1 Ten years later, Pocahontas is complete.
In 1995, Disney released its 33rd animated feature, Pocahontas, having cut the song "If I Never Knew You" from the motion picture. Ten years later, the folks at the House of Mouse re-add this beautiful sweeping love ballad back to this masterpiece, and the result is a feeling of satisfaction complete with goosebumps, teary eyes, and the fulfillment knowing Pocahontas is now complete. This 10th Anniversary Edition makes Pocahontas better than ever, and after viewing it, I am proud to put Pocahontas back at the top of my favourite Disney movie list. I just hope that 20 years from now, this final and complete version of the film will be the one audiences will remember, the one Disney will be promoting, the one audiences will be watching time and time again. Of all of Disney's animated full-length features, the love story found in "Pocahontas" is the most intense, the issues the most real, and the animation and music the most breath-taking and beautiful. If you've never seen Pocahontas, or haven't watched it in years, give Pocahontas: The 10th Anniversary Edition a try, and you might end up asking yourself, "If I never knew you..."
2 Great movie for adults and kids alike
This is certainly one of Disney's gems that appeals to both kids and adults alike. While the 'social' themes such as love knows no racial boundaries, are well articulated in a stunning animation masterpiece. The story and the quality of the movie is already well established when the first release of the movie in 1995. Here, this review focuses more on the new edition released May 3, 2005.
The biggest difference in this 2-DVD set is the inclusion of an additional song, not previously released. The second DVD provies an interesting set of short "documentaries" on various aspects of animation and script writing of the movie. The narration in these segments are at best, average, and do not seem very captivating. As far as picture quality is concerned, one can see the effect of re-mastering at various points, but the remastering itself is no reason to buy the new edition. The only worthwhile addition was the few coupons in the DVD for future Disney releases. In short, if you already own the previous edition, this DVD is probably avoidable. If you dont own this Disney (it is hard to call it a masterpiece when other movies from the studio has been stunning) movie, this edition certainly adds some value.
3 Still One of Disney's Best
Even with its minor flaws, this film still stands, in my opinion, as one of Disney's greatest achievements. Following the phenomenal success of "The Lion King" the previous year, "Pocahontas" was considered a dismal failure in 1995, as it barely made over 100 million at the box office. True, there was no room for hyenas marching in lockstep or lusting French candleholders, but what the Disney artists accomplished was that necessary next step in the art of film. Also true is the lack of historic accuracy to what little is known of Pocahontas and John Smith, and the fact there is no proof they were ever romantically linked. But if historic accuracy was the most important criteria in filmmaking, "Pocahontas" would have been nothing more than an animated documentary.
Some viewers may be missing the point if they try to compare this movie with other Disney gems like "Snow White" or "Cinderella". Pocahontas is portrayed here as a grown woman, and not a teen or "Little Mermaid". Her romance with Smith is a strong lesson that love levels all barriers, even racial ones. To me, this film was Disney's first attempt at an animated film with more adult values, a concept that should make both adults and children happy (and I always thought "Pocahontas" was a great "date" movie). The Disney Studio should be commended in their efforts in this regard.
The discs we have here are not as well filled as that of "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King", although Disney correctly included the half hour documentary, hosted by Irene Bedard, that was televised on the Disney Channel when the film was originally released. Also included is a film commentary by the producer and the two co-directors of the film.
The big selling point in this release is the inclusion of a song that was cut from the theatrical version (which also reappears as a reprise in the final scene). Artistically, the song is necessary to solidly reinforce how much Pocahontas and Smith mean to each other (besides being a most beautiful composition). But the viewer may decide its inclusion is unacceptable. So Disney has given viewers two film choices, with the added song seamlessly inserted in the anniversary edition.
The film has undergone some amazing remastering, with brighter colors and sharper lines, as well as less grain overall. The sound has a bit more gusto when heard in surround sound (thanks to THX), but the new remastering is barely noticable when heard on the TV alone. Compared with the original DVD, the video difference is stunning. Characters' movements seem more fluid this time around, and the sharpness of the outlines emphasize facial expression better.
The previous DVD listed the aspect ratio as 1.66:1, which was incorrect - it was actually closer to 1.50:1. For the new DVD, we are given the ratio of 1.66:1, allowing more image left and right, but neither DVD has presented the film in the theatrical release ratio of 1.85:1.
For anyone who already has the previous DVD of "Pocahontas", an additional purchase may not be deemed necessary. But for everyone else, this immaculate new presentation is a must have.
4 Finally! We get to hear Mel Gibson sing!
When "Pocahontas" was first released in theatres 10 years ago (damn I'm getting old!), I was still in my "everything Disney is good" phase and I bought the companion soundtrack to the movie. My favorite song from was the CD was "If I Never Knew You," sung by Jon Secada and Shanice, but I was curious as to why it was on the soundtrack when it wasn't in the movie. Well a couple of years ago when "Pocahontas" aired on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney, they showed the deleted scene where Mel Gibson sings the song in the film. It was wonderful. I was so disappointed that the filmmakers chose to cut that scene because the song is great and it adds an emotional resonance that most critics accused the film of lacking. (The scene occurs the night before John Smith's scheduled execution when Pocahontas goes to visit him.) I was further disappointed when "Pocahontas" was released on DVD and Mel's song wasn't on it. Well, ten years later, Disney finally got a clue and we'll actually get to see and hear the song in the context of the movie. Granted "Pocahontas" doesn't compare to "The Lion King" or "Beauty and the Beast," but 10 years later it's still alive and kicking. If you enjoyed the movie then, you'll more than appreciate Mel's musical contribution to the film now.
5 Poca Haunts Us
Disney was on a roll: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Alladin, and the Lion King. After The Lion King, it appeared Disney could do no wrong. Well, Pocahontas dispelled that myth. While this 10th anniversary edition was carefully put together, it does not hide the fact that at its core is a severely flawed and uninspired movie. The movie's slow pace makes it somewhat difficult to watch despite the brilliant colors and awesome sound. Disney fans are used to action and adventure appearing at expected and unexpected moments. And there's always a love story somehwere. Pocahontas, however, is almost devoid of any action and really does not have a love story. For that matter, there isn't much of any kind of story. I am sure that Pocahontas, a legendary figure in our history, deserved a much better treatment that this hauntingly weak Disney dud.
6 A bit messed up...
Alright, so I don't mind that Disney used cute animals and lots of little comedy sequences and elements to make the historical tale of Pocahontas, but turning it into a silly, sad-ending love story that never was? Now, that's a big no-no. Fine animation and some great songs can't make up for that little mistake.
A little fact, Pocahontas was a young girl (As in 12 or 13 years of age) when John Smith and the Englishmen arrived in what was her home, and she tought them that in order to be able to be able to co-live, they must learn to accept their differences and live as friends, that way Pocahontas, her people befriended the Englishmen and later she herself took a trip to England.
This Disney version of the story has Pocahontas also making the peace between her people and the Englishmen but adding also a romance between John Smith and Pocahontas which was so absurd it didn't live on past the film's sequel. Pocahontas is now in her 20's so close to death as in real life, she died somewhere in that time from small-pox. Disney also added "pet animals" for comic relief as usual, which I don't mind but it seems as if sometimes they were there to add a pointless scene. Songs like "Colors of the Wind" and "Just Around the River Bend" are pretty cool and are the good side of the movie.
