No Russian-Language Version?

You’d think the Walt Disney Co. had covered all the bases when it comes to marketing animated movie musicals. But 20th Century Fox thinks it has a few new tricks to try out with “Anastasia.”

And in the process, senior vice president of Fox Music Robert Kraft is hoping that he can help the story of the exiled Romanoff princess, which opens Nov. 21, touch both country music and Latin pop fans.

With songs written by the “Ragtime” team of Lynn Aherns and Stephen Flaherty targeting pop (a duet by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis) and R&B; (a recording by Aaliyah) formats, the just-released soundtrack album on Atlantic Records covers tried and true territory.

But it also features performances by country star Deana Carter and a Spanish-language number by young pop and soap opera star Thalia, produced by Emilio Estefan. All four songs will be pushed as singles in their respective radio realms between now and Christmas. (In the film, the songs are sung by the characters, with the Marx-Lewis duet featured at the end over a montage of highlights, followed by the Aaliyah and Carter versions with the credits. The Thalia performance will be used in Spanish-speaking countries.)

For Kraft, who supervised the album, it’s a way to move beyond the formulas set by Disney with its string of animated musicals, which have spurred pop and R&B; hits by artists including Elton John (“Circle of Life” from “The Lion King”) and Vanessa Williams (“Color of the Wind” from “Pocahontas”).

“I just started to think, why go with the kind of pop and adult-contemporary approach that our dear pals in Burbank have had unbelievable success with?” Kraft says. “Thalia’s song is specifically geared to opening the movie in the Latin market. . . . In this climate of fragmented radio and record buying markets, you really need something to offer each separate world.”

Tapping the Spanish-speaking audience for such a project is not entirely untested. Disney had singles by Luis Miguel from “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and Ricky Martin from “Hercules”--though neither was included on the soundtrack albums. Disney also released a separate Spanish album of “The Lion King.”

Pio Ferro, program director of L.A. Spanish-language pop station KLVE-FM (107.5), says that “Anastasia” will do well with his audience regardless. But having Thalia’s song on the album, he says, should significantly boost its profile in that market.

“It’s a great idea, a good move with Thalia,” he says. “They’re going to get the kids with this film anyway, but that they’re doing something in Spanish is even nicer.”

John Sebastian, operations manager of L.A. country music station KZLA-FM (93.9), is also pleased that Fox is giving him something to hitch the station’s wagon to. While Disney had some radio success with an album of country versions of songs from its past musicals, it never offered a country single concurrent with any of the films’ theatrical releases.

“ ‘Anastasia’ is the type of thing that really appeals to the family values of the country listener,” he says. “Deana Carter has been pretty hot--she’s had three No. 1 singles in a row. So this is a way of [Fox] broadening the audience.”