Pocahontas [DVD]

Product Information

Two of the most substantial segments are deleted songs, which can be viewed with some audio commentary. "Dancing to the Wedding Drum" (1:57) offered a different introduction to Pocahontas, while "In the Middle of the River" (4 minutes) was a duet between Pocahontas and John Smith that was rejected in favor of "If I Never Knew You" which itself was ultimately discarded. Other noteworthy sequences include an alternate of the Englishmen's reprise of "The Virginia Company" following Thomas' rescue, Pocahontas learning how Englishwomen dress, John Smith escaping from captivity with some help from Pocahontas, and a transition into and reprise of "Just Around the Riverbend." The last listing in this menu holds a collection of short bits mostly involving Ratcliffe and Wiggins and mostly offering variations on existing moments in the film. Comparing the two Pocahontas DVDs: With this new 10th Anniversary Edition, you not only get a transfer with higher resolution (since it's enhanced for 16x9 televisions), but also far more accurate colors and a tiny bit more picture. Also contributing to the film as a whole is the affecting imagery. It's not considered a milestone in animation, but the winning visuals of the scenic pre-civilization America are pretty impressive. The artwork feels right for the period epic tone the film strives for, and this is all the more true with this substantially improved DVD transfer. Perhaps with the exception of when the film employs pop music video style editing in its climactic scenes, Pocahontas makes wise choices in pacing and style. A mostly pastel palette, contrasted with bolder and deeper colors at moments of heightened drama, Pocahontas boasts a pretty unique look that works well. Rounding out this section is "The Making of 'If I Never Knew You'" (4:33), which is one of the only features newly created for this DVD (or rather DVD at large, since it has been available for some time outside of the US). In this piece, a number of the filmmakers second-guess their decision to omit the song in response to it being too much for audiences to take. Returning are Roy Disney, composer Alan Menken, directors Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg, and John Smith animator John Pomeroy. They uniformly offer praise for the song and excitement at its return, and there's some discussion of Mel Gibson's singing alongside Judy Kuhn. This fairly short piece doesn't really need to be any longer; it provides a history and both this and the returning song at its center are most welcome inclusions. Theatrical Trailer #2 (2:50) employs the more common approach of montage and dramatic narration which proudly proclaims the film Disney's 33rd full-length animated motion picture. Both may transport you to that pre-release state of excitement there was ten years ago.

Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition DVD Review - DVDizzy Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition DVD Review - DVDizzy

Next is the original "If I Never Knew You" music video (4:10) performed by Jon Secada and Shanice. Standing atop New York highrises in the night, the duo sings to each other, while animation from Pocahontas inexplicably covers buildings around the city. It would have been a crime not to include this video which presents the end credits version (a.k.a. until now, the only version) of this catchy love ballad in a distinctly mid-'90s fashion. Disc 2's menus are pretty cool as well. They again make use of instrumentals from the film (the main menu showcases a lyric-less "Just Around the Riverbend"), but their visuals are taken from classy-looking production art. Very nice.Aladdin (Platinum Edition) • The Lion King (Blu-ray + DVD) • Mulan (2 Movie Collection Blu-ray + DVD) • Tarzan (Collector's Edition) The second menu selection, Production, opens with an Early Presentation Reel (3:45). As (now bald) producer James Pentecost explains in a new introduction, this 1992 reel makes use of concept art and an early demo version of "Colors of the Wind" to preview the film for those within the company. You can also view the reel with audio commentary that focuses on "Colors of the Wind." Note the intended Fall 1994 release date.

Pocahontas (Disney Gold Classic Collection) [DVD] Pocahontas (Disney Gold Classic Collection) [DVD]