Overall, an inaccurate, sort of messed up Disney "princess/love story." Recommended for children, but don't do a history report on it or you'll flunk your history class.
2.4/5
7 10th Anniversary edition is Great! Better than before!
I just finished watching the new 10th Anniversary Edition of Pocahontas and I must say it is considerably better than the original version! You have the option on this new DVD of watching the original theatrical version, or the new version with the added song "If I Never Knew You". Admittedly, this strategy has been hit or miss with Disney--it worked for "Beauty and the Beast", but I thought it didn't work too well for "The Lion King". This new song is outstanding, right up there with "Color of the Wind", and it does a great job of enhancing/fitting into the storyline and helps John Smith express his appropriate feelings for Pocahontas in a moving fashion. And although it adds a few minutes to the movie, it actually helps to move the story along quicker/better & I found it much more enjoyable than the original.
As far as the quality of the DVD itself, the picture is absolutely perfect & brilliant looking, with great THX surround sound! Also, if you decide to watch the original theatrical version, it doesn't pause or look awkward between the added scenes, which is a definite plus & improvement over previous releases. And, of course, there's a whole second disc of bonus material, including deleted scenes & a "making of" and such..
Even if you already own the original version, I HIGHLY recommend this 10th anniversary edition to replace it! The new song is just what this movie needed!
8 Why all the complaints???
What's all the fuss about? I was around 10 yrs old when I first whatched this movie and I thought and still think it's great. The animation was well drawn, especially the "colors of the wind" part. The musics were very strong (don't miss out near the end music, it really rises your spirit). And 1 or 2 songs of Disney's Pocahontas were really meaningfull. Overall it deserves a good rating.
But why all the complaints?
People that gave bad ratings mostly complained about the inaccuracy of the movie portraying the history. Even History itself is not true. History is just a recording made by us, even they who wrote it can alter it. For instance, our American History wrote about Columbus being the first to discover America; in fact he is the last, actually never did reached America. People who complained are scared that their children will get the wrong ideas of history. I first watched it before I learned the "Truth" as well, and now I'm 20 and well aware of the true history of Pocahontas, and no I'm not affected by Disney's version. I can manage to seperate history from fantasy.
And I realized how many complained about racial issue; Caucasians complained about the appearence of white people and that they are the "badguys" in the movie. Native Americans complained that the movie protrayed them as savages. In this movie I only saw 1 villian and of course it's Ratcliff. Now the movie titled Pocahontas, you can assume it's about the Native Americans. And that's why the movie focus the character appearence more on Native Americans than on Caucasians. As for most of Disney's movie; the main focused characters will always appear more pleasent than the sides or the villians. I bet no one will complain about racial issue if both versus are the same race. I also don't see any savageness portrayed in the movie both Caucasians and Native Americans. If you think about it, Ratcliff promised gold in the new land. Who wouldn't turn greedy hearing about it, espeacially being a peasant back in England. Therefore it's reasonable why the Native Americans felt threaten and set up a defense (You would be if someone you don't know move in with you, and not knowing their purpose). And so war came about b/c both don't understand each other's purpose in the land; where one wants gold and the other won't share land. When both don't understand each other they both consider each other savages.
To end myself, you would enjoyed it greatly if you set history and racial issues aside. Don't just consider your point of view but open yourself up. This movie actually brings meaning than controversy...
9 Lack of history? Hello...this is Disney!
I saw this film yesterday after buying the DVD, and boy was I impressed!
The story, the music, the colours, this whole film was simply spectacular and so beautiful! The lessons it teaches, and not just learning to accept other people different from yourself, but I felt particularly moved by Pocahontus's love of nature, and her closeness to the land in which she lives.
Colours of the wind is of course the perfect song to show this, and is so beautiful to watch.
This is truly a Disney classic, maybe more for the grown ups than little kids, but a classic none the less.
And oh yeah, for those who say the history was wrong and this had ruined part of history? what about just pretending that this is just another normal Disney film? Obviosuly Disney weren't going for histoical accuaracy when they created this masterpiece, and you shouldn't be marking it on that either.
10 Honestly
You people are crazy. This movie wasn't made to teach kids history, it was made to tell a classic LEGEND. Who wants to watch a movie about a 12 year old Native American and a 30 year old white man and their love? Don't you find that a little bit disturbing? How would you explain to a 3-year old what syphillis is?
This movie is awesome. It has great songs and an enticing plot. I don't know anyone that doesn't like it, except, apparently, for a couple of you guys. It's not a history lesson, it's a kid's movie!
11 New song!
This DVD set has already made its debut in some countries in Europe, and a friend of mine told me that it does have the deleted song "If I Never Knew You" back in the movie! I personally love that song and can't wait to see it back where it belongs. Of course, if you don't want to see a new song in the movie and would rather just watch it the way it was in theaters, you have the option to do so. This should be a great DVD with awesome special features...I can't wait until May!
12 Finally!
Finally Pocahontas is being released in a 2 disc edition! This is one of my favorite Disney movies and I've been waiting since last year for it to be released in a Special Edition set. I'm also waiting for the Little Mermaid.
I hope they include the song that was cut from the theatrical release of this film. It's such a beautiful song and shouldn't have been cut.
I cannot wait till I can add this set to my collection of Special Edition Disney DVDs.
13 Lovely but innacurate
When I first saw Pocahontas years ago as a child, I was entranced with its beauty and charming story. I still am- but only with the former. Pocahontas has arguably the most stunningly gorgeous animation of any Disney movie. Unfortunately, beauty of any kind is rarely seen outside of the movie's backdrop. Everywhere from beginning to end is fraught with violence, and while the violence never bothered me, it is the hypocritical way the stereotypes are played off of it that did. The English are all cartoonish (granted, this is a cartoon but this is really excessive, similar to depictions of the Romans in paintings of Jesus), except for the heroically Aryan Smith. Meanwhile, the Powhatan are proud and noble-looking with dream bodies. Also, the Powhatan are displayed as peace-loving people who want only to be one with nature, but they are really just as "savage" as their British counterparts (for instance, even though they may sing about how seasons go and seasons come, steady as the beating drum, their happiness stems from a war victory). Then, there are a plethora of historical innaccuracies, but to expect Disney to conform to the story of an eleven year old, somewhat unattractive native girl who later dies of syphillis and an exploitave white man who are nothing more than friends would not make for good movie-watching, so I wish that people would stop whining about this particular aspect. All the same, the movie-watching isn't great for any conciensious adult. The double standards and stereotyping totally belie the movie's message of tolerance. While I understand that many tribes felt a special connection with nature, I don't believe anyone would go so far as to tell everyone that she heard a talking tree telling her to listen with her heart (not to mention that Smith can see the tree too, showing that her communication isn't solely with the tribe). And the chief is hardly condemned for almost bringing a bloody death on a framed Smith, because the chief is just a poor victim of the vicious, greedy and suspiciously Jewish-looking Governer Radcliffe anyway. The songs are all right but often preachy and, once again, stereotyping. Should you watch this movie, turn down the sound and enjoy the scenery, because that's about all there is to enjoy.
