Originally recorded for the film by American actress and singer Liz Callaway in her title 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 written and recorded for the film, Ahrens and Flaherty conceived "Journey to the Past" as a means of expressing the different emotions Anya feels while she prepares to venture out on her own for the first time.
Accompanying a musical sequence during which Anya travels from her Russian orphanage to St. Petersburg, the song incorporates the film's central themes about home, love and family.
Upon release, both versions of "Journey to the Past" received generally positive reviews, although film and music critics preferred Callaway's original rendition over Aaliyah's.
"Journey to the Past" has also appeared in the stage musical adaptation of the film, performed by actress Christy Altomare for the original Broadway cast album.
[1] The second song written for that particular scene,[2] Ahrens and Flaherty conceived "Journey to the Past" as a way to express the excitement Anya feels as she prepares to "set out on the adventure to finding the truth about her family".
[3] The opening "vamp" Flaherty composed for the song's introduction was written to resemble the character's heartbeat as it races excitedly while "giv[ing] the feeling of the fear and self-doubt that always goes with when you're on the cusp of the next thing" prior to ultimately "finding the strength within you to continue".
[2] Thus, Ahrens and Flaherty were often required to communicate with the filmmakers in Hollywood, California and Phoenix, Arizona via conference call when they were unable to attend production meetings in person.
[2] 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.
[3] At one point, the filmmakers recruited actress and writer Carrie Fisher (uncredited) to rework the scene in order to provide Ahrens and Flaherty with some new ideas for its song.
[17] Tim Brayton of Alternate Ending described "Journey to the Past" as a "Yearning Song", finding it to be "a somewhat unconventional version of the trope, in that the heroine is active, rather than passive".
[18] Entertainment Weekly's Maureen Lee Lenker identified "Journey to the Past" as "a traditional musical theater 'I Want' number in its laying out the goals of the protagonist".
[19] Orchestral arrangements of the song by composer David Newman are used and reprised several times throughout Anastasia,[20] including a final "victorious" rendition at the end of the film.
People always say, life is full of choices, no one ever mentions fear" before ultimately growing in determination to reveal what she wants as the protagonist sings "one step down this road, I know someone's waiting, years of dreams just can't be wrong".
[2] Featuring multiple key changes,[2] the song's bridge that reads "home, love, family" consists almost exclusively of whole notes in order to indicate "huge ideas" felt during that moment.
[11] Jeffrey Gantz of the Boston Phoenix identified the ballad as "self-fulfillment anthem", comparing it to similar songs used in previous animated Disney films.
[30] 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 receiving "great material to work with".
[3] Although being more associated with hip hop and R&B music, Roche believed the singer's "character, smile, and looks exuded something very, very sweet and gentle, very kind and peaceful", in addition to feeling that the tone of Aaliyah's voice suited his arrangement of "Journey to the Past".
[3] Additionally, both Ahrens and Flaherty were excited to hear that Aaliyah would be recording the song, describing themselves as "over the moon" upon learning that they would be working with the "young, beautiful star on the rise".
[3] Once final arrangements were made for Aaliyah to record a pop rendition of "Journey to the Past", the songwriters wanted to personalize the song to better suit the singer's "unique vocal style", agreeing to change some of its lyrics and tailor the melody to her voice.
[58] Contributing to Billboard, Larry Flick wrote that the single completed Aaliyah's "transformation into a pop princess", praising her vocal performance for sounding "broader and more impressive than any past recordings have indicated" and interpretation of its lyrics.
[61] Okayplayer's Thembisa Mshaka believes the singer would be releasing more pop songs and torch ballads along the lines of "Journey to the Past" if she were still alive today.
[1] McCarty's review of Aaliyah's pop rendition of the song was more mixed: "...as is almost always the case with these animated musicals that produce radio hits, I prefer the in-movie version".
[62] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave a somewhat positive review of Aaliyah's rendition, calling it a good version of a song that sounds better in its original form.
[74] Aaliyah: A Biography biographer Jennifer Warner credits her performance with demonstrating that she was prepared "to take the word's biggest stages" as she approached the end of her teenage years.
[76] Actress Alexandra Shipp covered "Journey to the Past" for the film in her starring role as Aaliyah, reenacting the singer's performance at the Academy Awards.
[87] Writing for The Morton Report, Chaz Lipp criticized the actress for "struggling to sound meaningful while singing the inexplicably Oscar-nominated 'Journey to the Past'", while failing to "convey Aaliyah's allure as a performer and vocalist".
[102] Ahrens claims that adapting Anastasia for the stage helped her realize the true impact the song has had on listeners and fans, recalling the audience's reaction to hearing "Journey to the Past" for the first time.
[104] On April 26 the same year, Altomare performed the song live on The Today Show accompanied by a full orchestra,[106] as part of the program's "Best of Broadway" week.
[110] Praising Altomare's performance, Dave Quinn of NBC New York wrote that the actress voice "is the sort of pure, perfect soprano that pierces the heart and warms the soul ... specifically in the showstopping 'Journey to the Past'".