Pocahontas Special Edition Discussion

[Mr. Toad]

Great picture, love the new song...wasn't completely happy with the 5.1 mix on the disc. It just sounds...wrong. But everything else, including the supplements was wonderful. It was worth the cost to buy it more than most of the other films that have been touted as special editions.
And I'm glad they put the theatrical trailers on here...it's great to see them again as an adult instead of as a child.
Hopefully, the Disney '95 movie collection will someday be complete if they will just release A Goofy Movie in Widescreen.

I watched the Lion King, Pocahontas and Hunchback on consecutive nights and noticed that too. Just did not sound as good as the other two.

[*Pocahontas*]

I've always loved "If I Never Knew You" (yes, even the pop version), and I thought it was a great addition to the movie. The only thing that irked me was Mel Gibson's singing voice. IMO, they really, really should have gotten a professional to stand in for him, because Mel's voice just isn't good enough for such a ballad.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the song reprised at the end of the film. Also enjoyed seeing the various deleted scenes. Heh, when I first bought the Pocahontas soundtrack years ago I always wondered why there were lyrics in the liner notes that didn't appear in the actual movie.

Anyways, the part I found myself watching over and over again was the "Savages" sequence.

Ooh, me too! It's always been one of my favorite "villain" songs, and the accompanying animation is just breathtaking.

No sign of Red Feather anywhere so far that I've seen....

An animation test of Red Feather is on Disc 2 somewhere. Haven't listened to the commentary yet, so don't know if he was mentioned there.

his voice was good i'm glad they didn't get a professional, It sounds more from the heart with (jhon smith's) voice. I think it made the scene more heart touching that the character sung the love ballad in the movie instead of a stranger.

[*Pocahontas*]

Only thing I didn't like were the "music videos" (not the sing-along's Ilove those!) I love the "new"...old scene "If I never knew you, It just makes the next scene so much stronger, I cried yes,( but i cried w/o the added scene too:)) I love this movie it in my oppinon is disney's best film of all time.
I love Pocahontas very much. It is the only disney movie I'v ever rushed out to get on it's relase date! It was so worth it, The makeing of Pocahontas I enjoyed along with the NY premire, artist & art part, and everything in the 2-disk set, only thing I havent watched are some of cometary's, some I did, oh and the art projects. I give pocahontas a million thumbs up
I love POCAHONTAS

[Lady]

Such a Great DVD..........Love it.....

but is it me or does Pocahontas (and at times her friend) have sorta BROWN hair...instead of the BEAUTIFUL BLACK........

Yes. I noticed the same thing. And their eyebrows are also more brown this time around. Everyone's hair/eyes seemed to have gotten lighter. I swear John Smith's face was slightly fuzzy at times.

[Kenai]

Well, I bought the Pocahontas DVD Tuesday (along with National Treasure) and watched it yesterday. I think it was my first time seeing the film in it's entirety. Mel Gibson gave off a great performance and John Smith. I didn't feel nothing from the film emotionally, but it's good for what it is.

[shdwrlm3]

I think it made the scene more heart touching that the character sung the love ballad in the movie instead of a stranger.

But Judy Kuhn did sub for Irene Beddard. It actually annoys me that the big stars are allowed to sing for themselves regardless of how they sound, but the lesser-known voice actors are rarely given this chance. For example, I know for a fact that B.D. Wong can sing quite well, so having Donny Osmond do the singing voice for Shang was just mind-boggling. Donny really does sound like B.D., but it was just so unnecessary.

I took a listen to the French language track, and IMO the song really is much, much better with a more competent voice. That said, I think Mel's voice is fine for the other songs he sings in ("Virginia Company" and "Mine, Mine, Mine"), but it just sounds so awkward in "If I Never Knew You."

Am I correct in assuming that the Making Of was shown on TV around the time Poca was originally released? It just seems to be made in the style of the 30 minute specials I've seen in syndication. I'm still disappointed that they didn't have Mulan's on the recent DVD release.

[Luna]

In my opinion,the special features were OK(I liked "The Making of Pocahontas" best),but what I really loved was "If I Never Knew You"...it was really nicely animated,and I loved the song(I also like the end credit version,but this was a lot nicer....and I liked Mel Gibson's singing,I thought he did a good job)....

[goofy108]

I still havent gotten my copy of Pocahontas yet! Maybe I will pick it up this weekend.

This is my 200th post! Im a SPECIAL EDITION now.

[RJKD23]

I have not, I repeat, I have not watched the Bonus Features of Pocahontas yet, but I was too excited to see Pocahontas, John, Meeko, and Percy...so we watched it.