14 Okay, let's look at what Disney was really doing.
For those who use history as the basis for hating this film, get over it. Disney was not telling the history of Pocahontas, but the LEGEND of Pocahontas. As with many historical figures, there are legends surrounding who Pocahontas was, so let's actually look at some of the other big complaints.
1. They made Pocahontas look much older. Well, duh. Do you really want Disney to do a love story of a 12 year old girl and a 30 year old man. How would that have gone over? Of course, if they are going to tell the love story, they are going to make the main characters adults.
2. The sequel shows Pocahontas marrying John Smith. Apparently you slept through the sequel because it is clear that she chooses John Rolfe in the sequel. (Yes, historically she marries him, converts to Christianity, changes her name to Sarah, and dies before leaving England of syphillis.) But again, do you really want to explain to your child that this American heroine died of syphillis?
3. The animal companions/talking tree. These are representative of the spirit of nature which is sacred to many Native American tribes.
Again, Disney does a really good job of telling the legend. They never have claimed historical accuracy, because that is not the story they are telling. Truthfully, the lessons here are wonderful lessons.
15 Awesome!
Being a Native American/Animal/Nature fan, I loved this movie. I can't believe anyone who doesn't. It's funny, sad, exciting...need I go on?
You can't help but love Pochahontas--she's brave, strong, kind, smart, and doesn't jump to conclusions. She's all for peace and isn't afraid of change--she just wants peace between her people and John Smith's without too much death.
One of Disney's classics--and I can see why.
16 How can people not like this movie?
What do you people want? Little children running around screaming? That's what would happen if they showed the REAL history in the movie! Pocahontas is not supposed to be "politically correct"!It is supposed to be an entertaining movie! You think anyone would watch a movie all about war and blood? Only sick people like you! As for you peeps who like the movie...RIGHT ON! It was funny,cool and different(not politically correct). Take a chill,you guys who despise of the movie,it's not supposed to be a history lecture!"Ohh,this is hurting my feelings,this movie is politically incorrect,how rude!" come on,gimme a break! You go and try make a better movie...come on,I dare ya! Ok,I took a spaz,but I had to let my feelings out! Sorry,but I stick with what I said! Please,try to see things differently,just because the movie wasn't like you wanted it, doesn't meen it's bad! Sorry 4 the lecture,but in my opinion,the movie "Pocahontas" was wonderful!...John Smith rocks and is cool!!!!!!!!
17 Ugh
When I first saw this movie, it was while working at a day care during my college years. We used to have a movie near to dismissal time so as to keep the kids entertained while we closed it down for the day. I have to say that it took every bit of my willpower to keep from ripping the tape out of the VCR and showing something else.
Who does Disney really think they are? How dare they take our American history and ruin it? I can understand sanitizing Grimm fairy tales for modern children (to an extent though it's nothing I am fond of), but sanitizing American history?!
Disney had no business doing this movie if they are so afraid to tell the story as it was. An entire generation of kids are going to grow up with the wrong idea about what really happened. Native Americans should have taken this movie on with the vigor they take on the names of sports teams. Any American should be insulted. I know I was.
18 An Impressive Cinematic Achievement
I think this might be one of the most amazing cinematic achievement like, ever. People need to look past the off-kilter history behind the movie and look at the amazing story of love, hate, and action that is portrayed. This movie, along with "Moonstruck", made me cry. The movingly wonderful message of how you do not love with your eyes, but with the wisdom of your great-grandma, who happens to be a tree, and also with your heart. I'm pretty sure that Disney was not trying to inform you of Pocahontas's life and death, but merely of a lesson we all need to realize: the road to being respected by your father requires staying steadfast to your lover and to be somewhat dramatic and sacrafice your life for your convictions. Though I am over the age of thirteen, I sometimes pretend I am Pocahontas, and sing catchy tunes and stand on top of rocks and wave goodbye to my lover.
This movie, plus the sequel, definitely qualify for a night of crying and laughing with Pokey and friends.
19 How exactly did this film get rated only average?
I'll start by saying that "Pocahontas" is my absolute favorite Disney animation ever. Yes, it is different from Disney's other animation offerings, and this is what I loved (and still love) about it. It's a much more serious film and the so-called "muted, dull" colors used only reinforce this. It's supposed to be intense and make you feel something other than ooey-gooey waffiness. For Disney romance buffs, the love story between John Smith and Pocahontas unfolded... so beautifully, I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. It's a love based on mutual understanding and respect and watching it blossom is a treat in itself. The bitter-sweet conclusion only adds to the intensity of it all (and I'm still--after several years--trying very hard to forget about the steaming pile of turd that was "Pocahontas II"). Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
The characters all had their own vivid personalities and I agree with those who've said that Pocahontas (Disney's Pocahontas, for all you "history" fanatics out there) is an amazing young lady. She's different from Disney's other, more light-hearted heroines. The film is different from Disney's other, more light-hearted ones. If this is not your cup of tea, then that's really a huge shame. However, I think that just about anyone can truly enjoy this film if they'd just throw aside any preconceived notions and just watch; just enjoy it for what it is.
A little aside: The people who've written enraged reviews saying that Disney's "Pocahontas" wasn't historically accurate and therefore dreck, should just get rid of their DVDs and never speak of this film EVER again (please, for the sake of my SANITY). What were the lot of you expecting, exactly? This is a Disney film, for crying out loud, not a blasted History Channel program. Also, those saying the racism in it was horrid/unnecessary/etc... well I'm sorry, but that's just about the entire point of this story; the message being that racism is BAD and that we should all try and accept differences and understand eachother, for nothing good can come out of hatred. This isn't even presented to the audience in symbolism, it's up-in-your-face clear. I just can't believe that it eluded so many people.
20 Disney should be ashamed. As well as Mel and Demi
It seems to me that people are afraid to give Disney bad reviews. DISNEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED! The true story of Pocahontas was not a cute little love story with cute animals. It is a story of the white man taking advantage of the naitve Americans. I get so angry when I think about all of the kids who will think that this was a happy story and that she "fell in love." I will make sure that my new nephew will never see this piece of "junk" until he is 18. Mel and Demi should be ashamed and give their monies to proper education. Grrr I am so MAD at these folks. I wish I could give a negaive star score!
21 Pocahontas (Disney Gold Classic Collection)
We all sat down one Sunday evening with our two children - a little over 2 and almost 4 - to watch Pocahontas. We were all enjoying it very much - beautiful Pocahontas, the funny racoon and hummingbird and the majestic scenery... Then the violence started. The Indian was shot DEAD, the people were angry, the Indians were called "savages" then John Smith was seriously injured. I thought this movie was pointless and violent. I do not recommend it to any one much less any one under 8.
22 Introduced Pocahontas to a younger generation
Most children are introduced to historical figures via Disney movies(i.e. Davy Crockett and Pocahontas). I know this movie made me hunger for more info about Pocahontas and John Smith. Thank God for sequels! No I'm just kidding. I searched through the Encyclopedia and even read a book written by Ingri D'Aulaire about the famed Native American. I recommend this movie along with the book to all children out there.
Well, I'm still a fan of this movie after many years since it came out on video and who isn't? Maybe the sequel wasn't as good but that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy memories of the first movie. And for the person who said not to judge them by their jokes. Why did you type your jokes on this page? This is a childrens page where children would go.
