'Anastasia' bound for Broadway

Following on the heels of Ariel and Belle, and sneaking in ahead of Elsa, another animated princess is heading to Broadway.

Stage Entertainment USA and Tom Kirdahy announced on Friday that they will produce Anastasia during the 2016-17 season, at a Shubert theater to be announced.

Inspired by the 1997 Fox animated feature, the show comes from the team of book writer Terrence McNally, composer Stephen Flaherty and lyricist Lynn Ahrens, who won Tony Awards for their work on Ragtime in 1998.

The new musical is currently in rehearsals for its world premiere next month at Hartford Stage in Connecticut. Darko Tresnjak, a 2014 Tony winner for A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder, will direct, with choreography by Peggy Hickey. The pre-Broadway engagement begins performances May 12 and runs through June 19.

Set during the twilight of the Russian Empire in the early part of the last century, the story follows the journey of mystery, romance and self-discovery of the daughter of the last Russian tsar, who escapes the palace under siege and ends up in 1920s Paris.

Songs written by Ahrens and Flaherty for the movie, including the Oscar-nominated "Journey to the Past," will be used in the show, along with new material. Casting and dates for the Broadway run are to be announced.

The Fox film grossed $139.8 million worldwide.

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