Bartok the Magnificent 1999

Bartok, Hank Azaria, the albino bat magician and seasoned con artist, arrives in Moscow around 1601–1613, a time long before the events of the first film. He dazzles locals with a string of tricks, culminating in a daring finale where he defeats a savage bear. The performance wins him the favor of the young tsar, Ivan Romanov, who gifts Bartok a royal ring. Bartok’s partner, a bear named Zozi, Kelsey Grammer, is along for the ride and hints that the ring should go back to royalty, but Bartok refuses, insisting the gift is his to keep. Meanwhile, the scheming adviser Ludmilla, Catherine O’Hara, watches with growing unease as the ring’s presence stirs trouble in the court.

When Ivan seems to vanish, a witch named Baba Yaga, Andrea Martin, is accused, and the town beseeches Bartok to rescue the prince. Bartok and Zozi set off toward St. Petersburg, but their path quickly leads them to Baba Yaga’s domain. At her hut they encounter a giant, talking skull that asks a riddle for entry, a gatekeeper voice that foreshadows the trials ahead. The riddle is solved, and Bartok is captured by Baba Yaga, who reveals a dangerous quest: to save Ivan, Bartok must retrieve three artifacts from the Iron Forest—Piloff, a pink snake; Oble’s crown, held by a fiery ogre blacksmith; and the Magic Feather. The catch is ruthless: Bartok must complete the tasks alone, without any aid, and with Piloff tethered to a metal boulder, making the theft of the crown and the flight-bound feather into a careful, cunning operation. As this unfolds, Ludmilla consolidates power back in Moscow, seizing Ivan’s throne and stoking a dangerous power grab of her own. The fate of the kingdom hangs in the balance as Bartok faces the trials and Baba Yaga’s true intentions begin to surface.

Back in the city, Ludmilla’s grip tightens while Bartok confronts the impossible tasks. Piloff is immobilized on the rock, Oble’s crown must be swiped without alerting the ogre, and the Magic Feather must be obtained without flying, all while ensuring Piloff is unbound when bringing the items to the Skull. The trials test Bartok’s wits, courage, and loyalty, revealing how much he has grown since his first arrogant performances. As the rescue mission unfolds, the thread of truth emerges: Baba Yaga’s supposed kidnapping of Ivan was part of a larger plan to test Bartok, and her demand for a final ingredient—the tear of compassion from Bartok’s own heart—becomes a turning point in the story. The potion that Baba Yaga crafts from Piloff’s essence, a jewel’s energy, the feather’s magic, and Bartok’s tear exposes a deeper magic at work: the potion is meant to reveal the truth and empower the heart, and it also reveals that Ivan is not simply a captive but a prisoner in Moscow’s castle walls, waiting to be freed.

With Bartok’s courage proven, he and Zozi return to Moscow to confront Ludmilla. Bartok explains his perilous journey and the trio—Bartok, [Hank Azaria], Baba Yaga; Zozi, the devoted bear companion; and Vol, the Captain of the Guard [Diedrich Bader]—make their way to the tower where Ivan is imprisoned. Ludmilla traps Bartok, and in a twist, she confesses that Vol was made to impersonate Baba Yaga, a ruse designed to discredit the real witch and justify her bid for the throne. The confession shatters the palace’s fragile loyalties, and Ludmilla drinks Bartok’s potion in a bid to grow stronger, only to transform into a gargantuan dragon instead. Her fiery breath scorches Moscow, and the city teeters on the edge of disaster.

Zozi arrives to rescue Bartok, Ivan, and Vol, and a fierce confrontation ensues. Drawing on the lessons of the Iron Forest, Bartok uses his cunning to force Ludmilla to climb the tower, where the accumulated weight of her power collapses the structure. The tower’s ruin triggers a wave that quenches the flames of her dragon form, and as the people gather, the truth about Baba Yaga’s role is revealed: she was not villainous, and Bartok’s bravery has earned him recognition as a genuine hero. Ivan’s ring is restored to its rightful owner, and Baba Yaga’s name is cleared, allowing the trio to share a heartfelt moment of relief and gratitude. In the end, the city celebrates Bartok’s courage, Ludmilla’s downfall is halted, and the bond between Bartok, Zozi, and Baba Yaga is renewed. The tale closes with Bartok bidding farewell, promising to return and to share the cheers of Moscow once again, as the river of adventures continues to flow for this ever-resourceful bat and his unlikely allies.