23 A Good Movie
Okay, I can see where some of you guys got affended from the racism in this movie, but that doesn't take from how much fun this movie is. I am Native-American and it didn't bother me, I loved the singing and my children loved the movie.
24 Disney's most romantic film.
Don't watch Pocahontas if you're expecting a historical lesson. As usual, Disney takes liberty with its adopted tale of the young Powhatan girl who saved the life of an English settler. In true history she was only twelve years old; in Disney's romanticized version, she is a beautiful woman who falls in love with the handsome, dashing John Smith. Historically inaccurate? Yes. A beautiful, highly enjoyable film? Absolutely.
The film opens with a group of English settlers crossing the Atlantic to colonize Virginia, led by the greedy Governor Ratcliffe and the adventurous John Smith. We are later introduced to Pocahontas, a beautiful and bright young woman on the brink of adulthood, searching for her place in the world. A star-crossed meeting with John Smith forges a friendship between the two that will later blossom into romance. They explore one another's culture; Pocahontas introduces Smith to her love of nature in the film's most beautiful and breathtaking song, "Colors of the Wind." But Ratcliffe thinks Pocahontas' tribe is hiding mounds of gold and is determined to strip them of their riches, while the Chief Powhatan, Pocahontas' father, regards the white settlers as dangerous, invading demons.
Though Disney has its typical boo-hiss villain in Ratcliffe, the film's conflict is not black and white; neither the Native Americans nor the white settlers are portrayed as evil. Instead, both are carefully crafted with their own hopes and dreams, as well as natural prejudices toward the opposing, unknown culture. The film's message of understanding and racial tolerance is a bit heavy-handed but otherwise inspiring, as is Pocahontas' love and respect for nature, beautifully expressed in the awe-inspiring, Oscar-winning song "Colors of the Wind." Pocahontas has bust but also brains, and the compassion and courage to make a stand for peace between her people and the settlers.
Having always been a romantic, the high point of the film for me is also the most historically inaccurate--the love story between Pocahontas and John Smith. What starts as simple curiosity in one another blossoms into love, culminating in the film's single but very sensual kiss. Though my opinion is not widely shared, I think this film is one of Disney's best in the romance department.
The obligatory cute-n-fuzzy animals, a mischievious raccoon, pesky hummingbird, and spoiled pug, provide some mild amusement, but I personally think the film could have done without them. The music is good but not spectacular, the exception of course being "Colors of the Wind". The animation is rendered in soft, dreamy pastels of mainly green, blue, and gray; while not as beautiful as some of its predecessors, such as Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King, it's a lovely effort.
A beautiful, compassionate film, Pocahontas is a worthy Disney feature and, in my humble opinion, deserving of the title "masterpiece."
25 Politically-correct racism
I wish my children had never seen this movie, but since I made the mistake of trusting Disney and since it reappears on TV frequently, I've used it as an opportunity to talk about the blatant (but politically-correct) racism woven through it. My point to my children: racism is wrong, no matter who it's directed at (a point that goes directly against the main theme of the movie).
In this movie, there is one and only one exception to the rule that all Native Americans are good and all English are bad. John Smith is the exception that proves the rule - other than him, all British are evil (and crude, dirty, greedy, etc.). The Native Americans aren't all quite perfect but all come around in the end, while the English are clearly rotten to the core, and the world would be a better place if they were all gone.
Get this movie for your children IF you want to teach them to use skin color as a way of predicting good versus evil. And don't worry, they won't get the wrong, racist lesson that dark skin is bad - they'll get the politically-correct lesson, that people with white skin are bad.
26 Disney produces yet another inaccurate cartoon...
As always, Disney provides us with an hour-glass shaped, beautifully dashing, ever accomodating heroine, and a strong, handsome, brave, conquering hero; a romance story that is historically inaccurate, romanticized, racist, and sexist. "Pocahontas" was not her real name, and she was about ten years old. According to LEGEND, she saved John Smith's life - the woman of color saves the white man, while falling in love with him. According to REAL history, he was brought in to the village, well-fed and well-treated. Most likely, she simply talked with him while he was in her village. There was NO romantic relationship. She was actually kidnapped a few years later and held for ransom in Jamestown. She died of a White Man's disease. Disney has created a cartoon "Romeo & Juliet" story for children, and what hurts my heart the most is that people really believe that the Disney version is true. There are so many un-truths in the world, especially in our Media, and "Pocahontas" is one of them.
27 I Love this movie so much
I just watched it again after awhile while goin down memory lane... and was looking it up on the computer and read all these comments on how its is so wrong and not correct.... but its disney... its not supposed to be right and thought out.... i mean animals cant talk like in alot of disney movies.... u know... really this is one of the most realistic disney movies.... and very touching... made me cry.... but... u know its disney... dont think it out and how that never happened jsut enjoy the story
28 Love Story with a touch of History
In reality Pocahontas was the wife of another white settler named John Rolfe. She later became Lady Rebecca. We can say she fell in love with John Smith but their love story didn't workout.
The story of Pocahontas repesents us all Americans. That no matter how you look like, Black or White we are all foreigners on this land.The original Americans are the American Indians, cause they are already here when Columbus discovered America.As for this movie itself, I love it especially the music.
29 Judy Khun
The only reason I like this flick is cause Judy Kuhn
has a brilliant sinigng voice....and Mel Gibson-never knew
it was him doing the voice for Jhon Smith untill I read the credits....
30 Disney Yes....Quality No....
Pocahontas is, in my opinion, quite possibly the worst offering ever from Disney studios *and yes, I am including the forgettable offerings of the '80's in this rating*. Highly stylized animation, a soundtrack with only one worthwhile song *Colors of the Wind* and I would say a bad plot but there really wasn't one there, all contribute to this. Even the voices of David Ogden Stiers *and he had 2 roles!* and Mel Gibson couldn't save this one. Children might like the animal sidekicks, but that is about all that will engage their interest.
31 A Good followup to Lion King and Beauty and the Beast.
After the phenomenal successes of Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the awesome The Lion King, the Disney animators brought us Pocahontas. The film was good and is a definate Disney must. It may not have instant fame or that classic appeal like the past films have, but it will be remembered. The film has music, and beautiful artwork, and the voice talents are good too. All in all it is a Disney movie worth seeing. I definately reccomend this.
32 Just around the river bend...
"What I love most about rivers is you can't step in the same river twice. The water's always changing, always flowing. But people I guess can't live like that, we all must pay a price. To be safe we lose our chance of ever knowing what's around the riverbend."
What really stands out in Pocahontas, to me, is the music. Not so much fancy special effects and stuff, but the songs are beautiful. The lyrics and the music just flow. The colors are vibrant and rich, truly a great film. I know every word to every song. All my friends do, and we range from 15 to 24. Maybe we're just sad... oh well!
"Is all my dreaming at an end? Or do you still wait for me, dreamgiver, just around the riverbend?"
33 Pocahontas
I really love this movie. First of all, nobody should be getting their pants in a bundle just because the movie does not exactly follow what "actually" happened in history. You have to remember that this movie was ultimately made for children and it does give them enough info to realize what is happening in the story. The animation is good, and the facial features are wonderful. But, I would have to say that my favorite thing about that movie is the music. The rest of the movie is great, but the music is magnificant. The song "Colors of the Wind" is one of the greatest songs. I also think that there is plenty of humor in the movie( most of it from grandmother willow). I would really recommend this movie to anyone.
