I don't get why people say this movie is boring. It has the most intense climax of any Disney movie, and the music and coloring in this film is fantastic.
I think it's because the characters are so bland that it makes it impossible for you to have any actual investment in their plights. If they had more nuanced, developed personalities that were engaging and they had actual charisma, then maybe it could have carried some weight.
Finally someone agrees with me. though the most intense I think goes to hunchback of notre dame. This is definitely in my top 3 favorite classic ones. It was number one for the longest time but as I got older I learned to appreciate hunchback and Aladdin.
I think a lot of this comes from your generation. I was born in 1993, and I personally really liked this movie. A lot of my friends born around the same ime did, too. Maybe we just had less exposure to this type of story before seeing it. I don't really know exactly why, but it worked for us.
Agreed! I was born in '94 and honestly, Pocahontas was one of my favorites. I loved the art, music, animal characters, and the climax was well done. I was a straight haired little girl who had to tell every animal flower and rock that I loved it, so I could see myself as Pocahontas, at least at that age. I even had merchandise from the movie, specifically a basket with brushes and a mirror, etc. I guess we must not have been exposed to much of the story, like you said, because it was definitely a favorite for me.
Same here. Born in 92 and this movie meant a lot to me since I'm Native American. I know a lot of my friends loved it too and even though we were aware of the inaccuracies we still loved it for what it was.
I was born in ‘93 & movies like this really were huge since we had the first Native American Disney Princess and after that was the first Asian Princess with “Mulan”. I enjoy this movie despite its inaccuracies since I can turn off my brain for 90 some minutes. And I like that animals don’t talk; Meeko is funnier as a physically comedic character with Percy
I loved Pocahontas as a kid, oddly enough, it got me into history. The realistic characters (for Disney) made me feel like they were treating me more like an adult than a child. The colours were vibrant and music was spot on. I loved the silent animal friends, I've always hated the side characters in Disney films, so I admired it for that. I know it's not perfect, it obviously fucked up the history aspect, but it got me intrested in a new culture and taught me to not to judge things that were different to me. May not sound like much, but it takes years for kids to learn this. It really impacted me, as did Mulan now that I think about it.
As a British person, I can say that the 'who are the real savages' story line of Pocahontas is a lot less common in in children's' media over here. Thus, I imagine - internationally - Pocahontas' story was much better received. Plus, the story that Doug said it was base on 'The Indian Princess' is one that I, and everyone I know, never heard of as a kid, so - as far a story is concerned - I can't fault this film. Furthermore, while I love history, I wasn't so offended by the way Disney disregarded it. Think about it, anyone who writes - or has written - fiction - is altering the past. Genie's didn't pop out lamps in ancient Arabia - like they do in Aladdin, Robin Hood didn't exist during King John's reign. But, authors have made works of fiction based on historical events, 'Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter' for instance, so you can't really complain about Pocahontas for changing the past.
Sure ya can. I think the question is whether or not people knew how fictional it was. And the reality of what was being "candy coated." We know Aladdin is based on an Arabian fairy tale because the magic just don't stop, we know robin hood is fairytailized because of the anthropomorphic animals. The very title "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" is so absurd you know it isn't true. I can see where the critiques are coming from in that it doesn't commit enough to making it a fairy tale. It's like what was weird about Hunchback. Are the gargoyles/talking-tree real? Are they figments of Quasimodo's/Pocahontas's imagination? So much of the other stuff was played straight people are less willing to accept "magic!". And the playing it straight kind of muddles whether or not it's very close to what happened historically. Is this a historical fiction very close to the original history with psychological tree symbolism? or is this a somewhat bland attempt at fairy-tale of history that's way off. It's the latter, but when I was really little and watching this I assumed the prior cuz six year old me still had faith in adults (thankfully right after watching it my mother read me a book about Pocahontas's life to set me straight).
Betsy Lee I must admit, you have a point. But, for most part, I was using fictional works adapted by Disney. However, there are more believable works of fiction set in the past. Take Agatha Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple, it's perfectly believable that a mustachioed Belgium or old lady solved murders. They didn't, but it's believable. In this case, can you say Agatha Christie did wrong in changing history in her novels. Of course you can't, her works are iconic and very enjoyable. Obviously, Pocahontas is far more fantastical. But, as both are works of fiction, we can hardly have a double standard. Therefore, as we judge Christie's fogging of the past as okay - we can hardly say Disney's fogging the past in Pocahontas is wrong. Thus, we can't complain. Good day.
when he says that the "who's the real savage?" story has been done many times before in kids entertainment, i literally have no idea what he's talking about. he's older than the generation of kids who this movie was made for (like me) and let me tell you, after school specials were not a thing in the 90s, and while maybe 1 saturday morning (the actual name of the block of cartoons) dealt with the occasional similar plot line (i wouldnt know), disney and nickelodeon sure as hell didn't. we were still being thoroughly lied to about chris columbus and all like history in school and it went undiscussed otherwise. idk why i thought you'd want to know this 2 months after posting, it's just a weird discrepancy in his argument
Colors of the Wind and Savages are masterpieces. Alan Menken's score is brilliant. Story (even though it's not real) is heartbreaking. My most fav disney movie! So disagree with Doug
Those songs are great but Doug is spot on with his criticism and the fact that it revises history like it does is deplorable. If you want to say they just wanted a better story, my answer is simple: choose another historical event. There are THOUSANDS of years worth of events before Pocahontas' time, pick one of those.
here's the thing, and maybe I'm just misunderstanding the issue of "you already know what's going to happen so why bother watching" with Pocahontas: in other films such as Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, you also already know who will wins in the end and who doesn't, because although those movies are engaging they are also predictable. That's not a problem, but I believe many people will watch movies they already know the ending to. I found Pocahontas to be very engaging in nearly every way and although I knew how it was going to end just by the nature of every other Disney film, I found its story and way of telling it to be much denser and even subtler than many other Disney films...which is why it's my favorite.
Bok Choy Exactly. Disney classics were all very predictable. That doesn't make them bad. We enjoy watching the characters and story go exactly where we always knew it was going to go
We know there will be a happy ending blah blah, but Pocahontas has a very generic story with a cookie cutter plot, characters, and so on. None of the characters are developed beyond their archetypes.
Well, prior to The Little Mermaid coming out, I doubt anyone knew that Disney's version might have a happy ending considering how the original story went with her throwing herself into the sea and becoming foam on the sea waves. But other than that I get what you're saying.
For me, the dumbest moment in this movie is where Pochahontas instantly learns the English language when John Smith first meets her; just from the wind blowing past her. I repeat. Pochahontas instantly learned English from the fucking wind.
+Murderous Neil (Macal) I was 8 when this came out. I couldn't care less then and i couldn't care less now. Why ?? Cause this movie was visually satisfying enough and the songs were music-to-my-ears enough. Then & even now !! Disney... *shut up and take our love !!*
My favorite disney movie, I can't have enough of it. I love everything, the characters, the colors, the animation, the music, the story, the message. For me, is one of the best animated movies ever!