It's a sweet, yet sad romance. I forgot how great the movie was, and I forgot how romantic the story is! I'm so glad they released it as a 2-Disc, regardless of its crappy slipcover & insert (a-ha!! )

I loved the added scene; what a great one! Yea, romantic addict over here had to get a tissue. (Ryan knew I needed tissue. ) What a touching scene...*sigh what a great song! :')

There were parts of the movie were I was pissed to the point where I just wanted to kill Ratcliffe, literally. But he added something to the movie; what every movie needs-- a villain you want to kill ! The "Savages" part was amusing regardless of the...theme.

The overall movie was touching, heartfelt, and definitely not meant for a history lesson. It was especially great how they showed humans and animals getting along in the film.

Likeable characters? Yes! I could not help laughing after the first scene with Meeko diving from the cliff! Every scene with Meeko and Percy was entertaining!

Disney's version of Pocahontas and John Smith's love story was absolutely adorable. And if you ask me, I think it was even faaaar more romantic than Aurora&Prince Phillip. (I think Disney believes in "love at first sight" as proven by their couples!...that's what I think).

I still think this is a great movie to own--an interesting storyline, catchy tunes, and it contains both types of characters: the good and the ugly.

The audio and imagery were superb. I assume the gold collection one was...crap? I don't wanna compare...

Alright, let's get ready for the 20th anniversary, Disney!
*just kidding.

[Nicky]

How do you play the theatrical version on the DVD? When I press enter, it doesn't give me the option. It just goes straight to the new version.

[RJKD23]

How do you play the theatrical version on the DVD? When I press enter, it doesn't give me the option. It just goes straight to the new version.

Thankfully, the original theatrical cut of the film is also here as an option, a wise decision enabled by seamless branching. If you'd like to view the theatrical cut, you may choose to do so by selecting the appropriate listing from the "Film & Audio Options" menu.

[ichabod]

Well rather than type my feeling of Pocahontas out again, you can read my thoughts on the film in my review here:

http://www.disneydatabase.com/media_ind ... ews&id=674

[Nala]

How do you play the theatrical version on the DVD? When I press enter, it doesn't give me the option. It just goes straight to the new version.

I believe you go to setup.

[*Pocahontas*]

I think it made the scene more heart touching that the character sung the love ballad in the movie instead of a stranger.

But Judy Kuhn did sub for Irene Beddard. It actually annoys me that the big stars are allowed to sing for themselves regardless of how they sound, but the lesser-known voice actors are rarely given this chance. For example, I know for a fact that B.D. Wong can sing quite well, so having Donny Osmond do the singing voice for Shang was just mind-boggling. Donny really does sound like B.D., but it was just so unnecessary.

I took a listen to the French language track, and IMO the song really is much, much better with a more competent voice. That said, I think Mel's voice is fine for the other songs he sings in ("Virginia Company" and "Mine, Mine, Mine"), but it just sounds so awkward in "If I Never Knew You."

Am I correct in assuming that the Making Of was shown on TV around the time Poca was originally released? It just seems to be made in the style of the 30 minute specials I've seen in syndication. I'm still disappointed that they didn't have Mulan's on the recent DVD release.

but the fact that he sung with his voice for the 2 other songs would be wierd to switch voices dont you think?

[Jayden]

The "Savages" part was amusing regardless of the...theme.

What was "amusing" about this part? I'm curious because, I don't find it amusing at all, in fact I find it very serious and a fairly good way (albeit very simplified) of learning English attitudes towards the Natives, and vice versa.

While not all Native bands were of the opinion that the white man was a "demon", many were, and if they had randomly broken into song about it, they probably would have said many similar things.

However, perhaps the most interesting contrast I found was the villifying of the English in this song. The following lines serve as an example:

Ratcliffe:
"They're Different From Us, Which Means They Must Be Evil"

Native doctor (not sure of his name):
"They're Different From Us, Which Means They Can't Be Trusted"

Same construction at the beginning, but the ending really turns things on it's head. I just found this interesting to say the least, if you listen to the song as much as I have you start to pick up on some of the things they contrasted and compared (it also helps if you're well-versed in Native issues as well). It's quite interesting really

[RJKD23]

The "Savages" part was amusing regardless of the...theme.

What was "amusing" about this part? I'm curious because, I don't find it amusing at all, in fact I find it very serious and a fairly good way (albeit very simplified) of learning English attitudes towards the Natives, and vice versa.

