie's iconic scenes such as balancing on a log with Anastasia behind her, out in the snow where the "Journey to the Past" song is featured in the film, in the ballroom in the "Once Upon a December" sequence, ascending the lift in the Eiffel Tower (the "Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart)" scene) and on stage in the Russian ballet scene. The fountains of Jardins du Trocadéro can be seen briefly. The music video ends with her sitting on the rooftop seemingly overlooking the final scene in which Dimitri and Anastasia kiss and finally on the clouds above St. Petersburg with the children.

What year did Callaway sing Journey to the Past?

Live performances and cover versions. In 2012, Callaway sang "Journey to the Past" live at The New York Pops 's 29th Birthday Gala: "Journey On" at Carnegie Hall, a concert celebrating the music of Ahrens and Flaherty. Callaway performed the song live during her cabaret show "Celebrate" at 54 Below in 2014.

Why did Terrence McNally change Act One and Act Two?

Another reason for the adjustment is that librettist Terrence McNally wanted Act One and Act Two to take place exclusively in Russia and Paris, respectively , using "Journey to the Past" to reflect that Paris is "free, expressive, creative, no barriers" unlike Russia.

How many bars are there in Journey to the Past?

The last 32 bars of the song evoke feelings of hopefulness and longing. Thomas S. Hischak, author of The Oxford Companion to the American Musical: Theatre, Film, and Television, described "Journey to the Past" as "warm".

Overview

"Journey to the Past" is a song written by lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty for the animated musical film Anastasia (1997). Originally recorded for the film by American actress and singer Liz Callaway in her titular role as the singing voice of Anastasia – who is going by her nickname "Anya" at the time – the song expresses the character's desire to follow sparse clues about her past in the hopes of learning more about her family and who she is. The third song wri…

Writing and recording

"Journey to the Past" was written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, with Ahrens writing the song's lyrics and Flaherty composing its melody. Although the songwriters had originally written a different song for Anya, they began writing "Journey to the Past" late one evening because they understood that "in Hollywood, you always have to write three songs for every scene." The second song written for that particular scene, Ahrens and Flaherty conceived "Journey to the Past" as a …

Context and use in Anastasia

Identified as a character song, "Journey to the Past" is the first song Anya sings in Anastasia. In the film, 18 year-old orphan Anya grows up unaware that she is truly the Grand Duchess Anastasia, the lone surviving member of the immediate Romanov family who was murdered during the Russian Revolution 10 years earlier. Raised in an orphanage, the character suffers from amnesia which renders her incapable of remembering her childhood or family. However, a crypti…

Composition

According to the song's official sheet music published by TCF Music Publishing, Inc. on Musicnotes.com, "Journey to the Past is a pop ballad played in cut time in the key of C major at a "moderate" speed of 84 beats per minute. Ahrens refers to the song's "twinkly opening bars" as the "shimmer". Author David Metzer identified "Journey to the Past" as a power ballad in his book The Ballad in American Popular Music: From Elvis to Beyoncé. A writer for Filmtracks.com touted "Jo…

Reception and impact

DVDTalk's David Cornelius named the song "the film's best tune", while Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News called the song "hummable". Scott Matthewman of The Stage wrote that "Journey to the Past" helps prove "that Disney did not always hold the monopoly on beautiful standards." Describing the song as "an uplifting anthem", Den of Geek's Natalie Zutter called Callaway's performance "lovely" and cited "Journey to the Past" as an example of the singer recei…

Live performances and cover versions

In 2012, Callaway sang "Journey to the Past" live at The New York Pops's 29th Birthday Gala: "Journey On" at Carnegie Hall, a concert celebrating the music of Ahrens and Flaherty. Callaway performed the song live during her cabaret show "Celebrate" at 54 Below in 2014. In 2017, Callaway sang the song during her concert "An Evening With Liz Callaway" at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffth University, a rendition Peter Pinne of Stage Whispers described as "unde…

Aaliyah version

Kraft conceived the idea of using "Journey to the Past" to promote the film to a broader audience, following Disney's example of hiring popular singers to record commercial versions of theme songs from some of their animated films, some of which became successful singles. Kraft recruited record producer Guy Roche to produce a pop version of "Journey to the Past" before expressing interest in American singer Aaliyah to record it. After listening to the demo, Roche det…

Stage version

The song appears in the stage musical adaptation of the film, which premiered on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 24, 2017. "Journey to the Past" is one of five songs retained from the film. In addition to originating the role of Anastasia, actress Christy Altomare recorded "Journey to the Past" for the show's original Broadway cast album, which she specifically asked to record last so that afterward she could then "walk out into the streets of New York having just sung it.". …