34 Not as bad as I thought it would be
Because of my interest in history, it's taken me this many years to force myself to watch this movie. I knew that Disney would twist this important historical event all out of shape, and they did. But after watching it I realized that it is good enough for children, and it might even inspire older children (and adults) to learn more about the real history. I also realized that it would be impossible to make a popular children's animated musical about Pocahontas and the complex interactions, motivations, and tragic outcomes between the English and the Native Americans without simplifying and distorting the story, and I forgive Disney for that. This movie does instill a sense of respect for Native Americans and awe for the glorious land that became America (for better or worse).
35 The movie is great, and so is the DVD
I know there are some bad reviews about this DVD, which worried me at first, but since I wanted that wonderful movie to be part of my Disney DVD collection I took that risk - and I was NOT disappointed. The sound is very good - but I don't have a Home Cinema Set, so I may not be able to enjoy the DVDs full potential. The video is done very well too. I did not encounter any of the mentioned defects, such as grainy frames or bad colors.
There's just one thing about the video that I don't fully understand. They claim to have put the movie in it's original theater ratio, but on my tv the black lines on top and bottom of the screen are not as big as on other Disney DVDs such as Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Lion King. So either they produced Pocahontas slightly differently or they changed the format to some extent. Anyway, there's not even one frame where you think they cut something off, so I guess it's alright the way it is.
I am no expert, but the movie was great pleasure to watch.
Another plus about this DVD is the bonus material. There are two music videos (Colors of the Wind - by Vanessa Williams and If I never knew you by Jon Secada and Shanice). I had never seen them before so I was pleased they put them on there.
In addition to that there's the original trailer and a small quiz about the movie - this is not even worth mentioning, since they put such -dare I say silly- games on EVERY single one of their DVDs.
However, a very charming extra is an animated story book where the story of the movie is read to you. Sure, it doesn't have to be on the DVD since you could watch as well the movie instead. Fact is, that the narrator (a woman, I'm not sure if it's supposed to be Pocahontas' voice) has such a lovely way of reading that you can't stop listening to her. I really enjoyed that!
I hope my review helped clear up some of the things that have been said in other reviews. According to my experience, the DVD itself is absolutely alright. Maybe some players are having troubles with it, but it worked fine for me.
36 Highly underrated
"Pocahontas" is the black sheep of Disney's second golden age, which began in 1989. That year saw the release of one Disney's biggest hits ever, "The Little Mermaid". Ever since, each film the company released would become even more successful than its predecessor, with "The Lion King" topping $300 million in domestic ticket sales and quickly becoming one of the highest grossing films in history. "Pocahontas" was doomed from the beginning. It was expected to continue the winning streak and earn even more money than the "The Lion King". Instead, it just went two steps backwards and matched the very respectable profits of 1991's "Beauty and the Beast" (It also began a decline in box-office sales which continued with Disney's next two features). But the folks at Disney wanted more. The public wanted more. No one was willing to accept the fact that Disney had its peak with "The Lion King", at least for now. The soundtrack also hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and produced a huge hit, "Colors Of The Wind". Oh, and it also won an Oscar. Yet no one seemed to be satisfied. There were all kind of complaints towards the movie. The main one being that it was historically inaccurate. Sorry, but when I sit down to watch a Disney movie, I don't look for historic accuracies, otherwise I would be watching the discovery channel instead. The stylized animation in the film was also bashed. Personally, I find it breathtaking at times, and disappointing at others. The picture is a little grainy at certain points, a thing which surprisingly repeats itself on the DVD. And secondly, the backgrounds sometimes look flat. However, some of the visuals in the film more than make up for it and the overall look of the film is just wonderful. The music is top-notch and is composed by Alan Menken (who else?) and Stephan Schwartz. "Pocahontas" is a fantastic film, don't judge it before you've seen it. It deserves a chance.
37 Painted with all the colors of the wind
This is a beautiful film, the music is good and well recorded, I have the LaserDisc, and will wait for the special edition on DVD, the LD is stunning and the next edition on DVD should be as well, Disney Movies, be they based on Fairy Tales, Myth/Ledgend, History, or Music (Fantasia) are all imaginative expanded versions of the original story, and meant to entertain, not to be held up as examples of the original book, however don't you think that a parent could use any of these films to get the younger ones to read the original storys?, have discussions about the differences, and if they matter in the long run?, and when it comes to Fairy Tales which version is better, and why?.
38 Forced Previews on DVD Version
The "Pocohantas" movie is OK, but my biggest beef with this product is that Disney is now using forced previews at the beginning of all their DVDs. These are over 5 minutes of dull Disney previews that you are FORCED to watch. You can't skip over them or fast forward through them, and you can't start the movie after them. If you want to watch the movie, you HAVE to watch the previews.
This might not be such a big deal if you're only watching the movie once, but if you're like most families your kids will watch this movie over and over again. Then its really annoying.
Disney should be ashamed for being so greedy that they have to put this defect in all their DVDs.
39 Little kids will like it
My two year old enjoys this movie and she could care less about history, political correctness, or the myriad of other issues a movie like this brings up when watched by adults. When it came out in theaters, some time ago, my now teens went to see it and came back with the report that it was filled with spiritism and new age undertones, thus scoring for them, less than stellar marks.
Disney generally has great animation, and the visuals here are not bad at all and if that's enough, and you can stomach all the political messages hidden in the dialogue, then this movie is worth watching with the younger set. It certainly isn't entertaining enough, in my opinion, to watch over and over and hardly scores as high as many of the other Disney movies.
40 This is a Disney Movie, NOT a documentation.
For those of you who criticize Pocahontas because it does not protray her actual life correctly, you must remember that this movie was not supposed to be a documentation. Disney movies are aimed toward the kid audience and they have to be appealing to them. Pocahontas is a great movie, Disney did very well with it, and although the facts are not all necessarily correct, you should try and realize that they weren't supposed to be.
41 An enjoyable movie but not real!!
I have always enjoyed this movie because of it's pretty songs,superior animation,and it's cute animal scenes.However,this is not real history!!Heres the gist.If you like a movie featuring sugary sweet love between a European and an Indian,along with cute animals,than Pocahantus is for you.But if you're expecting a historically accurate Pocahantus story,I suggest you get some history videos or read a book about it.
42 not the best Disney film, but not bad either
Pocahontas is a Disnified film about the American Indian maiden who befriended John Smith, an English explorer in the New World. As usual, the heroine has animal friends and sings pretty songs against beautiful animated backdrops. Our family thought this was an entertaining film but it did not immediately capture us as other animated family features have done.
Spoken languages available are English, French and Spanish; closed captioning is the only subtitle option. DVD extra features are: trailers; a read-along story; a trivia game; and two music videos from the film.
43 Okay...
I was a very precocious child; when this movie first came out I was in elementary school and would rant to anyone who'd listen about the historical inaccuracies. Even after seeing the movie in theater I carried that opinion, and it wasn't until recently that it changed. So, for those of you who complain that your kids won't know any better... give them more credit. Even if you do tell them, they probably won't care. Why? Because kids don't nitpick; if they like it, they like it. I wish that I had been that way, it's a part of childhood that I never had a chance in which to partake.