Brother Bear (2 Movie Collection Blu-ray + DVD) • The Emperor's New Groove (New Groove Edition) • Lilo & Stitch (2-Disc Big Wave Edition) Toy Story (10th Anniversary Edition) • A Goofy Movie (Gold Collection) • James and the Giant Peach (Special Edition) The 10th Anniversary version restores the musical sequence "If I Never Knew You", a touching duet sung by John Smith and Pocahontas the night before Smith is to be executed. It also adds a reprise of the song near the end of the film, where Pocahontas and Smith exchange two lines. When Pocahontas was released to theaters in June of 1995, "If I Never Knew You" was present only as a pop version end credits tune performed by Jon Secada and Shanice. The melody of the song, however, turns up throughout the Oscar-winning score by Alan Menken as a recurring instrumental theme for the film. It would be extremely difficult not to disappoint following The Lion King, the ultra-succcessful pinnacle of the so-called animation Renaissance that had been embraced in the public eye wholeheartedly for 5 years, a period where Disney could achieve nothing but excellence (with the sidenote exception of the good but unremarkable sequel The Rescuers Down Under). And so, Pocahontas has established an unfair reputation for being a downer and travesty. The film's reimagining of history and political correctness make it further susceptible to criticism. But if you go into Pocahontas expecting a "Disney animated film" -- not an American History lesson and not "the next film from the studio that brought you Aladdin and The Lion King" -- you'll receive the cinematic treat you hope for. Far from perfect, Pocahontas is nonetheless thrilling, inspiring, and a feast for eyes and ears. Its effectiveness as a tragic love story is poignant, and additionally so with the restoration of the deleted song "If I Never Knew You" (covered in greater detail below). The final part of the section is a Production Progression, also introduced by director Eric Goldberg. You can view a 37-second scene from the film (Pocahontas's big dive) in any of four stages of production (Storyreel, Rough Animation, Clean Animation, and Final Color). With the 'Angle' button, you can toggle between the different stages. This concept is not going to be unique to anyone who has a Disney animation DVD collection, but it would probably have been more effective with a longer clip.

In addition, there are animation tests included for a number of characters, each featuring rough pencil animation and running 15 to 30 seconds long. Tests are provided for Ratcliffe, Grandmother Willow, Meeko, Flit, Thomas, Kekata, and mostly interestingly Redfeather, a talking turkey character deleted from the film (or who somewhat morphed into Meeko). 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.

Pocahontas appeared to be the next great big Disney movie. Trailers for the film showcased a stunning, evocative musical number called "Colors of the Wind" and anyone with a Lion King videocassette was likely to be hooked. The last section The Release provides something that for some reason has mostly vanished from Disney DVDs in the past couple of years: trailers for the feature presentation. There are actually not one but two theatrical trailers offered here! Taking a cue from The Lion King (which smashed records using the powerful "Circle of Life" opening as its trailer), Pocahontas' first preview (3:30) showcased the "Colors of Wind" sequence in more or less its entirety. Two sing along songs are preserved here for "Colors of the Wind" (3:20) and "Just Around the Riverbend" (2:15). Colorful lyrics grace the screen allowing you to sing along (as if you couldn't without them). These clips are clearly taken from an older Sing Along video, so the only value here is sentimental. The audio is flat and not perfectly synched, and the video is pan-and-scan and grainy. You'd be better off watching the respective scenes from the film (Chapters 15 and 6), and turning on subtitles, if you'd like. Still, it makes sense to include existing material from previous mediums.

The last bonus feature listed on Disc 1's menu is a sneak peek for upcoming direct-to-video film Tarzan II. This preview (1:45) doesn't really belong in the bonus features section, since it has nothing to do with Pocahontas. Anyway, it promotes and attempts to legitimize this sequel. In addition to the footage from the regular sneak peek (seen elsewhere on the DVD), there are a couple of soundbites from Harrison Chad (the new voice of child Tarzan) and Phil Collins, who is shown recording music in the studio for the film. It is, however, quite possible to enjoy the film as a fictionalized period romance/drama and there's plenty of appreciate on this level. Pocahontas is technically sound when considering the different elements of the production. With the exception of the award-winning "Colors of the Wind", the musical numbers of Pocahontas haven't really entered the pantheon of Disney's most memorable tunes, but the songs are almost universally rousing. "Just Around the Riverbend", Pocahontas's pace-changing "I want" solo early on, is a particular highlight and if you haven't seen the film many times or recently, you might pleasantly surprised by how well the songs written by Stephen Schwartz and composed by Alan Menken hold up. Furthermore, Menken's Oscar-winning score is solid and evocative. ( Pocahontas won the same two Oscars as The Lion King: Best Song and Best Score.) The first feature on Disc 2 is one of many the disc ports over from Pocahontas' deluxe laserdisc release from last decade.