+PimpManFan I love this movie too also the sequel. I even used to have a Pocahontes blanket when I was little. It's not weird if you find it very comfortable.
2:02 Uhhh, if that really was the attitude of a lot of moviegoers, then they would not watch a lot of films. To quote Bob Chipman, "finding entirely new ways to play out a sequence of events is not the goal of every story".
+Ellthom Yes and while she did save John Smith he married completely different girl. Pocahontas also journeys to England, gets Smallpox and dies. When she in her early twenties.
and since she is indian, by tradition at her age she wasn't allowed to wear clothes. On top of that, Adam smith was a creepy looking old man who was also the founder of one of the 13 colonies. (I forgot witch one)
I uh, have to say that I feel like Pochahontas is by far the most beautiful Disney princess. I dunno if it's because the smaller eyes make her look more adult, but she definitely has a more refined and elegant design that we typically see in Disney. She's not a wide-eyed teenager- this is an adult human being who already has confidence in herself. That's why people see her as boring; Disney's focusing on a part of this character's life where she's already figured out most of the "who am I?" sort of problems. She's choosing things like career paths and marriage at this stage in her life, and the story has to try and balance why this is supposed to be equally as exciting as a potential war. On that note, I have to admit that Disney may have made a mistake in that. When you tell a story, you tell the most exciting part of it. You tell the story where your hero saves the world, not where the hero chops firewood so they can bake cookies. I mean, you could, but then you have to ask yourself why you're not telling the more interesting part of that hero's story. Pochahontas shows a war-like conflict, and that's a pretty significant situation. It should be interesting. The problem is that Pochahontas isn't shown to be as involved in that conflict as she should be. Her defining problems as a character are an arranged marriage that she isn't interested in (if she's not interested in it, neither will the audience), and wondering about having an adventure that we never see come to fruition. She never does go to explore the world or learn about another culture in this movie. We get that in a direct-to-video sequel. It's a Disney movie where the protagonist's dream is never explained or realized, and that's really hard to relate to.
This movie gets a lot of undeserved hate. People over-focus on the historical aspects when Disney was never aiming for a straight historical account from the beginning. Pocahontas speaks to a talking willow tree and learns the English language from some magical wind. If you think that was an attempt at being historically accurate, you might have flunked history class. The villain isn't any more cookie-cutter evil than Scar, Ursula, or any number of other typical Disney villains. While it's true that there have been many tales told of the clash of cultures between native Americans and Europeans before Pocahontas came along, I can't think of any films outside of this one that presented it in such a fun and easily-digestible format. Dances With Wolves is a good film for example but god damn it can be long and a little drab at times. Avatar could be thought of as an allegory to this time period, but that movie didn't exist yet when Pocahontas came out. I think it's fine to say that the characters just weren't your cup of tea, but a lot of the criticisms leveled against Pocahontas apply equally to other Disney films. I think it's just for some people they were more noticeable because they weren't into the characters as much. In my case having rewatched this film recently, I think the film still holds up well and I enjoyed it both as a kid and as an adult. Not quite as great as some of my old favorites like Aladdin and Lion King, but still a great film nonetheless and I count it as part of the Disney Renaissance.
Sleeper800 And that's fine if you thought that way. I'm not saying you can't. I'm just saying that a lot of the criticisms leveled against this film are undeserved.
Honestly, I thought Pocahontas was pretty good. I liked its musical score, I thought most of the songs sounded beautiful. Its animation was absolutely gorgeous, and the story was pretty good. I'm a little older now (first watched when I was 6, now at time of writing i'm 17), and the story has lost some ground with me as I know the events are very watered down versions of real-life events. But if I look at it from a fantasy standpoint and ignore its historical accuracy, I still think the story is passable. It's not god-awful, and while I understand there are holes in it, they're not bad enough for me to lose believeability in the story. I still think the songs and animation are amazing, personally. Just my two cents, and the opinion of an Australian viewer.
Ehhh, I don't agree that "who's the real savage?" had been done to death at this point. In 1990 "Dances with Wolves" came out, and I remember people positively marveling that an Old West story could be told where the Indians weren't just an obstacle for pioneers, but actual protagonists. And Pocohontas came out just five years later. I mean, if that's "done to death" then Aladdin's "believe in yourself even when other people think you're trash" message must be a zombie clawing itself out of the grave.
but what if this is your introduction to this subject as a kid? This is actually a very GOOD commentary and dare i say perfect introduction. And I am very glad this and Hunchback came out back to back because they are both very good at teaching kids (and evan adults) the importance of accepting others for who they are rather than what they are, rather than have it forced in your face like current disney would do.
Kevin Murphy But it's so historically inaccurate. In the original she was 12, John Smith was the bad guy, and at the end she was kidnapped and went to the new world. And the movie got so cliché
@@luizfelipevbf5567 We discussed than on primary School,yet my teacher got the main point.The film's goal was not to be historically accurated but being a introduction of native american culture.
@@luizfelipevbf5567 Actually, in real life John Smith was kidnapped by the Powhatan tribe and, according to him in a letter to Queen Anne of GB, Pocahontas saved his life and her tribe returned him to Jamestown, as in the film. And he says that they would have starved if it weren't for the Powhatans giving them food, as in the film. Some people think he lied to the queen to make Pocahontas a heroine before her encounter with the queen, but even if it didn't happen it wasn't Disney that invented that part. And yes, Pocahontas was young, so no romance happened. And yes, she was kidnapped, but she was taken to Henricus, in Virginia, and it was because the English wanted prisoners released and stolen weapons returned. Ultimately the Powhatans only returned half the ransom, and she was kept in Henricus. There, she was loved by the colonists and in 1614 married John Rolfe, establishing a period of peace between the Powhatans and the colonists. So, in 1616, the Rolfes went to England, along with a few Powhatans.
I thought it was an okay movie. Not even close to historically accurate but the animation was good and some of the songs were good. I honestly remember the songs more than Pocahontas or any of the other characters.
Ok, so I loved this movie when it first came out, I was 7, then the sequel came out and RUINED the original for me... fast forward twenty years and I decided to watch it, the original, again and this movie is absolutely GORGEOUS. The animation is lovely and the music is, OF COURSE, AMAZING, I mean... it was ALAN MENKEN. Unfortunately my favorite song is actually one that was cut from the movie, "If I Never Knew You" is my favorite Disney song that I never knew (oops) existed until I happened upon it while listening to a Disney music playlist on youtube. They never should have removed it. Even so, the rest of the music is absolutely fantastic. I know people have an issue with how some magical omnilingual wind taught Pocahontas, which I thought was pretty funny myself, but SHE TALKS TO A FREAKING TREE AND IT HAS A FACE AND TALKS BACK. If a tree can have a face and hold a conversation in the movie then why can't there be magical omnilingual wind that gets its kicks out of teaching random people completely foreign languages... dang... I need one of those winds. So Pocahontas isn't my absolute favorite BUT it is tied for my second favorite Disney movie with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with Beauty and the Beast being my favorite. Let me tell you that it is no coincidence that my three favorite Disney movies all have music by Alan Menken.