Anyway, two weeks ago or so my AP US History teacher showed a clip of the movie in his class while we were learning about the London Company and so forth. Before you have a chance to gasp over the horror that this abomination to history was actually shown in a history class, let me just say that my teacher told us that it was exaggerated but there was some truth to it (it was the Dig song)
In my opinion, that statement holds true for the entire movie.
First off, I can tell that Disney did take time to do research. They didn't just make it up entirely. I was most impressed with the references: King James, the Virginia Company, the idealism that the settlers carried, especially "the white man's burden" were all pretty true to history whether or not we can accept that. The Indians were pretty much portrayed as every Indian is portrayed in these kinds of movies, but like everyone else in the movie were exaggerated.
As someone who absolutely abhors Hercules this may be hypocritical, but I think that we should look past the historical inaccuracy in Pocahontas, because the greater messages are true. And I think that if you view it as a separate tale, one that didn't really occur, you'll like it a lot more.
I do not understand how people can criticize the music. It's absolutely beautiful, and the constant background music adds so much to the effects of the gorgeous animation. And as a huge Judy Kuhn fan, the singing was lovely. The only thing with which I had a problem was Powhaten's singing voice (he was so much better as Rasputin's in Anastasia)... but you can't win them all, I suppose.
I used to hate the talking tree, now I don't mind her. The animals are used in quite an interesting manner; almost as an allegory for what happens between the Powhatens and the settlers. Of course there is a lot of slapstick humor between them for the kiddies' amusement, but older people should be able to look past that.
Seriously, though, I don't see anyone complain about how Aladdin butchered the Muslim tale on which it was based. Probably because it was so well-done. Well, I believe that Pocahontas was so well-done that people need to get off of their high horse and just enjoy a beautifully-told story for once.
44 And the sentient tree will show them the way.
We rank this 34 out of 41 Disney animated movies that we own. The most interesting thing about this movie and the smartest character was the sentient willow tree. According to Amazon Sales Rank only 13 of the 41 movies rank higher than Pocahontas and 28 lower. Our family clearly liked this movie less than most. We felt it was a below average effort by Disney except for the artwork and inking.
45 A JOY TO WATCH, A PLEASURE TO HEAR; POCAHONTAS IS A CLASSIC
Brimming with lush animation and an Oscar-winning score, Pocahontas is an emotional tale of love, greed, communal hatred and sacrifice. Along the edge waters of Virginia, Pocahontas, the free-spirited daughter of Powhatan, watches as the mysterious shipload of settlers arrive led by the greedy governor Ratcliff and the courageous Captain John Smith. Along with her friends Meeko, a mischievous raccoon and Flit, a feisty hummingbird Pocahontas develops a strong friendship with John Smith which soon transforms into love. But when tension mounts between their two very different cultures, she must find a way to bring peace between the two communities.
The wonderful voice talent and Alan Menken's excellent music help in portraying the magic of this movie. Mel Gibson is exceptional as the speaking and singing voice of John Smith. Irene Bedard is good as Pocahontas and Linda Hunt is the perfect choice for the voice of Grandmother Willow. Christian Bale, Russell Means and David Ogden Stiers lend their respective talents as the voices of Thomas, Powhatan and Governor Ratcliff. The songs are very melodious and well-written (by Grammy winner Stephen Schwartz); the `Colors Of The Wind' being a true masterpiece (which won the Oscar for the best song in 1995).
Although historically inaccurate, the movie is unique in its visual style and in the message it conveys to us about love and sacrifice. The emotional depth is something I have never before witnessed in an animated feature. There are scenes which will truly touch your heart. I am a full grown adult, yet tears sting my eyes every time I watch the end. I think the true beauty of the movie lies in the ending.
One more thing, the movie is certainly not for kids or for those who like fun-oriented animated stuff like `Toy Story' or `Shrek'. Although it does provide some humor and light moments, the plot is completely adult-oriented and revolves around communal harmony, which I do not think that kids will like very much. So if you are a real appreciator of emotional and artistic beauty and know the value of true love and sacrifice, go enjoy this movie. As for me, I think it is truly a timeless masterpiece.
46 At LEAST they didn't put the Powhatan Indians in tipis,
because that would have been COMPLETELY wrong. I'm decended from the Powhatans, and Disney got almost everything wrong. 1. Pocohontas should not be a 20-year-old made-up Barbie doll. She was 12 when the settlers came. 2. Turquoise comes from Rocky Mountain areas mostly. How would she have a turquoise necklace? 3. Willow trees don't talk. 4. The real John Smith had red hair.
However, this is a pretty decent movie if you think of it as just a cute Disney story about made up people in love, etc. The score is decent and the singers are wonderful.
47 Bad Time, Good Movie
Disney's Masterpiece "Pocahontas" was a good movie but was often over-looked or given bad ratings, and I believe this is simply because it doesn't fall in with classic Disney features. For example, the love story doesn't end happily.
However, I think the real determining factor of this movie is that it was next in line after "The Lion King." Who can live up to that movie? No Disney feature since has done as well.
I enjoyed "Pocahontas" and I would recommend the movie to anyone who's in for a good hour and a half of fun. The songs are enjoyable, the characters are fun, and it's also interesting to see the stark contrast between the English settlers way of life and the indians way of life.
48 A minor classic, but good anyways
Pocahontas. Critisized for it's inaccuracies. Appraised for it's music. WILL EVERYONE MAKE UP THEIR MINDS!
To start with, I've always liked this movie. I've enjoyed it since I was 5. But I never fully grasped the intensity of it then. Don't take me wrong about that, this movie is not "emotionally scarring", or scary or anything like that. It's just that younger children won't understand it as well.
Down to business. The music and score are terrific. There are songs that are triumphant, lilty, serious, and chilling. The animation is great. It's almost all drawn realistically. The only characters that aren't drawn very realistically are the comic relief, Meeko and Flit. The love story in this movie is the strongest one of any Disney movie I can think of, so if you hate love stories, don't get this movie. As for the white men's attitude toward the Indians, that's just what people thought back then. There is some shooting of other people off-screen and with no blood. It was never really a big deal to me.
Now, a parent's guide. This movie is a good one to have around if any of you have girls around ages 5 or 6. The reason I said "girls" is that girls probably would like it more due to the whole "love story" thing. My little brother thinks this okay, but not great (He mostly likes Meeko and Flit and the "Savages" part).
DVD collector's guide. The picture quality on this DVD looks like VHS version and the widescreen is not 1:66:1 like it says.
But if you're a Disney collector, this is thought provoking enterainment, get it anyways.
Well, I think it's a good movie and hope you will too.
49 Decent entertainment, but not history!!
Okay, so here we are, with Disney "spinning" the story of Pocahontas. Unfortunately,they have made this film to be something which it isn't. This is a legend of their own making, and it has nothing to do with history as it is written.
I have researched this "true" story of Pocahontos, and there are many "holes" in this wonderful cartoon depiction. And let me say that it is a wonderful little picture, with the animals - sort of a Native American "Cinderella" story, but it stops right there.
