Dimitri

Dimitri (or Dimitri Floydorovich Sudayev / Dimitry Nikolayevich Antonov after researches) is the deuteragonist and the love interest of Anastasia in the film of the same name. After working in the Romanovs Palace as a child, he survived the Russian revolution just like Marie and Anastasia. As an adult he became a smart con-artist.

Personality
Dimitri is a sly and gentle but impatient con-artist from St. Petersburg whose real interest is in the fast money and who always must have the last word. Before he gets to know Anastasia (or Anya), there is no one who contrasts him what often upsets him. While being with her he is often very contentious and speechless. Therefore he did not particularly like very emancipated women. Moreover, he hates to get outsmarted or travel by train.

While the story goes on, he notices that he is falling in love with Anya and therefore he turns into a more tender, concerned, polite and courageous person than before.

Role in Film
After his parents died of disease, Dimitri, aged 8 years old, found employement as a kitchen boy in the Romanovs' palace. When the revolution begins he helps Anastasia and her grandmother Marie to escape by showing them a secret passageway in Anastasia's room. When armed men are storming immediately into the room he didn't tell them even after request where the two have disappeared and thereupon he gets knocked unconscious. He later escapes through a window.

Ten years later, Russia is under communist rule, and Dimtri has become a smart con artist. Still living in St. Petersburg, he and his friend and business partner Vladimir are trying to find an Anastasia look alike to present to Marie in Paris, France and collect the reward. They are sure that they will thereby be successful because Dimitri found Anastasia's music box during the revolution which he want to table to the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna. After an unsuccessful audition in a Russian theater to find a perfect Anastasia look alike, Dimitri and Vladimir meet Anya in the old palace. At first sight, the con duo knows for sure Anya has a strong resemblance to the real Anastasia, so the two decide to bring her to Paris but not to tell her their true intentions because Dimitri doesn't want to share the reward with her.

The three start their journey to Paris by train, while Dimitri and Anya are getting very quickly into a very contentious relationship. While Rasputin is trying to kill them by setting fire to the train and destroying the train bridge, Dimitri manages to affect their escape after Anya saves his life. Actually, he is grateful, but he shows it to her reluctantly. While preparing her for the interview with the Dowager Empress' cousin the two are getting to know each other better. As they take a ship from Germany to Paris, Dimitri gives Anya a dress which she wears as the two dance together later on board. Both notice that they have some special feelings for each other but before they kiss Dimitri turns his face away and leaves her blankly. Later, he saves her life as Rasputin again tries to kill her by making her sleep walk over the ship with the aim to drown her.

After arriving in Paris, Anya is talking to Sophie, Marie's cousin, and replies all her questions correctly when Sophie quizzes her to confirm her identity. Dimitri and Vladimir had taught Anastasia all the answers, but when Anastasia independently (though dimly) recalls how Dimitri saved her ten years ago, Dimitri finally realizes that she is the real Anastasia. Dimitri, however, insists they do not reveal this truth to Anya. Sophie, Vlad, Dimitri and Anya go shopping for the Russian Ballett where Sophie wants to arrange a meeting between Anya and her grandmother. While they are walking through Paris, Dimitri notices that he lost his heart to the tomboyish, funny girl. He distances himself from her more and more because a princess and a penniless scammer can't have a future in society together ("Princesses don't marry kitchen boys..."). In that way he wants to protect himself because his heart nearly gets broken because of that.

Sophie, convinced as well, arranges for Anya to meet Marie after the Russian ballet. However, Marie wants nothing to do with Dimitri, having heard of him and his initial scheme to trick her. When Dimitri tries to convince Anya (who heared all) that she is the real Princess, Anya slaps him, horrified that he was using her. Dimitri, in spite of everything manages to change Marie's mind by presenting her with Anastasia's music box, which he kept after their escape. Anya's memory returns upon meeting Marie, and the two women are reunited at long last.

The next day, Marie offers Dimitri the reward money, but to her surprise he refuses it and leaves for Russia, convinced that he cannot be with Anya, now formally known as "Princess Anastasia, Grand Duchess of Russia and last surviving daughter of Tsar Nicholas II". That night, at Anastasia's return celebration, Marie informs Anya of Dimitri's gesture and advices her to decide between her future with her grandmother in the High Society, a life full of obligations and etiquettes and Dimitri to whom she had a crush on. Anastasia, lost in thoughts, then wanders through a garden and onto the Pont Alexandre III, where she is trapped and attacked by Rasputin. Surprisingly Dimitri returns to save her, but gets injured and knocked unconscious.

Afterwards, Anya manages to defeat Rasputin by herself, and she and Dimitri reconcile. They want to kiss each other again, but then Dimitri remembers her of her obligation to the High Society and in the same second Anya makes her finally decision. The two then elope and 'Anastasia' sends a farewell letter to Marie and Sophie, promising to return someday.

The story ends when Dimitri and Anya are sharing their first kiss as they sail out of Paris.

Trivia

 * Character animation supervised by Len Simon.