Anya (Anastasia)

Anya is a character in 20th Century Fox's animated film Anastasia (1997). A Russian orphan with amnesia, Anya travels to Paris, France to relearn about her past and family. She enlists help from a pair of con artists, who plot to use her resemblance to Russia's Imperial family to win a lucrative reward from her grandmother. Although largely fictionalized, the character is loosely based on two historical figures: Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, the youngest daughter of Nicholas II; and Anna Anderson, an imposter famous for claiming to be the Grand Duchess. Plot elements from the film Anastasia (1956), in which the character is played by actress Ingrid Bergman, also provided inspiration for Anya.

Created by director Don Bluth, Anya is inspired by the urban legend that Anastasia survived the Romanov family's execution in 1918, but the film's writers reimagined her tragic life in favor of a more optimistic ending. Basing her appearance on actresses Audrey Hepburn and Julia Roberts, Bluth redesigned the character several times to achieve a final design he felt best embodied her personality. Anya is voiced primarily by actress Meg Ryan. Despite being the filmmakers' first choice for the role, Ryan was wary about the film's dark subject matter, and only committed after the directors animated an original sequence to dialogue from her film Sleepless in Seattle (1993). Singer Liz Callaway provides Anya's singing voice, while actresses Kirsten Dunst and Lacey Chabert provide the speaking and singing voices, respectively, for a younger version of the character.

Reception towards Anya has been mostly positive, with film critics praising her spirited personality and independence. Ryan's voice acting was also well-received, although some critics found her American accent distracting. As the most famous American depiction of the Grand Duchess, Anya's likeness has been used in a range of tie-in media and merchandise, while various publications have written about her reputation as a strong female character and role model. In 2017, Christy Altomare originated the role of Anya in the Broadway musical adaptation of the film.