Pocahontas did not have a love interest in Captain John Smith, nor did Captain Smith have the voice of Mel Gibson or look as handsome as was depicted in the animated film. Secondly, this little girl was about 14 years of age when she begged to have Smith spared, and not some raving beauty which the cartoon shows. Then there's the matter of John Rolfe, her real husband, and the one she married. And the fact that she "converted" to Christianity is never mentioned in this cartoon, but maybe the story tellers missed this, which is hard to do, because it was a major factor in her life.
She also died and had one son - Thomas Rolfe, but unfortunately, the sequel of Pocahontas shows her coming back to the New World, which she never did.
If you like entertainment, this isn't bad, but if you want the real history, get a good book, or visit some of the historic sights in Virginia - there you will find the real, honest to goodness story. Disney doesn't have the goods on this one!!
50 Simply MAGNIFICENT!!!
This movie has to be one of the best Disney movies out right now. Disney goes for a more adult approach and puts a Romeo and Juliet type romance. And as for historical and geographical accuracy, sure the surroundings down in that area are very flat and don't have cliffs and such, the overall feeling of Virginia is maintained. (This is coming from an ACTUAL Virginian.) Plus, yes..Pocahontas was between 10-12 when she met John Smith, but... I honestly don't mind that they changed the facts around. It gives room to play with the story a bit..I mean, historians can't figure out what really happened anyways! There are 3 theories about Pocahontas saving John:
1. Chief Powhatan was really going to kill John and Pocahontas saved him
2. It was a ritual of the indians
3. It never happened because John was known for writing stories about leading ladies saving him.
So Disney took the most popular conclusion and the rest is in the movie I guess. So for those angry historians out there, stop being so literal and take a look at the movie to actually see the magic it holds.
51 the best animaion movie
"pokahontas"- my favorite movie of "walt disney"- the best company of animaion movies in the world.....
i like this movie because is base on true story that happaned to pokahontas
52 Political correctness, historical gormlessness -- Argh!
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Yeah, it's Disney. Yeah, it's something in front of which brain-dead yuppies are supposed to be able to seat their larvae so as to keep the little weasels from messing with daddy's Sharper Image catalog while mommie goes through her aerobics routine, trying to wipe out those stretch marks. Yeah, it's yet another one of those Great Amurrican Myths that we're all supposed to internalize, about the beautiful Injun princess and the handsome young English soldier. Yeah.
Of course, the image doesn't get maintained once you take the kids on that week-end trip to the Jamestown historic site and they discover that the Tidewater stomping grounds of the Powhatan Confederacy consists of flat alluvial plains with no cliffs or picturesque waterfalls off which to make impressive dives, that Pocahontas was only the young lady's nickname (meaning "playful" or "little wanton" in Algonquinian), and that no matter what's just around the river bend, you wind up in the Chesapeake Bay.
You'll find that it grits in your wife's craw as you explain to your grandkids that when John Smith and Pocahontas met in 1607, he was about 27 and she was perhaps 10 or 12 years old, that they were friends but never fell in love with one another, and that her role in "saving" John Smith's life was part of a ritual of mock execution-and-rescue traditional among Algonquin tribes at the time. Big romance, right? Yeah.
"All this stuff in the movie is made-up Disney mush," you explain. "The English came here expecting to set up farms and develop a self-sustaining colony after an earlier attempt at Roanoke had failed because of a horrible drought. They were after land, not gold, and if you think everything ended up peaceful and happy with everybody getting along together, you've got another think coming."
Yeah, but it's *Disney*. Yeesh.
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53 Terrific Disney
Pocahontas has a beautiful love story and powerful message that kids can learn something from. The songs, and instrumental score are beautiful, and ranks as one of my favorite disney scores ever. My only complaint is that the picture quality of this dvd is not very good. I wish that it didn't look so grainy. However the sound is top notch.
54 Bad picture quality
What's up with all the grain on the picture? Even my VHS copy has clearer picture quality. This DVD must have been rushed because it's obvious Disney did not put in their best efforts on this film.
On the other side of things, this is one of the last Disney movies that held the style and class of other films such as "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty And The Beast." The songs are beautiful and timeless. The animation is spectacular. This is a wonderful movie, despite it's history is FAR from accurate. I'd give this DVD 5 stars if it wasn't for the inexcusable poor picture quality.
55 A great Disney DVD to own
Pocahontas is a good DVD to own, with a decent amount of bonus material on the DVD. The DVD has decent picture and sound quality.
56 the people
The only problem I have with this film really, is the way they portrayed the native peoples. Being a Native American myself, I felt the film to be in-accurate in that respect. So it's not so much the historical in-accuracy that bothers me but the way the people of the story were portrayed. If Disney is going to do a story about history I understand there are bound to be mistakes but these were just rediculous, and if they film is going to involve Native Americans, why not do the people justice? Instead of making Native Americans look peaceful they come off savage and "blood thirsty" if you will. That is the only thing about the movie that really really gets me upset. Granted the romance they made up was cute, and the music is wonderful, it would have been nice to see a true portrayl of the Powahatan people.
57 Not historically accurate...but
Ok..so this movie isn't at all historically accurate. As the "outraged" Navajo woman stated, there was a HUGE age difference between the real Pocahontas and John Smith. If you read the biography of Pocahontas, you can find out the truths and untruths behind this Disney movie. The fact is, knowing Disney was going to do this movie should have let people know that it would be sugar coated and somewhat stereotypical. Explaining to a young child why a 40 year old would even be attracted to a 12 year old would be difficult. The basis of the story: John Smith and company arriving in Virginia in 1607 to find gold and then meeting with the Powhatan tribe, is there. Children can learn the disturbing treatment the Native Americans recieved later on in junior high and high school. Disney does however let children know the value of talking out differences and seeing beyond color and outward differences to find what life and love are truly about. Not to be completely cliche, but, if nothing else, this movie does show children that it's what's inside that counts.
If you want to see a historically correct portrayal of Pocahontas and John Smith...don't watch a Disney movie.
58 an outraged Navajo woman
This movie is so disgustingly historically in-accurate it's rediculous. Pocahontas was about 12 when John Smith came over and he was about 40. She didn't save him from any kind of death by Powahatan and she certainly did NOT fall in love with him! Also Native American people are very poorly portrayed in this film, the warriors and villages elders are perceived as evil, war like people, ready to kill any white man they saw. I would like to know where Disney got their information from because they certainly were not there in 1607 to see it for themselves.
59 good movie
although this is not considered by me to be a classic (didnt come out till a bit later), it is a wonderfully put together movie. this movie has great animation and a good story line. wonderful singing by vanessa willams.