The messages probably aren't but the movie itself never goes over-the-top, doesn't it ?? You could argue cutting down trees with dynamite & cannons, hostile sentiments causing clouds of war to collide complete with lightning etc etc but when you look it as a whole... the best way to describe it is "very weak explosion".
I might be in the minority here, but I adored this film as a kid. With the animation, the colors, the songs, and the relationship between John and Pocahontas, I never thought that it was boring or uninteresting. Though I'm sure the subject matter was all over the place at the time as you stated, this was kind of my introduction to it. In my opinion it was the first Disney film that tried to take it's audience seriously. As a kid, I thought the relationship between John and Pocahontas was believable, and I found their situation to be gripping. While I can understand some people's sensitivities with the historical inaccuracies, I just see it as a creative liberty.
Unlike Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, Pocahontas was more of a flow-with-the-course-of-destiny person. She was connected with nature. She had a dream, and she wanted to know what it meant.
What? This film was EXCELLENT! I loved the animation, story line, characters, message....... And for the record, do you really go into the theaters about to see a Disney movie and say; "Yay! A Disney take on a historical person! They are totally gonna follow the exact same story (which was sad and gruesome BTW) I hope I learn something today and i HOPE they aren't gonna make Pocahontas into some teenage princess cause THAT would be insane!" No, you don't. You want to see colours you want to see a romance, funny characters, a good message for kids. This is all typical Disney. And typical Disney IS the BEST Disney. So, I TOTALLY recommend you see this movie, despite the reviews. (BTW This comment is not meant to be rude or say any opinions are wrong. This is my personal opinion, feel free to disagree, just respect it, and I'll do the same for you)
I'm sorry...I've seen this movie a lot as a kid (and a teen) and I can safely say its just really boring. I didn't even know about any of this history crap till I looked up reviews online. Best things about the movie I can think of off the top of my head are: 1. The music, some scenes really know how to touch you in ways that are unique to the film its trying to be 2. The 2 main characters do have a bit of development. 3. The "Savages" song deserves a whole mention all on its own! Such a beutiful scene both times its used! That's all I can really think of...like...I could think of a million ways this could have been done better now that I'm older, but it isn't. It's just not that interesting...it hypes up a war that never happens, the whole movie focueses on a misunderstanding that's resolved within seconds! It quite literally feels like the movie is TRYING to be a history lesson or a look at indian culture at times...and when you look at it like that, its easier to see why people hate the historical changes so much. Hopefully that explains the hate this movie gets a lot more. Like...if you were to ask me at a younger age I'd say the movie just sucks balls. But since I'm older and am more aware I'm not the biggest movie fan...I'm not really sure...it's "okay" I guess...no, a little less than that...just boring to be honest...that sums it up best. :/
The thing you forget is that Disney doesn't do films only to appease Americans. Outside the USA no one knows the story of Pocahontas and no one really gives a damn. To us non-Americans, the film is simply entertaining. We didn't know who was who, who died and who didn't etc. So once you take that into consideration, you'll understand that Pocahontas does have a greater appeal to non-Americans. I personally really like it and Savages is amongst one of my favourite Disney songs ever. And no, I definitely don't need the animals to talk.
But that doesnt mean one cant criticize it. If anything having a movie of "what makes on civilized or not?" Interms of colonization think would have made a better impact as a movie such as Pocahontas "Mind you John Smith was a colonist, though historically he wasnt the type of guy who believed in extinction of natives, though he seemed to have become aggressive later in his life" But you get my point, it could have been a better made film. The 2nd Pocahontas movie however i think did better interms of story, i could go on but its in my view better than the first one.
not all excitement and interest comes from surprises. I have moments while watching this film where I'm just overwhelmed by the absolute beauty of it. I think a lot of people miss the point of it and don't appriciate it, but whatever, it's my favorite
Say what you want about the historical inaccuracies but I still love this movie. It meant a lot to me growing up being Native American and seeing someone I could relate to. Plus I like most of the music, the subtle humor and the characters.
I liked the movie when I was a kid, sure the history of the real Pocahontas was completely off but she is my favorite Disney princess out of all the other Disney princesses. She didn't sing, dressed up, and waited for a man to come for her like all the other princesses she did not just met a guy at first sight and instantly married him. No she was free spirited, intelligent, beautiful, and strong will. I don't know why everyone gives Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, and every other Disney Princess such praise when they do the same stereotype things? I guess I am the only one as a kid and now as a young adult that think beauty and intelligent is important and not follow everyone else that only thinks that being a princess is only about beauty and a man in her life.
+EternalHikari NoTenshi Hey...Remember Belle didn't want a man...and she was free spirited, intelligent, beautiful....she stayed with the beast for his dad freedom...and she was WAY MORE intersting..also same with Mulan...I think she did many things more than Pocohantes..and again..she was intersting But again it is just an opinion
+EternalHikari NoTenshi I wouldn't exactly call her a "free spirit." She was an evangelist/evangelical/is-there-actually-a-difference? She may as well have come up to John Smith's door and harassed him about the Watchtower of Mormon. She also never came off as that bright to me, more closely resembling that girl everyone seems to know who paraphrases or quotes her pastor because she isn't bright enough to formulate opinions.
@@scottfinkelstein9865 Yeah in real life she was a hostage and converted to Christianity( but i take it that would be too grim for a Disney film to put in)
+Cornelia Hanimann I saw it and it's actually sort of better than the original. Not great, but I kind of liked it. It felt like a genuine continuation of the story.
Historical inaccuracies aside, I absolutely love this film. In fact, it is my second favorite animated Disney film, second only to the Lion King. I think the animation and music are all excellent, and the story hits a few emotional points for me. I totally understand why people don't like this movie, but I'm on the other side of the fence for this one.
i always understood that pocahontas could understand the animals without them actually having to talk because she was more in tune with the world around her than the white colonists. that's what the beginning of colors of the wind plainly states. also, pocahontas has always been my favorite princess. i always loved her message better than the other princesses, which are more self-centered (not in a bad way, just in a "im gonna focus on improving my personal situation" way. nothing wrong with that); like belle's song is about wanting adventure for herself, ariel's very similar, jasmine...does jasmine even have a song to herself? the golden age princesses are all about finding their One True Love, etc. pocahontas' is about john smith getting his head outta his ass and actually looking at the beauty around him (i count colors to be her song even more than just around the riverbend)
Fun Fact: Everyone at Walt Disney studios thought that Pocahontas was gonna do better at the box office than the lion king so they had their more "B" squad working on the animation for that movie and the "A" squad worked on Pocahontas.