Not to get into a debate, but when I meant by amusing was that it was...(tries to find the word) interesting?
That part of the movie really gets the viewers attention by hearing the lyrics and watching their actions.

I don't mean it in a racist way or anything of that sort.

[Teen Artist]

I'm so awed by the fact that I finally own this movie on DVD. I've been anticipating it for the longest time. I really love this movie. I've watched it twice so far, I think I'll watch it again, then I'll watch the commentary, then I'll watch the bonus features.

[goofy108]

Well, I finally got my copy of Pocahontas: The 10th Annivesary Edition last night. This is one of my favorite movies and the DVD is amazing also. Here are some of the highlights:

The 10th Anniversary Edition/Digitally Remastered Picture - I love the new scene added in. "If I Never Knew You" is such a great song and it fits the movie. I'm not really sure why they took it out. They said on Disc 2 that it was "too much of and adult moment" and that kids would begin loosing interest in the film. But I think the whole movie is more mature than most of the Disney movies. I know that as I've gotten older I understand the movie more and have learned to appreciate it also. But who cares? Its back in now and it looks great. I was suprised at how seemless it was also. In Beauty and the Beast, I believe "Human Again" is considered another scene in the movie whereas this is a new scene within an old one. The only problem was the full-moon sky at the beginning and then a clear sky at the end. I don't know how they missed this because it is a really obvious mistake. Also one thing that bothered me was the way it looked like John Smith was kind of floating around. When they are doing like a 180 shot it looks as if he is coming off of the pole that he is supposed to be tied to. Anyone else notice this? If not take another look at this scene. Also, the picture of this movie is outstanding. The final result is amazing. It is so much better than the original.

The Making of Pocahontas - This was good. The whole thing was very brief, only touching on certain things for a few minutes. If it was longer and contained newer interviews, it would have been great. It was cool that Irene Bedard host the whole thing but after awhile, her corny gestures got annoying. I was happy to see voice recordings. Those are my favorite! Overall, I guess it was good.

The Music of Pocahontas - This was a good feature. Again, too short. I believe this was one of the few things that was not carried over from the "laser"-disc. I liked the new interviews with Alan Menken.

Deleted Scenes - I think this is the best set of deleted scenes a Disney DVD has seen. Not only were there alot of them, a couple also had commentary! This was definetly a suprise. Thumbs up to Disney on this!

Design featurettes- I really liked how each character, even the small ones, had their own galleries. And most of them even had a little clip on the making of their character. Also, a few had animation tests. Another shocker from Disney.

Release featurettes - I love seing the original trailers for the movies and Im so glad that this DVD has both of them. Also, a really cool feature was the Central Park Primere clip. I had no idea that they did this and it was cool to see the effort that went in to making this happen.

This DVD is so well done. It is probably the most excited I've been over a DVD since the Aladdin release. I haven't gotten around to listening to the Audio Commentary yet, but Im sure that will complete the DVD. If you don't have this DVD yet, please consider getting it soon! It is excellent and definetly worth any money spent!

[JRawkSteady]

Let me start out by stating...Poca is not my favorite movie. Just as others I don't like the fact that they "tried to change history" for the sake of keeping their image. Also, with the exceptions of "Savages" and "Mine Mine Mine," I'm not too fond of the music either. This stated, I still bought the 10th Anniversary Edition because I collect any and all Disney movies, no matter what I thought the first time.

After watching the digitally remastered Special Edition version, I really did enjoy it. I still don't like most of the music, but I did LOVE the new scene. Yes, it slows down the action immensely, but for the sake of art, it is worth it to have in. The only thing that needed to be changed is Mel Gibson...his singing voice is atrocious. The scene played well, and the it really added more emotion. Also, it makes the last few moments in the film sadder than they were before. I feel as if that song should have been left in the theatrical version...maybe I would have actually enjoyed it. I still think Poca is not a great movie, but it's a lot better now. Now if they could just change the ending to actually correspond with what really happened.

[Jayden]

What was "amusing" about this part? I'm curious because, I don't find it amusing at all, in fact I find it very serious and a fairly good way (albeit very simplified) of learning English attitudes towards the Natives, and vice versa.

Not to get into a debate, but when I meant by amusing was that it was...(tries to find the word) interesting?
That part of the movie really gets the viewers attention by hearing the lyrics and watching their actions.

I don't mean it in a racist way or anything of that sort.

Oh, I didn't take it in that kind of way at all, no worries there. I was just curious about what you found amusing. I would never call anyone on here a racist. Sorry if I made you think that way. Thank you for clarifying yourself there, your statement makes sense to me now.

Sorry for any confusion!