REVIEW: POCAHONTAS
Michael Dequina
by Michael Dequina
It would be easy to dismiss Disney's 33rd animated feature as a
disappointment. And it is--not as playful and crowd-pleasing as Aladdin or
The Little Mermaid, not as thematically resonant as The Lion King, nor as
all-around brilliant as Beauty and the Beast. However, it is only
disappointing if one expects the traditional Disney fare, for the studio has
rewritten all the rules with Pocahontas, a surprisingly understated and
mature romantic drama that just happens to be animated.
For those who have managed to miss the hype, Pocahontas centers around
the eponymous Native American heroine (spoken by Irene Bedard, sung by Judy
Kuhn) who helped bring peace between her people and the British settlers
in 17th century America. The emotional core of the film is her romance with
settler John Smith (Mel Gibson).
The quasi-historical basis of the film sets it apart from the fantasy
and whimsy that usually dominates Disney animated features, and the animators
further set it apart through their drawing style. The colors are not as
vibrant, yet bright enough to keep it somewhat detached from reality.
Pocahontas is unlike any other Disney heroine in many ways, the most striking
distinction being an unabashed sensuousness.
The story unfolds at a relaxed pace, which may turn off the wee ones
(the smaller children were obviously antsy during the screening I attended).
But the pace allows the story to breathe and the romance to grow at a more
natural, less hurried pace. One of the more surprising techniques used by
the usually overstated Disney is the reliance on expression and silence.
Pocahontas and John Smith first meet in silence, their eyes and faces telling
the whole story. Also surprising is the duration of their big kiss; their
lips are allowed to linger together longer than probably most children would
like. The requisite comic relief comes in the form of Meeko, a raccoon;
Flit, a hummingbird; and Percy, a dog. While their silent antics are funny,
not to mention pleasing to the kiddies, they can't help but feel randomly
thrown in to soften the serious dramatic proceedings.
The music by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz is less pop-driven than
previous Disney films and more Broadway, and is more effective as a result.
"Just Around the River Bend," the traditional hero "I Want" song, gets into
Pocahontas's personality about as well as "Belle" in Beauty and "Part of
Your World" in Mermaid. The sequence in the film is truly striking, with
Pocahontas rowing through an increasingly turbulent river (a wonderfully
subtle metaphor for the journey she takes in the film). The big showstopper
in the film is not a big production number a la "Under the Sea," "Be Our
Guest," or "Friend Like Me"; in accordance with this film's totally different
tone, showstopper honors go to Pocahontas's sweeping anthem "Colors of the
Wind," which will go down in history as one of the best Disney tunes ever
and is a virtual lock to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song next
year. Judy Kuhn does a fabulous job as Pocahontas's singing voice, and
Mel Gibson actually isn't half bad with what little singing is required of
him. The only flaw in the score is what _isn't_ there--namely, a love duet
between Pocahontas and John Smith. Incidentally, "If I Never Knew You,"
the couple's love theme sung by Kuhn and Gibson, was cut from the film after
children in test audiences were getting antsy, for it came late in the film.
I think that since Disney is obviously taking a more mature approach with this
film, they should have kept it in; while the love story doesn't lose anything
in its absence, I believe the two _deserve_ to pledge their love in song
after all is said and done (a pop version of the cut song sung by Jon Secada
and Shanice plays during the end credits).
Pocahontas marks a major turning point in the history of Disney animated
features--it tells a story that does not necessarily lend itself to the
medium. Its mature appeal makes it less kid-friendly--and, to a certain
extent, less "fun"--than the previous features, but it is still a moving
piece of work. From the opening shot of a painting of a ship to the closing
shot of one of our heroine looking at a ship setting sail, Pocahontas, while
probably not a box office blockbuster, is another artistic triumph for the
Disney animation division. **** (out of ****)
But, as I always say, I'm just a washed-up former award-winning film critic;
what do I know?
Michael Dequina
izz...@mvs.oac.ucla.edu
"Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be
comfortable?"
--Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman), Pulp Fiction
Erin Miller
> The quasi-historical basis of the film sets it apart from the fantasy
>and whimsy that usually dominates Disney animated features, and the animators
>further set it apart through their drawing style.
Quasi-historical? So the scantily clad buxom brunette I've been seeing in
the ads is really described as the 12 year old girl she was when kidnapped
from her father, sold into white slavery by the settlers (in the form of a
forced marriage) and eventually died by the age of 22 (24?) of Yellow
Fever?
I think not.
-erin
karen kloke
:
: >
: Quasi-historical? So the scantily clad buxom brunette I've been seeing in
: the ads is really described as the 12 year old girl she was when kidnapped
: from her father, sold into white slavery by the settlers (in the form of a
: forced marriage) and eventually died by the age of 22 (24?) of Yellow
: Fever?
: I think not.
: -erin
well, you have got to realize that disney wants to sell tickets so
they scewed the history and the legend of pocahontas together to make
this movie... as in all disney cartoons, they took liberties with the
story... the actual story of the little mermaid didn't have a happy
ending, she was supposed to kill the prince in order to get her fins
back,(because the prince married someone else) but she didn't and she
turned into sea foam... would that have sold tickets? would the true
story of pocahontas sell tickets... probably not, since they don't
even know if john smith and pocahontas really ever met.. the history
of pocahontas as i remeber it is that she helped the settlers find
food and kept them from starving the first winter they where there...
as a reward they took her captive so the pocatans wouldn't attack
them.. she was tutored by john rolffe who fell in love with her and
married her after she converted to christianity (that's what he was
tutoring her in)... they went over to england to visit and she died
before the return trip home of TB.. she was 21 years old and IMHO
lived a lifetime in those 21 years experiencing more then i had by the
time i was that age... would this story sell tickets? no, probably
not.. the legend says she saved john smith from being killed by her
people, but it's not even known if she actually even met him.. disney
writes the stories so that people are entertained and of course, so
they can make a profit, so they raised pocahontas's age and
appearance and therefore made it more acceptable for her and john
smith to get together (since in the history, if they did meet, poc.
would have been twelve and john smith would have been 26).. that is
not acceptable by todays standards so they changed the age so what...
they where going mostly by the legend anyway...
sorry i tend to be a little long-winded,
k....
Lou724
than the Lion King...)
Of course, the cheesy moments between John Smith and Pocahontas were a bit
too much to take, I couldn't stop laughing by the end when Pocahontas said
something like "I'll always be there for you."
I loved the movie for it's visual effects, sound, comic relief...the plot
was okay but I prefered the storyline of Little Mermaid and Aladdin much
more.
This wasn't my favorite Disney movie but hey, it's just as good as the
other ones I've seen!!
P.S no one can ride over a waterfall like that on a canoe and still
survive!!!
yeah I know it's just a cartoon....
LoUiSA LeE
Lou...@aol.com