3:03 Well I heard they were going to have the animals talk as well as a turkey as one of the characters being voiced by the late John Candy. However due to the passing of the actor, they decided to cut out the turkey and knock of the talking animals. You can see a rough animation about it here: th-cam.com/video/lnS6OyCDSmc/w-d-xo.html
I love this movie! I get that they re-wrote history, but the story and it’s messages are so beautiful. The subtle messages of tribalism, greed, curiosity are so brilliant. These messages shed light on the human experience
The animation is beautiful and the music is great, but that's about it. Movie's not bad, but I always thought it was a classic. Didn't realize it wasn't as revered as I thought. But to call Colors Of The Wind only okay is criminal. I love Disney movies, and while Pocahontas is not even in my top 10, I think Colors is the greatest song that Disney ever made. It's incredibly beautiful and gets me emotional every time I hear it.
my sister and I watched this movie a lot, this Disney film and sleeping beauty. I loved the detail in the face animation. as a kid I would examine the faces.
Pocahontas is my favorite Disney princess. I know the story isn't true at all, but I love Pocahontas' sense of adventure, love of nature, and independence. I understand if you don't like the movie, but I still love the movie nonetheless.
I did like Pocahontas as a kid. She wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed the movie. Until I got older and learned the history of Pocahontas. It made me view this movie in a whole new light after learning the history.
I think I enjoyed this so much because at the time I saw it, I did not yet have the "bad white take Indian land for beads" lesson hammered into my head. Most of my schooling taught the re-writtten version about how they came over and were friends and shared and thanksgiving so this movie was actually a different perspective for me. Plus I liked that she didn't fall in love with him at first or even really like John Smith. She was curious and scared by him.Plus her friend is hilarious!
I loved this movie Hell Pocahontas is my favorite Disney princess next to Jasmine and Esmeralda. I don't mind the ending, I actually kind of like it. The villian isn't scar, shere khan, maleficent, evil stepmother, etc. but I could find myself hating him. I love how it's pretty well shown that BOTH groups aren't right and that their both wrong and are just misunderstanding each other. I love the songs. This animation is gorgeous. I love spiritual characters. I like free spirits.
The weirdest thing about this movie by far is that Disney expected it to be a giant hit. Ironically, Disney also expected The Lion King to bomb and didn't back it. Somehow, the smaller film expected to do badly became higher grossing than any other film of the time, and the bigger film only got mild praise.
After all these years, I still remember clearly my Mom driving us home from a screening of this film saying, "Disney just lost their way!" with a tone of voice that said she'd been gypped out of her hard-earned money. And I remember agreeing just a bit.
The soundtrack to Pocahontas is flawless! Menken&Schwartz outdid themselves! “Listen With Your Heart” and “Farewell” are some of the films standouts. “If I Never Knew You” is probably the best Disney ballad in my opinion. Such beautiful music and a beautiful film!
I feel like the ''We've all seen it before'' is a very American way of looking at, as a European it did not feel like a subject that was constantly shown to us. It's one of the VHS's I grew up with - for me it is a movie of great memories and visuals - and especially the (sort of) inclusion of some of my favourite R&B Divas, Vanessa Williams and Shanice on the soundtrack gives it a great nostalgia vibe. I feel sorry for those who had to grow up with Demi Lovato singing the pop version of a Disney Classic. As a kid it really made me care for the well drawn nature aspects (especially those leaves in the wind) and the magic of it. I guess the story has a little less going for it but still a worthy watch.
I remember going to see Pocahontas at the drive thru with my family when it came out and I got bored halfway through and started watching Judge Dredd in the rearview mirror.
The way I see it, this is a beautiful movie. The quality of the actual story is not very good and rather dull, but it's very beautiful. You say the message has been done before, but it never really struck home like this one did to me. It's also not just about respecting nature or overcoming racism. It's about true equality. No matter what humans look like, no matter what they believe in (a God or ancestral spirits or whatever else), humans are still humans. Everyone lives, breathes, has family and friends. This movie doesn't just say...it demonstrates how humans are all equal. And this is shown the most in the Colors of the Wind and Savages songs. And how we're all very capable of great good and great evil. You say you don't like the villain because of his character but those kinds of people exist in the world. And this movie also shows you that you have to take what people say with a grain of salt and think about it on your own terms. Don't just write it off as "Oh, they're savages, so that's what they do. Of course they did that." The characters, the story and all of that are a bit bland, sure. But when I watched this when I was younger, I felt like I'd matured afterward. I mean...yeah, you get it hammered into you that "racism is bad" and blah blah blah. But this movie demonstrated to me what the real meaning of that was. It showed me what true equality really meant. So this movie will always mean a lot to me. It's not the best movie in the world by far, but I think it is a beautiful film worth watching.
Unpopular opinion: I think Pocahontas is the first movie of the new decline. Not necessarily bad, just disappointing. At least Hunchback came out after.
0:55 Tarzan actually made more money than Beauty and the Beast. That film put them out of the ditch making it the successful film........ until Fantasia 2000 bombed hard.
Y'know, even with the Disney movies I don't like that much and didn't watch as much I could still remember them just enough that I'll instantly recognize most scenes/pictures. Even after watching film reviews for this I still don't recognize anything other than Color of the Wind. I think this means that either I got so bored as a kid that I asked my parents to turn it off, I zoned out, or I decided to see how far under the covers I could crawl because back then my parents' bed looked huge.
I met someone who worked on this movie. It was being made at the same time as the Lion King, and was actually having more time and money put into it. Lion King was the "B" movie at the time, ironically. The animator I talked to basically said that the director ruined the film by not taking any suggestions, and making the animators pretty much trace over live action videos. Oh well? lol
There’s a good reason why the animals don’t talk: there was supposed to be another animal, a turkey called Redfeather voiced by John Candy. Unfortunately, he passed away during production, so they not only removed the character, but muted the animals, by respect. It may not be common knowledge, but no need to get angry about it 😅
For someone who grew up in the Netherlands, it was an amazing film to me... But I litteraly didn't get bombarded with American history growing up. For me it was the first time i got some insight to American history
A lot of people get offended when Disney rapes a true story because there's a real person behind it. I get offended when Disney rapes a fairy tale because there's a real writer behind it. Or in the case of Hercules, a whole culture. I will never ever forgive them for making him pure god instead of half-human like he was supposed to be. Backbone of the story.
i love how i used to LOVE this movie as a kid! i got a bunch of Pocahontas stuff cuz i loved this movie so much! i watched it over and over again! as i got older i realized it wasnt that great. it might have been the whole nature and animals that i loved but idk. oh well.
I loved this movie as a kid. I was impressed by the colors and the animation, especially when "colors of the wind" played and alle the environmental motives in the movie like listening to your environment. The one thing I miss and what I'm still upset about is the song "If I never knew you". Disney should have kept this sweet little love song in the movie and because of this song I don't like the sequel of Pocahontas.
If I recall correctly; a reason why the animals do not talk was in tribute to the death of John Candy. Originally there was another animal character in the works, a turkey who was to be voiced by John Candy. But when he died, Disney decided not to have any of the animals speak out of solidarity for Candy because that Turkey character and all the comedy surrounding him was designed for Candy. Whether this is true or not is up to debate I think; but that is just one theory.