60 A Classic...why the low average rating?!
I have to say that "Pocahontas" is my favorite Disney cartoon film...and I just don't get the bad reviews for it! Yes it might not be historically & politically correct (note: even the term "native american" is not politically correct...because "native americans" came from Asia!) accurate but neither were previous disney films that were considered "masterpieces" (those include "Aladdin", "Peter Pan", "The Lion King" may I go on??) The point is, you shouldn't be completely focused on what's "politically correct" or not. The animation is the most interesting animation Disney has done (Eat your heart out, Tarzan!!) and the music is one word: SPECTACULAR! "Colors of the Wind" definatly deserved a Grammy. Anyways, this story depicts (not historically accurate of course) the tale of Brittish settlers first coming to soon-to-be Jamestown in 1607. The opening is just fantastic and really gets you excited. I can't help but watching this movie again again...I saw it 3 times in theatres!! It has your typical cooky and crazy disney characters (Cute & playful Meeko the Racoon and Pursey the Pug, Mean and angry Captain Radcliffe & his funny and somewhat dumb assistant *the animals thankfully dont talk) and your typical disney love story (this time with Pocahontas and Brittish explorer John Smith *no relation to me, hehe*...and also portrayed by brillant actor Mel Gibson). I really reccomend this to families who haven't seen it, for everyone will enjoy it. I saw it when I was in 6th grade so it's good for all age levels. And I'd be suprised if you don't get the soundtrack to it when you're finished seieng it, for the music will leave you singing along with it! Overall, Pochahontas is my favorite disney cartoon and definatly did not deserve a 3 1/2 Star rating...rather I think it deserves 5 1/2 and my grade for it is an A++. I also reccomend the full Soundtrack to adults and the kids sing along sountrack for families with little children.
Thanks for reading!
Eric
61 Maybe it's just me, but...
... since I'm one of those rare people who actually loved this movie, I'd absolutely give the DVD five stars.
As for the movie itself: a lot of people complain that it's very different from what sketchy historical information we have about Pocahontas herself, but if you really expect a Disney film to be a history lesson, then you've got a whole other set of problems that you should be dealing with.
The character animation, backgrounds, and coloring are all gorgeous. The voices are excellent, and even if you don't like musical numbers as a rule (I sure don't) these are at least well-performed. You certainly don't get the sense that they were written so that Disney could make a few extra bucks with a pop song. The characters are wonderfully done; particularly the extras (Thomas and Nakoma in particular, as well as Kocoum, Ben, and Lon), who usually get the short end of the stick as far as development goes. Not in this movie, though. And while there *is* a talking tree, the requisite cute animal sidekicks don't talk, thank goodness.
As for the DVD: the transfer is good. The extras are also fun to play with, even if there aren't many to choose from. It's definitely worth spending the extra money to get the DVD version of this movie, rather than the VHS.
And for crying out loud, stop expecting "Pocahontas" to be like a documentary. This film is no worse a bastardization of the real story than "The Little Mermaid" is of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale or "Hunchback of Notre Dame" is of Hugo's novel. Enjoy it for the well-animated, romantic movie that it is.
62 pochohantas is bad
this movie is okay but some of the stuff in it just plain stupid. native women did not wear skirts. and thier dresses did not go above thier knees. and even if it the dress did come up high the woman would wear leggings. talking animals are just stupid if disney wanted this movie to be a good one then they should have researched native americans better. we did not talk to animals. oh yeah another thing is that native women are not tom boys and that is what pochohantas basicly is.
63 Pocahontas. Enough said.
If Disney wanted to do a good deed, in preaching the children of today to look around the riverbend, then they failed dreadfully. Pocahontas is the spirit of good, the body of health and the mind of insanity. Although her sermons are well-meant, she cannot help but provoke the viewer into throwing their TV out the window.
Here are a few comments on some of the main points in the movie:
1. If someone thought they could provide a thrilling story, they were wrong. The story of the native-american tomboy (Pocahontas) is totally predictable and very much less than thrilling, i.e. young rebelous girl is to marry according to tradition (Kocoum), she decides she must go against her tribe and her father (the chief) to be true to herself and falls in love with someone bound to bring an end to her people. All in all, a completely irratating (at least when seen on tape) story, which one should rent if one ever wanted to be guaranteed sickness.
2. As for the music: From the fast-forwarded lines of "Just around the Riverbend" to the highly preachy, idealistic messages of "Colors of the Wind", although some of the words were quite nicely put together, the music, which in most Disney films is outstanding, was annoying and came to be like the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. More to "Colors of the Wind": If you really do walk in the footsteps of a stranger and do learn things you never knew you never knew, I'd hope you'd learn something useful,like how to harvest some yellow corn, instead of hearing the wolf cry to the blue corn moon.
3. The animals are also incompetent [pitiful] creatures. Maybe I could have liked the racoon and bird, but then I noticed that they liked Pocahontas, and that turned me off.
4. The only thing I liked in the whole movie (the reason it got
1 star), was the talking tree. Although it was very story-ish and obviously trying to bring the native-american beliefs to light, it was such an absurd idea that it was actually appealing (tree=grandmother).
Conclusion: Try again, Disney!
(Hercules was a wonderful recovery!)
Writers ages are 10 and 14
64 DVD quality poor
This is one of Disney's best animated films, but the DVD does not do our favorite little Native American any justice. Pocahontas is beautifully animated, but something is really wrong with the transfer here to the disc. Colors are all messed up...John Smith looks like he has bugs crawling all over him in every scene because he appears "snowy." I don't really know the best way to describe it. As for the sound, it's an OK Dolby 5.1 mix...the songs and score are wonderful. But what took me aback from this movie when I saw it in the theater was the glorious animation. The DVD has ruined this aspect of the film and Disney really needs to hurry up and re-release a newly transferred version (I've heard rumors that the Mouse House does have a new 2-disc SE of Pocahontas ready to go...when they decide to release it, who knows.)
If you want to buy this disc, I would strongly recommend waiting.
65 Disney's best
I'm not sure how to express how I feel about this movie. I just love it and I'm not sure if I can say exactly why. It is beautiful. If you don't love this movie I understand, it is different from any other Disney cartoon, but that is what I love about it. The animation style seems different but it is wonderful. I felt like I was enjoying beautiful scenery and had to remind my self that it was only animation. And the way that Pocahontus moves is so gracful it's like a dance. The score is the best score of any Disney film. Especailly the songs. With few exceptions, every song is beautiful and moving. Highlights are "Just Around the Riverbend," "If I Never Knew You" (only in the end credits, more on that later) and of course "Colors of the Wind"
The character of Pocahontas and John Smith are some of the strongest and most real characters ever developed by Disney. There love is real. At the time I saw this movie I was falling in love for the first and only time with the man that is now my husband, and when I watch this movie I was thinking "That's how I feel!" My only complaint is that one of the best parts of the movie and love story ended up on the cutting room floor. There is a love song, "If I Never Knew You" between John Smith and Pocahontas, sung by Mel Gibson (he's really great) and Judy Kuhn(the best ever). And somehow someone thought that it wasn't good enough for the movie. This, I don't understand. It brought me to tears. I was hoping that the DVD version would include this song but, sadly it didn't. Maybe for the next realease. . . I loved it anyway! It's a beautiful story. It is not historically correct, but then the Little Mermaid didn't follow the story correctly either and there's another classic. Buy this one and watch it with someone you love, I'm telling you it's one of the best love stories ever. One last side note. It you love this one DO NOT watch the sequel. It ruins everything and shatters the illusion that you are left with when this movie ends.
66 Poco-Loco...yucky!!
99.9999% of the time I LOVE what Disney produces!! But once in a great while everyone gets a lemon. And this is Disneys sourest!!
The premise was good, but I found the animation poor and the story extremely boring. Audiences will be graced with yet another good vs. evil type story. Throw in a heroine and give her strong earthy crunchy morals and you get this dribble. And of course there is a love story.
