Do You Like/Dislike "Pocahontas"?

[rodis]

I was quite depressed "Prince Of Egypt" won the Oscars that year for 'Best Song'. Oh well, at least Mariah Carey sang the song
But I really don't like this movie. I own in on video and watched it a couple of times but truth is it's just DEAD BORING! And I hate the scenery! Somehow when Disney places its films in the desert, it looks much more eye-catching and lavish. In the "Prince Of Egypt", it's like they waited for the end to show us how beautifully they know to draw the water
I used to watch it just to hear Ofra Haza in the opening sequence and "When You Believe" in the end credits.

[AwallaceUNC]

What was it up against that year? I think "When You Believe" is a powerful song and deserved the win... though I don't know what it was up against. "River Lullaby" from the film SHOULD have been the nomination though

-Aaron

[Matty-Mouse]

Oh well, at least Mariah Carey sang the song

Damn Straight!

[CJ]

Pocahontas is not one of my favorites. I do not exactly like the film, but I do not hate it either. I consider it watchable.

[DDMAN26]

I never really cared for Pochahontas, it just seemed like there was something missing. I just could never get involved in the story or in the characters.

[Kram Nebuer]

YAY! MY 100TH POST!

I just would like to thank Luke for providing this great message board and a great website with a wonderful source of information, making it truly the Ultimate Guide to DIsney DVDs. I would also like to thank my parents for getting us a computer and the internet and I would like to thank my teachers for not giving hw so I could post this and...

hehe...felt the need to celebrate...anyhow...

Even though I have the DVD of TLK and video/DVD of its sequels, I honestly like Pocahontas better than The Lion King. When we visited WDW in 1995, Disney-MGM Studios was presenting "The Spirit Of Pocahontas," a stage show using music and story elements from the movie without giving away the entire movie. It was a great show! I'm sad that it was replaced by The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure (also a FANTASTIC stage production) and both are now gone and their stage is empty. I hadn't seen the movie yet, but the show was a great preview of what to expect. Pocahontas, as many have said, was just a great love story with great music and art and characters.

The whole history issue...pinkrenata was correct in saying there were many inaccuracies and still mysteries of what really happened. In US history class, we learned about 3 different versions of the story. Also, we learned that John Smith was a middle-aged, nasty belligerent man (so if Disney did stay true to history, John Smith would end up being the villain). We learned that the whole beheading of John Smith with Pocahontas getting in the way was actually some sort of Native ritual/ceremony and Pocahontas was supposed to stop him because that was her role. In other words, they weren't planning on killing him.

But the Disney version of Pocahontas is just what the company has been producing for years! Good natured, family entertainment, and overall entertaining stories. The Disney Pocahontas is like an American Romeo and Juliet (as said by David Ogden Stiers on the BATB DVD) and makes for a wonderful interpretation of Pocahontas.

If Disney stayed historically accurate or true to the real stories, the movies wouldn't turn out so good. In the real real real original story of Sleeping Beauty which came from Italy waaaaaaaaaaay back then, the sleeping beauty, while still asleep, gets raped by some guy who heard the legend of her! Then, while still asleep, she gives birth to babies (I think twins) and the one baby, looking for milk, sucks on its mother's fingers and pulls out the poison needle and she wakes up. In the Charles Perrault version, the whole Prince kissy thing happens, then they get married and have kids. While the Prince is away one day, his mother, who happens to be an ogress, gets hungry and eats the children. THe Prince returns and then kills the mother for eating his children. Now wouldn't that be a lovely thing to make a movie out of ! hehe, sorry to get a little off topic...

So, in the end, Disney should not be ashamed of their version of Pocahontas and should be proud that they produced a beautiful film, with beautiful art and music and a good story line.

[Jake Lipson]

Yeah. I also think that the Oscar bait plan had some effect on Hunchback, although with it being a darkish, adult story in the first place, it worked beter there then in Hunchback. They did come out as fine films, though. Just not quite up there with TLK, etc.

And to think that 1995 was the year that Babe, a movie with a bunch of talking animals (no turkey, but still) got a Best Picture nomination! Must've annoyed out Jeffrey to no end that Pocahontas was passed over for Babe.

Personally, I think Toy Story deserved the award. Either that or Balto.

[bean:therio]

I am not shure why the whole 'story not being historicaly acurate' thing is being dragged out so much to discredit this movie. If that were the main criteria to judge the quality of a movie by then 99% of all movies ever made would have to labeled 'crap'. Romantisised reality? Well gee that never happens in moviemaking..

I really like Pocahontas. I like it even more than Lion King and BatB. The animation is really good, the music is *great* (it has my favorite Disney-soundtrack of all time) and the story is (in my view) much better than that of other early 'second golden age' Disney's.