I was in love with this movies and all my friends and other kids around me too. As you say you heard a lot about indien, sauvages... in school and this give you nothing more. In France, we didn't heard a lot about it, so for us it was new ! It was the first time we saw a racoon and a hummingbirds...
being a kid in germany, not the USA, i really didn't hear all that much about american/native american history until highschool. like, i knew stuff happened, but it's really not "preached" about that much over here. so for me, personally, as a european child of maybe 6-8 years, this movie was so foreign and exotic and emotional, and i really felt like i was learning something (even though it was wrong, of course, but it IS a disney movie). i really didn't know what was going to happen. i didn't know who was going to die, or who was going to win. i had never heard that story before. i can even remember the song "savages" (in the german version, of course) and the climax-execution scene really scaring me, back then. when i was a little older (like 11 maybe), i loved that pocahontas stayed with her family, instead of running off with smith (and then i watched the sequel as a teenager...). what i'm trying to say is: i get why this movie might be dull and unimaginative for people from the US - but to someone, especially a child, from europe (or some other part of the world) it 's probably still exciting. i know i enjoyed it, and i still do.
Personally Pocahontas is one of my favorite Disney films. I like it better than the lion king. But then I had a unique circumstances that made the move kind of special to me. It came out the year of my trip to Disney world. It was really being pushed there and it made me want to see it after I previously thought it looked stupid from the commercials. Shortly before my trip, I learned about Pocahontas in history class and realized Pocahontas was a real person, which added to my interest. And before seeing the movie, I learned more about her by watching a Biography episode of her on A & E.
While this wasn't my top ten, I loved the animation and colors in this movie. I especially loved Pocahontas' hair.The historical inaccuracy didn't bug me because, well, I was a kid and I didn't care about history. I wanted a good story, that's it. And the story--meh. Heard it, seen it, was sick of it even then.
Granted, it ain't the best Disney ever made, but the positives outweigh the negatives pretty strongly. The score is impeccable, the animation was an upgrade from all the precedent productions, Mel Gibson gave a good performance as John Smith (and take into account he had to make do with not that much material) and I would lie if I said that this movie successfully pulled my heartstrings...
I watched this movie all the time growing up. I've always loved it. I love the songs, the artwork, and the different kind of Disney princess that is Pocahontas. The story is nice and surprisingly sad too. I like how it ended on a bittersweet moment rather than a typical Disney happy ending. I can see where you're coming from, Doug, but I have to disagree. :)
Hello! While I did enjoy the review I have to say I disagree with your points. For many children this was their first instance of learning about native Americans outside of the classroom (and barely there). And yes while most of this story I fake it is nice to get a story about a "real" minority princess, it may prompt kids to want to learn more! And as a kid who watched this in theaters when it came out, it was nice to see a different type of princess. Thanks for the reviews! Please keep doing them
I remember when I was a kid the teacher showed this after teaching us about the actual historic people involved in movie and the movie just confused everyone, most of my grade was just trying to reconcile the textbook with the cartoon during recess and not drawing any solid conclusions because we were like 8 Also learning how gruesomely the real Governor Ratcliffe died makes the cartoon version uncomfortable to watch now
I really liked this film. Especially the powerful music in the ending. Who cares if it wasn't historically accurate. Tbh, i don't think it was even supposed to be. It was very entertaining and gave an important message about racial issues. Plus, it's a disney film. What were critics expecting? Lol
You know, I bet if Pocahontas had explored Native American culture and mythology in a fashion similar to how Moana explores Polynesian culture and mythology, it would have done a hell of a lot better at the box office.
I like this movie because of the artistic aspect, not the historical accuracy. Disney isn't about the accuracy of history or source material. Also it didn't start the downfall of Disney, it did however slowed down Disney's record breaking movies, the movie kind of ripped off Dances with Wolves, which was also a historical film. But the songs and the animation was really good.
I don't remember this movie being bad but then again, I haven't seen it in a while. I remember my cousin told me Pocahontas was only, like 14 in real life and I was like: "That's stupid" (not my cousin, the fact they changed her age just to have a generic love story).
Another issue is that her motivations are kind of... odd. She only ever seems to want to make John Smith convert to her religion, and she won't stop riding him about it. It's like making a Disney movie about some Mormon kid's quest to make the Jewish kid at school real The Watchtower.
Personally I really like this movie, mostly because of the art style, because I like the angles and the more realistic approach and then I love the color theory in it as well. They used so many colors to convey certain things especially in the opening and in the savages song as well. The clashing of colors I find stunning and visually impressive, and also the music. Some of the instrumentals, to me at least, are spine tingling and for those reasons I thoroughly enjoy this movie.
Kind of funny, I looooooove this movie. Pocahontas was my favourite Disney princess growing up. I loved the songs, the colours, the hero herself, the message, the nature..
English is my wife's second language. When we watched this together, she asked me why they were singing about cabbages during the song "savages."
+KaminariKid CABBAGE CABBAGES THEY ARE DIFFERENT SO THEY MUST BE EVIL!
+trueloveis4u sorry it just seemed kind of funny to replace the word savages with cabbages thatd be an funny song
trueloveis4u We still laugh about it to this day.
trueloveis4u weird al yankovic anyone
@@trueloveis4u 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I don't get why people say this movie is boring. It has the most intense climax of any Disney movie, and the music and coloring in this film is fantastic.
I think it's because the characters are so bland that it makes it impossible for you to have any actual investment in their plights. If they had more nuanced, developed personalities that were engaging and they had actual charisma, then maybe it could have carried some weight.
Finally someone agrees with me. though the most intense I think goes to hunchback of notre dame. This is definitely in my top 3 favorite classic ones. It was number one for the longest time but as I got older I learned to appreciate hunchback and Aladdin.
Dude, no. I think The Lion King takes the crown for most intense climax
Aside from mulan, yes.
@@PeninsulaPaintings Nah, mulan. But lion king was great too.
I think a lot of this comes from your generation. I was born in 1993, and I personally really liked this movie. A lot of my friends born around the same ime did, too. Maybe we just had less exposure to this type of story before seeing it. I don't really know exactly why, but it worked for us.
Agreed! I was born in '94 and honestly, Pocahontas was one of my favorites. I loved the art, music, animal characters, and the climax was well done. I was a straight haired little girl who had to tell every animal flower and rock that I loved it, so I could see myself as Pocahontas, at least at that age. I even had merchandise from the movie, specifically a basket with brushes and a mirror, etc. I guess we must not have been exposed to much of the story, like you said, because it was definitely a favorite for me.
Same here. Born in 92 and this movie meant a lot to me since I'm Native American. I know a lot of my friends loved it too and even though we were aware of the inaccuracies we still loved it for what it was.
I was born in ‘93 & movies like this really were huge since we had the first Native American Disney Princess and after that was the first Asian Princess with “Mulan”. I enjoy this movie despite its inaccuracies since I can turn off my brain for 90 some minutes. And I like that animals don’t talk; Meeko is funnier as a physically comedic character with Percy
I was born in 1991 and watched this like hell as a kid lol
Generation doesn’t mean anything. I was born in ‘95, the year this movie came out, and even at that age, I was so BORED by it!
