Pocahontas

I'll admit: This is not my top favorite Disney movie. Probably not in my top three. But this movie is still good.

I'll also admit I don't usually choose to watch this movie. But when I do watch it, I see that this is an INCREDIBLE Disney movie with INCREDIBLE songs telling an INCREDIBLE story. I really do like this movie, even if it's not my favorite. And Pocahontas is SO pretty. And I love the hair movement in this movie. It really bugs me when cartoon hair barely moves whatsoever, but this movie's hair is more realistic. Plus it's entertaining while telling history that's (kind of) accurate. Thank you for reading my review.

We must start with the foundation statement that this is not an historical retelling of the story of early America. We don't know what went on at that time, so we are off the mark at the beginning. Can you imagine the dark times that were involved in this era, with a group of settlers trying to establish some kind of community, and a Native American presence confused and afraid what was going on. So what Disney did was turn this into a folk tale which oral traditions have been doing forever (e.g. Paul Bunyan or John Henry or, more appropriately, Davey Crockett). I mean they sing and talk to trees. The romance had to be very strained. Throw in the search for gold and the greed, and you have a classic love in the face of barriers story. Also, there are a couple of terrific songs in this film. No, it's not "The Lion King" but many very good films are not "The Godfather" either. It doesn't mean they can't stand on their own.

As with all Disney films, this was a warm and charming movie with some fun set piece sing songs, and your stereotypical big baffoon baddies and your clean cut and heroic good guys!

It's a family film and it doesn't get too hung up on being historically accurate. It does romanticise the tale of Pocahontas, and she is tied very much to the land and her people, and has a heroine's role at the end, as supposed to just being a Princess looking for Mr Right.

She does of course meet a man at the end, but it's not your typical Disney ending. Much like Mulan, this was a period when the role of Disney Princess was changing.

It's worth mentioning the animation, it is fantastic with the shape and movements of the key human characters, absolutely flawless.

Disney take on the story of Pocahontas and John Smith. I just saw this for the first time since its initial release. My feelings back then were somewhat lukewarm but, to put that in context, my tastes were more narrow then and I was not really into Disney or anything that felt even slightly like a 'chick flick.' Now I'm happy to say I recognize what an enjoyable film this is. The animation is wonderful with so much beautiful imagery that it took me by surprise because I didn't remember that from my first viewing. The scene where John Smith first sees Pocahontas will take your breath away. The movie makes excellent use of lush colors. Some scenes are saturated with purples and blues -- it's really stunning. Pocahontas herself is gorgeously drawn. She's easily one of the most striking Disney Princesses ever. The score is evocative and lovely with one great song ("Colors of the Wind") and some other forgettable ones. The voice work is wonderful, especially Irene Bedard in the lead. There are nice touches of humor throughout with a talking tree and playful animals that seem to have stepped right out of Bambi's forest. The emotional stuff is where the movie really knocks it out of the park, whether it be the romance between Pocahontas and Smith or little brilliant scenes such as when Powhatan feels his wife's spirit in the wind.

The cause for much criticism and complaints about the film come, of course, from the history police. The movie is historically inaccurate, which should come as no surprise to anyone over the age of four. I'm never one to get all that worked up about historical accuracy in movies (let alone cartoons) anyway. You want to be entertained, watch this movie. You want to learn more about history, open a book. One charming reviewer here said the movie was guilty of whitewashing genocide. What a shocker that Disney didn't want to make an animated version of Soldier Blue! Look, it's a cartoon loosely based on people who lived and died 400 years ago. Unclench your fists, take a breath, and stop relying on Hollywood to educate your children and getting ticked off when they don't do it the way you want them to. It's a good animated film and I think everyone who isn't looking to get angry about as many things as they can before they die should see it.

For as much bad press as Pocahontas got, I must say I really disagree with the people who call it flat and lifeless. I thought that after the exclusively tan Lion King, the fresh blues and greens of the foggy Virginia woods were quite beautiful to behold. No one can deny that this is a very beautiful movie, almost exquisite in its animation. Although John Smith is nowhere near as handsome as he thinks he is and peoples' eyes have a strange tendency to all but disappear at times (Look at Smith, Nakoma and Kokoum to see what I mean), it is very very pretty.

Unfortunately, if they'd just waited a year or so after The Lion King, I think it would have gotten much better ratings. As I see it, it is a very interesting story, if a bit tired at times. Pocahontas is a fine heroine, she's very courageous and likeable, and unlike Jasmine and Nala from the previous two Disney films, she's much more than just a pretty face. The love story with Captain Smith is actually done rather well despite the fact that I really disliked the Smith character. I'm not sure why they made him so flat and one-dimensional in contrast to Pocahontas' rich personality, but I didn't find him at all interesting.

The cute animal mascots were allright, if totally out of place in the otherwise dark world. They would be funny to little kids, but they're pretty annoying to a mature viewer.

I didn't really care for Chief Powhatan, he was a little too dense considering the circumstances. I'd say my favorite characters were Nakoma, Pocahontas' best friend and Kokoum, the personality-less warrior. At least those two had some decent tension. I also really enjoyed David Ogden Stiers' duel performance as Governor Ratcliffe and his cute little yes-man, Wiggins. Those two characters truthfully provided the best entertainment of the film, and it might have been a better movie if they'd replaced some of the preachiness with more entertaining scenes of those two plotting.

All in all, it doesn't really take much intelligence to watch it, but it does have elements to appeal to a mature viewer, and besides, the songs are very pretty and of course, it's a splendid piece of animation.