Disney Mystery Coloring Anastasia: My Complete Review

The specs

Title: Coloriages Mystères Disney, Spécial film : Anastasia
Illustrator: Christophe-Alexis Perez
Publisher: Hachette Heroes
Release date: 30 September 2026
Price: 14.95 euros
50 mystery coloring pages
112 pages, solutions included
Size: 300 x 215 mm
Printing: single sided
Paper: premium, thick
Difficulty: easy

Why is Anastasia in a Disney collection?

That is the question I asked myself when I opened the parcel, and I doubt I am the only one. Anastasia is not a Disney film. It is a 1997 feature directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman, produced by Fox Animation Studios.

It joined the Disney catalogue in 2019, when Disney acquired Fox. That is what allows Hachette Heroes to publish it today under the Disney mystery coloring collection. So no, it is not a publisher mistake, and yes, it really is the film you have in mind.

One consequence for coloring: the 1997 art style is not the style of today's animated films. The faces, the backgrounds and the colors have that slightly dated feel that is exactly the charm of the film for some people, and a surprise for others. If you are buying for a child who has never seen Anastasia, look at the images first.

The built in swatch strip, the clever part

This is the detail that pleased me most as I flicked through. Every coloring page has, on the facing page, a swatch strip tied to the color codes of the drawing.

In practice it means you can test several markers or pencils on the same box, compare them, and keep only the one that works. On a mystery coloring page, where a badly chosen color repeats across dozens of areas, this saves you from realising your mistake far too late.

Not every book in the collection offers this. You do find it on the other Special Movie title in the range, The Lion King, which also shares the single sided format and the 50 colorings. When you are used to testing your colors on a scrap of paper beside you, having it built into the book is very welcome.

Single sided printing, and it matters

The coloring pages are printed on one side only. For me this is the number one criterion on a mystery coloring book, because it completely changes which supplies you can use.

With single sided printing, alcohol markers are fine and you never have to wonder what you are ruining on the back. Even if the marker bleeds through, there is nothing to spoil on the other side. The paper, described as premium, does feel thick, and the book is pleasant to handle.

Stock up on brown and green

Here is the point I really want you to check before buying, because it is the one that leaves me undecided.

This book leans heavily on dark tones, mainly brown and green. You can already see it on the swatch strip on the cover. If you color with markers and you only own one brown and one green in your set, you will wear them out before you finish the book. Stock up.

And for me it is also a matter of taste. I usually go for blues, purples and light greens, so a palette this earthy is not what makes me dream at first glance. It will not stop me from coloring it, and in any case nothing forces you to follow the color codes to the letter. You can always rearrange the palette to suit yourself.

Thicker outlines, generous areas

I noticed that the outlines look thicker than in the other mystery coloring books in the collection. I mention it because it is obvious when you place them side by side, but honestly it takes nothing away from the quality of the drawing.

I looked at every page in the book, and the areas to color are generally quite large. That is good news for beginners: you do not get lost, you can see where you are going, and you make progress fast.

There are still two or three noticeably busier pages, with areas so small that I had to look twice to make out the number. It is not a deal breaker, but if you are starting out, save those for later and get your bearings on the rest of the book.

The solution pages

The solutions are included at the back, and they count towards the 112 pages. Handy if you want to know in advance which image you are about to reveal, especially if you prefer picking your coloring pages rather than working through them in order.

Colorings 27 and 28 puzzle me

Looking through the solutions, two images stopped me: colorings 27 and 28. I do not recognise them as scenes from the film.

I should say straight away that I watched Anastasia quite a while ago, so my memory may well be playing tricks on me. I am flagging it out of honesty rather than as a criticism, and if you recognise them, do tell me, I will happily correct this article.

Getting hold of it outside France

One practical point before you go looking for it. This is a French edition published by Hachette Heroes, and at the time of writing I could not find it available on Amazon US, where it shows as out of print with limited availability. You will most likely have to import it from Amazon France.

The good news is that the language barely matters here. A mystery coloring book is numbers and color codes, so the pages themselves work in any language. Only the short introduction pages are in French, and you lose nothing by not reading them.

My verdict

This is a complete, well made book that should genuinely please Anastasia fans. Single sided printing, thick paper and the built in swatch strip make it comfortable to use whatever your supplies.

For beginners it is a good pick: the areas are large, the difficulty is listed as easy and it really is, give or take two or three pages.

I remain a little undecided myself, and only about the palette. Too much brown and dark green for my taste. But I have already spotted several pages that make me want to get started, and that is what counts.

If you are hesitating, check two things before buying: the dominant colors, and the 1997 art style, which does not look like today's animation.

I have not colored in it yet since I received it on release day. As usual, I will add my finished pages to this article as I go.