Pocahontas Discussion

[JTurner]

I'm 50-50 on Pocahontas. On one hand it DOES take a lot of liberties with factual history and anyone who knows the real story will obviously know that nothing that happened in this retelling is accurate. I also think that on the spectrum of the Disney classics, it's kinda inbetween. I also felt the chemistry between Smith and Pocahontas was only kinda there.

That said, Pocahontas does have its strong assets: the music is fantastic, the story it tells is meaningful and aptly shows the wrongs of racism and condemns the destruction of nature as well as colonization. And it was bold of Disney at the time to do a story that had a more "unhappily ever after" ending. The animation is, of course, beautiful. It's still a watchable movie if you view it as a historical fantasy than a retelling. It's only if you compare it to better Disney features and history that it falls short in any way.

I did like the film, but it's not my favorite by any means.

[Thumper_93]

I honestly can't understand to the people that complain that a Disney movie is not historically accurate. If I want to watch something accurate then I watch a documental about the thread and not an animated movie made to sell dolls and to entertain people.
However I think that the script is better than other more popular movies. The movie treat lot of things that were a problem when the movie was made and are still a problem in these days. Unfortunately people are still being racist and great empirses destroy the nature to obtain benefits. I think that is a movie that is going to be alive forever because these problems are not going to disappear.

[carolinakid]

I saw Pocahontas on the big screen in the summer of ‘95, and while I enjoyed it, it was a bit of a disappointment compared to the previous early ‘90s instant classics. I don’t watch it often, but I find myself listening to the Harajuku Colors of the Wind dance mixes frequently.

[DisneyFan09]

I`m glad to see how this thread has changed it`s name to Pocahontas Discussion, for the absence of a general thread about the movie.

As for my opinion of Pocahontas, while the truth is that I do love it, I`ve also seen it`s obvious flaws. When I first saw it as a child, I was so mesmerized with it, because I fell so completely in love with it. However, later viewings made me soon realize it`s flaws: That`s it`s dramatically uneven and a little too po-faced, preachy and serious at times. And as an teenager and adult I`ve also realized more of it`s flaws: The plotholes in the script, the mediocre voice acting and how the characterizations (with the exception of Meeko and Thomas) aren`t as compelling. Still, I have a soft spot for it, because of the animation, music and cinematography.

[Thumper_93]

30 years since the Central Park premiere
https://d23.com/pocahontas-in-the-park-30-years-later/

[Vlad]

I watched both the original and the sequel last night. I had to watch the 10th Anniversary DVD of the original, to also see "If I Never Knew You" as well. The DVD looks fine, but it would be great to see the extended cut in beautiful HD on Disney+ someday. The film itself is beautiful to look at. It's not perfect, and the villain is one of the weakest. I would get rid of the digging song, because it didn't do anything for me. Colors of the Wind is definitely the highlight of the movie; I forgot how beautiful it is, both visually and lyric-wise. It's my 2nd favorite Disney song after Part of your World.

Regarding the sequel, it wasn't as bad as I remembered it. There were so many sequences where the animation looked great. The close-ups of the characters especially were amazing. And Pocahontas herself was on model, surprisingly. One scene that comes to mind is when Nakoma says goodbye to Pocahontas before she leaves for England...she comes back to her tearfully and hugs her. There are no words spoken, it's all in the eyes...it's so beautiful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6grQKbQWEjk

[UmbrellaFish]

I need to rewatch my 10th anniversary DVD, too. It’s really an enormous shame Disney didn’t include this cut on the Blu-ray.

Similarly, I haven’t rewatched the sequel in quite a long while but I remember enjoying the winter backgrounds at the beginning of the film. And I think the sequel was also fundamental for inspiring my Anglophilia, and my love for all things Elizabethan/Jacobean.