I loved Pocahontas as a kid, oddly enough, it got me into history. The realistic characters (for Disney) made me feel like they were treating me more like an adult than a child. The colours were vibrant and music was spot on. I loved the silent animal friends, I've always hated the side characters in Disney films, so I admired it for that. I know it's not perfect, it obviously fucked up the history aspect, but it got me intrested in a new culture and taught me to not to judge things that were different to me. May not sound like much, but it takes years for kids to learn this. It really impacted me, as did Mulan now that I think about it.
Same! Pocahontas and Mulan were my favorite "princesses."
Same!! You beat me to it.
This got me into history as well. It was never supposed to be a historically accurate film but I loved it.
As a British person, I can say that the 'who are the real savages' story line of Pocahontas is a lot less common in in children's' media over here. Thus, I imagine - internationally - Pocahontas' story was much better received. Plus, the story that Doug said it was base on 'The Indian Princess' is one that I, and everyone I know, never heard of as a kid, so - as far a story is concerned - I can't fault this film.
Furthermore, while I love history, I wasn't so offended by the way Disney disregarded it. Think about it, anyone who writes - or has written - fiction - is altering the past. Genie's didn't pop out lamps in ancient Arabia - like they do in Aladdin, Robin Hood didn't exist during King John's reign. But, authors have made works of fiction based on historical events, 'Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter' for instance, so you can't really complain about Pocahontas for changing the past.
Sure ya can. I think the question is whether or not people knew how fictional it was. And the reality of what was being "candy coated." We know Aladdin is based on an Arabian fairy tale because the magic just don't stop, we know robin hood is fairytailized because of the anthropomorphic animals. The very title "Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter" is so absurd you know it isn't true. I can see where the critiques are coming from in that it doesn't commit enough to making it a fairy tale. It's like what was weird about Hunchback. Are the gargoyles/talking-tree real? Are they figments of Quasimodo's/Pocahontas's imagination? So much of the other stuff was played straight people are less willing to accept "magic!". And the playing it straight kind of muddles whether or not it's very close to what happened historically. Is this a historical fiction very close to the original history with psychological tree symbolism? or is this a somewhat bland attempt at fairy-tale of history that's way off. It's the latter, but when I was really little and watching this I assumed the prior cuz six year old me still had faith in adults (thankfully right after watching it my mother read me a book about Pocahontas's life to set me straight).
Betsy Lee
I must admit, you have a point. But, for most part, I was using fictional works adapted by Disney. However, there are more believable works of fiction set in the past. Take Agatha Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple, it's perfectly believable that a mustachioed Belgium or old lady solved murders. They didn't, but it's believable. In this case, can you say Agatha Christie did wrong in changing history in her novels. Of course you can't, her works are iconic and very enjoyable. Obviously, Pocahontas is far more fantastical. But, as both are works of fiction, we can hardly have a double standard. Therefore, as we judge Christie's fogging of the past as okay - we can hardly say Disney's fogging the past in Pocahontas is wrong. Thus, we can't complain. Good day.
when he says that the "who's the real savage?" story has been done many times before in kids entertainment, i literally have no idea what he's talking about. he's older than the generation of kids who this movie was made for (like me) and let me tell you, after school specials were not a thing in the 90s, and while maybe 1 saturday morning (the actual name of the block of cartoons) dealt with the occasional similar plot line (i wouldnt know), disney and nickelodeon sure as hell didn't. we were still being thoroughly lied to about chris columbus and all like history in school and it went undiscussed otherwise. idk why i thought you'd want to know this 2 months after posting, it's just a weird discrepancy in his argument
Interesting I never thought of it that way I guess the same thing goes for the movie, Anastasia.
Colors of the Wind and Savages are masterpieces. Alan Menken's score is brilliant. Story (even though it's not real) is heartbreaking. My most fav disney movie! So disagree with Doug
Nigar Yusifova I loved those songs
Those songs are great but Doug is spot on with his criticism and the fact that it revises history like it does is deplorable. If you want to say they just wanted a better story, my answer is simple: choose another historical event. There are THOUSANDS of years worth of events before Pocahontas' time, pick one of those.
Those 2 songs are really amazing and the ending is both powerful and bittersweet, super underrated film.
Agreed. I'm Native American and I still love the movie and the songs despite the criticism.
its true
here's the thing, and maybe I'm just misunderstanding the issue of "you already know what's going to happen so why bother watching" with Pocahontas: in other films such as Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, you also already know who will wins in the end and who doesn't, because although those movies are engaging they are also predictable. That's not a problem, but I believe many people will watch movies they already know the ending to. I found Pocahontas to be very engaging in nearly every way and although I knew how it was going to end just by the nature of every other Disney film, I found its story and way of telling it to be much denser and even subtler than many other Disney films...which is why it's my favorite.
Bok Choy Exactly. Disney classics were all very predictable. That doesn't make them bad. We enjoy watching the characters and story go exactly where we always knew it was going to go
We know there will be a happy ending blah blah, but Pocahontas has a very generic story with a cookie cutter plot, characters, and so on. None of the characters are developed beyond their archetypes.
Well, prior to The Little Mermaid coming out, I doubt anyone knew that Disney's version might have a happy ending considering how the original story went with her throwing herself into the sea and becoming foam on the sea waves. But other than that I get what you're saying.
Yeah, but he said that Disney might be predictable, but they've always been entertaining.
For me, the dumbest moment in this movie is where Pochahontas instantly learns the English language when John Smith first meets her; just from the wind blowing past her.
I repeat. Pochahontas instantly learned English from the fucking wind.
Ikr. That part made me angry.
Hehehe it's magic
+Murderous Neil (Macal) I was 8 when this came out. I couldn't care less then and i couldn't care less now. Why ?? Cause this movie was visually satisfying enough and the songs were music-to-my-ears enough. Then & even now !! Disney... *shut up and take our love !!*
Magic. (Snort)(Snort)
+Murderous Neil (Macal) wait you mean you didn't learn english from the wind? i kinda just assumed that was the most natural thing in the world.
My favorite disney movie, I can't have enough of it. I love everything, the characters, the colors, the animation, the music, the story, the message. For me, is one of the best animated movies ever!
Piratearicat Same this is the best Disney movie ever in my opinion!!
Me too!! 👍
I must be in the minority, this one is my favorite of all the princess films :)
+PimpManFan Same, I love Pocahontas. I always get excited when I hear other people loved the movie too. :)
+PimpManFan I liked it as Beauty and the Beast, even if it's not really perfect in the ending crescendo.
+PimpManFan I love this movie too also the sequel. I even used to have a Pocahontes blanket when I was little. It's not weird if you find it very comfortable.
Mine too! it's sooo incredibly good!! on the other hand i'm not a fan of the little mermaid or beauty and the beast...