[toonaspie]

[quote="bean:therio"]I am not shure why the whole 'story not being historicaly acurate' thing is being dragged out so much to discredit this movie. If that were the main criteria to judge the quality of a movie by then 99% of all movies ever made would have to labeled 'crap'. Romantisised reality? Well gee that never happens in moviemaking..
quote]

I absolutely agree in fact Pocahontas was not the only animated feature to be based on a true story. In that same year, Universal released "Balto" and over-advertised the "true story" deal although what happens in "Balto" was 100% far from the truth.

-Balto was never part-wolf (I dont think so from my research although some sources indicate that he was)

-Balto was not a stray (well, if he was a sled dog, he shouldnt have been)

-There was no absolute way for ONE sled team to travel from Nome to Nenana and back without killing themselves. There were dozens of sled teams stationed along the trail and until the medecine arrived at Nenana there was no unnecessary sled travel.

-Balto was just the head of the last sled team that would arrive at Nome (I doubt he lived there too!)

Now if "Balto" wanted to strive for Historical accuracy they shouldve at least had Gunnar Kasson(sp?) in there. He was the sledder who brought the medecine to Nome.

However, I think Universal was just striving for an animated talking dog movie (enough of those)!

Back to "Pocahontas", compared to "Balto" and "Anastasia", "Pocahontas" was more true to historical events and had more historically correct characters (four beats one anyway) than the other two films. Disney still had some magic when it made this film (THE SOUNDTRACK IS AWESOME! It has every single bit of Instrumental piece in there!)

The only mistake was pushing this film for a Best Picture place at the Oscars. I bet the people who chose to push this film for the Oscar over "the Lion King" have long hung themselves!!!

[AwallaceUNC]

Besides, people go to Disney for entertainment, not history lessons.

-Aaron

[Ballzo]

Besides, people go to Disney for entertainment, not history lessons.

-Aaron

AMEN!

[Wonderlicious]

Pocahontas...I haven't seen that movie in ages now. I loved it when it came out in 1995 (possibly aided by the name Disney), although my dad (who saw it with me, my brother and a friend) said it was pure crap. Dad may have not liked it as he's not much of a Disney enthusiast, so I'll bare that in mind. I think most hate it as it's more PChontas than Pocahontas, but I understand why Disney did this; with controversial incidents in the past which won't get a zip-a-dee-doo-dah mention, I think Disney decided to be racially safe. And as for the whole "let's rewrite history" thing, although they changed recorded events (:headshake:), it's understandable. Did you know John Smith molestered the young Native American princess? Oh, were we supposed to include that in a family film? Well, at least they made Pokey herself a bit of a babe.

Anyway, I wish they'd release the 2 Disc edition faster. I heard it's coming to Merrie Olde England in March, so I think I'll wait until then. Granted, it won't be my first choice to buy; I love Alice in Wonderland much much more, which is finally coming around the same time as Pocahontas, so I'll probably buy that instead. Or I could just buy both...

[Leon]

I enjoyed it but I don't like it that much.

[pinkrenata]

Did you know John Smith molestered the young Native American princess

I don't think there's actually any evidence that he molested her, although I think she would have been 10 or 12 at the time, so a romance is completely out of the question. In fact, it's not even evident if Pocahontas and John Smith ever met. Apparently he only mentioned their meeting after she had become well-known in England, and Pocahontas never confirmed his stories.

[Marielle]

Ever since I've seen Pocahontas in Theatres I was hooked. So yes, I love the movie.

[Jungleprince_55]

I also like this movie,I have the gold collection DVD which i will soon replace with the new one when it comes out.

I also had the soundtrack but i can't find it anymore.

[rodis]

People here seem to like it yet it didn't even make the "Animated Classics" countdown

But yeah, I get it, compared to the other classics, I guess most people just find it weak.

[Key]

I love Pocahontas. And I do mean love. I thought it was a wonderful, beautiful, etc. story, when it wasn't trying to force-feed me ideas about peace and racial harmony (not saying I don't believe we should have peace and racial harmony, but I find the topic a bit hammy when they're unsubtly inserted into films). Still, it was forgivable... and the gorgeous art used was also a plus. The scene when John Smith first meets Pocahontas under the waterfall... wow.

That said, I didn't even care that it didn't follow historical fact (if there is a historical fact behind John Smith meeting Pocahontas and whatnot). It's probably a good thing it didn't follow "fact" as well.

[Prince Eric]

I guess I joined the bandwagon late in the game to catch this thread!

Anyway, I'm an avid fan of Pocahontas. It very much deserves to be part of the Platinum line. I treasure it so much, that I've upgraded the Fab 4 to the Fab 5, to include this title. I think people dislike it for all the wrong reason, which has resulted in the lackluster following it has.

First of all, the story is Disneyfied, like every other legend/fairy tale that they have based movie on.

Two, the animation. Anyone who has a problem with the animation must not believe in animation as art. I would like Pocahontas to the great Waking Life. They were both animated with abstract techniques used to give them a unique feel.

[chick588]

what do u all think about pocohontas?
~lisa~