POCAHONTAS: 10th Anniversary - Bonus Features Screencaps

[drsd2kill]

Hey everyone,

Since it seems no one else ever went to the trouble to do so, I made mp3 files of deleted/alternate/demo songs from POCAHONTAS. I even was able to re-edit "If I Never Knew You" into a version removing the spoken lines (referring to characters in the film) that is actually pretty good - used bits if underscoring from the film to complete it.

I have the following:
"If I Never Knew You" (full version)
"If I Never Knew You" (alternate special edit)
"If I Never Knew You" (reprise)
"Just Around the Riverbend" (demo of cut prologue)
"Just Around the Riverbend" (deleted reprise)
"Dancing to the Wedding Drum" (demo)
"Colors of the Wind" (demo with alt. lyrics)
"In the Middle of the River" (demo)

E-mail me if anyone else out there wants to add these to their iPod. I think Disney should issue a special edition CD soundtrack including these and other tracks.... Could be a 2-CD set.

Does anyone have some space to host these files on their server?

-Chuck
drsd2kill@aol.com

[Tiresias]

The interesting thing about the melody to "If I never Knew You" is that it can be found in almost all of the movie's score.

Just listen to the soundtrack (a performance of the song can be found at the end of the CD). Almost every instramental piece has the theme play. "If I Never Knew You" IS the musical theme for Pocahontas (many movies have such musical themes, just listen to Signs or A Bug's Life).

Becuase the song is the theme, I wonder why they innitially cut it out. Does anyone know why? It couldn't have been for time (because they could have cut something else out).

[Luke]

Becuase the song is the theme, I wonder why they innitially cut it out. Does anyone know why? It couldn't have been for time (because they could have cut something else out).

You're right that the song is the musical theme. Just like "Look Through My Eyes" is in <i>Brother Bear</i> and that also only gets end credits treatment.

As for why....

Stephen Schwartz, <i>Pocahontas</i> lyricist says (bold added to relevant part): It is very common when one is writing a musical, be it for stage or animated feature, for songs to be replaced or cut. It's simply part of the developmental process as one is learning more about the characters and story structure. My two favorites of the cut songs from POCAHONTAS are "In the Middle of the River", which was to be sung by Pocahontas and John Smith in the scene before they are discovered together by Kokoum, and "(Someone's Got to be) The First to Dance", which was to be sung by Grandmother Willow in more or less the same spot. <b>The decision to cut "If I Never Knew You" was a mutual one, made more or less unanimously by the creative team after a couple of previews of the film, where it became clear that the song was straining the attention span of the younger viewers and slowing the story-telling to close to the end of the film. I was in favor of cutting it, though I am not sorry it has been restored for the DVD version, where the need for story-telling speed is less severe.</b>

Source: http://www.animagic.hpg.ig.com.br/walt100.htm