Same here it's one of my all time favorites and now I really want to rewatch the movie
I liked this movie as a kid, I didn't even know that it wasn't well received until years later.
2:02
Uhhh, if that really was the attitude of a lot of moviegoers, then they would not watch a lot of films.
To quote Bob Chipman, "finding entirely new ways to play out a sequence of events is not the goal of every story".
I loved this movie as a kid though.
+gribble of the sand Me too.
+gribble of the sand that was my favorite disney
I enjoy the movie too.
Wasnt Pocahontas supposed to be 12 years old by the year 1607 when this movie is based? :P
+Ellthom Yes and while she did save John Smith he married completely different girl. Pocahontas also journeys to England, gets Smallpox and dies. When she in her early twenties.
+Darkraes743 She marries John Rolfe, also John Smith was no where near as attractive or gentle as the movie makes him out to be
+Ellthom Yeah, don't bring actual history to Disney films... You'll be disappointed that much more.
and since she is indian, by tradition at her age she wasn't allowed to wear clothes. On top of that, Adam smith was a creepy looking old man who was also the founder of one of the 13 colonies. (I forgot witch one)
Even 10 months ago, this arguments gets ya 47 thumbs-up... *sigh*
I uh, have to say that I feel like Pochahontas is by far the most beautiful Disney princess. I dunno if it's because the smaller eyes make her look more adult, but she definitely has a more refined and elegant design that we typically see in Disney. She's not a wide-eyed teenager- this is an adult human being who already has confidence in herself.
That's why people see her as boring; Disney's focusing on a part of this character's life where she's already figured out most of the "who am I?" sort of problems. She's choosing things like career paths and marriage at this stage in her life, and the story has to try and balance why this is supposed to be equally as exciting as a potential war.
On that note, I have to admit that Disney may have made a mistake in that. When you tell a story, you tell the most exciting part of it. You tell the story where your hero saves the world, not where the hero chops firewood so they can bake cookies. I mean, you could, but then you have to ask yourself why you're not telling the more interesting part of that hero's story.
Pochahontas shows a war-like conflict, and that's a pretty significant situation. It should be interesting. The problem is that Pochahontas isn't shown to be as involved in that conflict as she should be. Her defining problems as a character are an arranged marriage that she isn't interested in (if she's not interested in it, neither will the audience), and wondering about having an adventure that we never see come to fruition. She never does go to explore the world or learn about another culture in this movie. We get that in a direct-to-video sequel. It's a Disney movie where the protagonist's dream is never explained or realized, and that's really hard to relate to.
Belle is better
Leafie the Great Eh.
I like how no one mentions that the English settlers should not be flying the Union Jack. This is set way to early for that flag to be in use. XD
Oh my god! Your right. I never noticed that.
This movie gets a lot of undeserved hate. People over-focus on the historical aspects when Disney was never aiming for a straight historical account from the beginning. Pocahontas speaks to a talking willow tree and learns the English language from some magical wind. If you think that was an attempt at being historically accurate, you might have flunked history class. The villain isn't any more cookie-cutter evil than Scar, Ursula, or any number of other typical Disney villains.
While it's true that there have been many tales told of the clash of cultures between native Americans and Europeans before Pocahontas came along, I can't think of any films outside of this one that presented it in such a fun and easily-digestible format. Dances With Wolves is a good film for example but god damn it can be long and a little drab at times. Avatar could be thought of as an allegory to this time period, but that movie didn't exist yet when Pocahontas came out.
I think it's fine to say that the characters just weren't your cup of tea, but a lot of the criticisms leveled against Pocahontas apply equally to other Disney films. I think it's just for some people they were more noticeable because they weren't into the characters as much. In my case having rewatched this film recently, I think the film still holds up well and I enjoyed it both as a kid and as an adult. Not quite as great as some of my old favorites like Aladdin and Lion King, but still a great film nonetheless and I count it as part of the Disney Renaissance.
It's still very boring though like he said.
Sleeper800
That's really subjective though. I didn't find it boring.
+Derpalon A lot of people did though, including me.
Sleeper800
And that's fine if you thought that way. I'm not saying you can't. I'm just saying that a lot of the criticisms leveled against this film are undeserved.
+Derpalon Fair enough. If you enjoy this movie that's fine with me. I'll just leave it at that :)
Honestly, I thought Pocahontas was pretty good. I liked its musical score, I thought most of the songs sounded beautiful. Its animation was absolutely gorgeous, and the story was pretty good.
I'm a little older now (first watched when I was 6, now at time of writing i'm 17), and the story has lost some ground with me as I know the events are very watered down versions of real-life events. But if I look at it from a fantasy standpoint and ignore its historical accuracy, I still think the story is passable. It's not god-awful, and while I understand there are holes in it, they're not bad enough for me to lose believeability in the story.
I still think the songs and animation are amazing, personally. Just my two cents, and the opinion of an Australian viewer.
Ehhh, I don't agree that "who's the real savage?" had been done to death at this point. In 1990 "Dances with Wolves" came out, and I remember people positively marveling that an Old West story could be told where the Indians weren't just an obstacle for pioneers, but actual protagonists. And Pocohontas came out just five years later.
I mean, if that's "done to death" then Aladdin's "believe in yourself even when other people think you're trash" message must be a zombie clawing itself out of the grave.
but what if this is your introduction to this subject as a kid? This is actually a very GOOD commentary and dare i say perfect introduction. And I am very glad this and Hunchback came out back to back because they are both very good at teaching kids (and evan adults) the importance of accepting others for who they are rather than what they are, rather than have it forced in your face like current disney would do.
Kevin Murphy But it's so historically inaccurate. In the original she was 12, John Smith was the bad guy, and at the end she was kidnapped and went to the new world. And the movie got so cliché
@@luizfelipevbf5567 We discussed than on primary School,yet my teacher got the main point.The film's goal was not to be historically accurated but being a introduction of native american culture.
@@luizfelipevbf5567 Actually, in real life John Smith was kidnapped by the Powhatan tribe and, according to him in a letter to Queen Anne of GB, Pocahontas saved his life and her tribe returned him to Jamestown, as in the film. And he says that they would have starved if it weren't for the Powhatans giving them food, as in the film. Some people think he lied to the queen to make Pocahontas a heroine before her encounter with the queen, but even if it didn't happen it wasn't Disney that invented that part. And yes, Pocahontas was young, so no romance happened.
And yes, she was kidnapped, but she was taken to Henricus, in Virginia, and it was because the English wanted prisoners released and stolen weapons returned. Ultimately the Powhatans only returned half the ransom, and she was kept in Henricus. There, she was loved by the colonists and in 1614 married John Rolfe, establishing a period of peace between the Powhatans and the colonists. So, in 1616, the Rolfes went to England, along with a few Powhatans.
Brilliantly said!
Hunchback of Notre Dame" problem is it failed to hit the mark.
I thought it was an okay movie. Not even close to historically accurate but the animation was good and some of the songs were good. I honestly remember the songs more than Pocahontas or any of the other characters.
Pocahontas was the first movie I saw in theatres as a kid, so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart...
Ok, so I loved this movie when it first came out, I was 7, then the sequel came out and RUINED the original for me... fast forward twenty years and I decided to watch it, the original, again and this movie is absolutely GORGEOUS. The animation is lovely and the music is, OF COURSE, AMAZING, I mean... it was ALAN MENKEN.
Unfortunately my favorite song is actually one that was cut from the movie, "If I Never Knew You" is my favorite Disney song that I never knew (oops) existed until I happened upon it while listening to a Disney music playlist on youtube. They never should have removed it. Even so, the rest of the music is absolutely fantastic.
I know people have an issue with how some magical omnilingual wind taught Pocahontas, which I thought was pretty funny myself, but SHE TALKS TO A FREAKING TREE AND IT HAS A FACE AND TALKS BACK. If a tree can have a face and hold a conversation in the movie then why can't there be magical omnilingual wind that gets its kicks out of teaching random people completely foreign languages... dang... I need one of those winds.
So Pocahontas isn't my absolute favorite BUT it is tied for my second favorite Disney movie with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with Beauty and the Beast being my favorite. Let me tell you that it is no coincidence that my three favorite Disney movies all have music by Alan Menken.
Yesss about the wind part. And the wind literally carries the voice of the tree telling her to listen with her heart
If I Never Knew You was added to the 10th anniversary edition.
Pocahontas was always one of my top favorite disney movies!
What Doug calls boring I call subtle and nuanced.
This movie is subtle???
The messages probably aren't but the movie itself never goes over-the-top, doesn't it ?? You could argue cutting down trees with dynamite & cannons, hostile sentiments causing clouds of war to collide complete with lightning etc etc but when you look it as a whole... the best way to describe it is "very weak explosion".
Weirdly I always thought this film was loved, I didn't know how mixed reception was until recently.
I might be in the minority here, but I adored this film as a kid. With the animation, the colors, the songs, and the relationship between John and Pocahontas, I never thought that it was boring or uninteresting. Though I'm sure the subject matter was all over the place at the time as you stated, this was kind of my introduction to it. In my opinion it was the first Disney film that tried to take it's audience seriously. As a kid, I thought the relationship between John and Pocahontas was believable, and I found their situation to be gripping. While I can understand some people's sensitivities with the historical inaccuracies, I just see it as a creative liberty.
Yea, it's got a TALKING TREE SPIRIT!!! What were people expecting?
Brilliantly said!
Unlike Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, Pocahontas was more of a flow-with-the-course-of-destiny person. She was connected with nature. She had a dream, and she wanted to know what it meant.
That's something I always loved about Pocahontas.
What? This film was EXCELLENT! I loved the animation, story line, characters, message....... And for the record, do you really go into the theaters about to see a Disney movie and say; "Yay! A Disney take on a historical person! They are totally gonna follow the exact same story (which was sad and gruesome BTW) I hope I learn something today and i HOPE they aren't gonna make Pocahontas into some teenage princess cause THAT would be insane!" No, you don't. You want to see colours you want to see a romance, funny characters, a good message for kids. This is all typical Disney. And typical Disney IS the BEST Disney. So, I TOTALLY recommend you see this movie, despite the reviews. (BTW This comment is not meant to be rude or say any opinions are wrong. This is my personal opinion, feel free to disagree, just respect it, and I'll do the same for you)
I'm sorry...I've seen this movie a lot as a kid (and a teen) and I can safely say its just really boring. I didn't even know about any of this history crap till I looked up reviews online. Best things about the movie I can think of off the top of my head are:
1. The music, some scenes really know how to touch you in ways that are unique to the film its trying to be
2. The 2 main characters do have a bit of development.
3. The "Savages" song deserves a whole mention all on its own! Such a beutiful scene both times its used!
That's all I can really think of...like...I could think of a million ways this could have been done better now that I'm older, but it isn't. It's just not that interesting...it hypes up a war that never happens, the whole movie focueses on a misunderstanding that's resolved within seconds! It quite literally feels like the movie is TRYING to be a history lesson or a look at indian culture at times...and when you look at it like that, its easier to see why people hate the historical changes so much.
Hopefully that explains the hate this movie gets a lot more. Like...if you were to ask me at a younger age I'd say the movie just sucks balls. But since I'm older and am more aware I'm not the biggest movie fan...I'm not really sure...it's "okay" I guess...no, a little less than that...just boring to be honest...that sums it up best. :/
Creative Motives this was one of my favorite movies as a kid!
The ending score in Pocahontas is my favourite score of any Disney film
The thing you forget is that Disney doesn't do films only to appease Americans. Outside the USA no one knows the story of Pocahontas and no one really gives a damn. To us non-Americans, the film is simply entertaining. We didn't know who was who, who died and who didn't etc. So once you take that into consideration, you'll understand that Pocahontas does have a greater appeal to non-Americans.
I personally really like it and Savages is amongst one of my favourite Disney songs ever. And no, I definitely don't need the animals to talk.
+David Baptista da Silva i only questioned the animal thing beucase the tree talks
I agree. Outside of America children aren't that familiar with Pocahonta's story
But that doesnt mean one cant criticize it. If anything having a movie of "what makes on civilized or not?" Interms of colonization think would have made a better impact as a movie such as Pocahontas "Mind you John Smith was a colonist, though historically he wasnt the type of guy who believed in extinction of natives, though he seemed to have become aggressive later in his life" But you get my point, it could have been a better made film. The 2nd Pocahontas movie however i think did better interms of story, i could go on but its in my view better than the first one.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank god for Disney plus, I’m able to watch all my old favourites.
not all excitement and interest comes from surprises. I have moments while watching this film where I'm just overwhelmed by the absolute beauty of it. I think a lot of people miss the point of it and don't appriciate it, but whatever, it's my favorite
Say what you want about the historical inaccuracies but I still love this movie. It meant a lot to me growing up being Native American and seeing someone I could relate to. Plus I like most of the music, the subtle humor and the characters.
I liked the movie when I was a kid, sure the history of the real Pocahontas was completely off but she is my favorite Disney princess out of all the other Disney princesses. She didn't sing, dressed up, and waited for a man to come for her like all the other princesses she did not just met a guy at first sight and instantly married him. No she was free spirited, intelligent, beautiful, and strong will. I don't know why everyone gives Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Aurora, Snow White, and every other Disney Princess such praise when they do the same stereotype things? I guess I am the only one as a kid and now as a young adult that think beauty and intelligent is important and not follow everyone else that only thinks that being a princess is only about beauty and a man in her life.
+EternalHikari NoTenshi Hey...Remember Belle didn't want a man...and she was free spirited, intelligent, beautiful....she stayed with the beast for his dad freedom...and she was WAY MORE intersting..also same with
Mulan...I think she did many things more than Pocohantes..and again..she was intersting
But again it is just an opinion
+EternalHikari NoTenshi I wouldn't exactly call her a "free spirit." She was an evangelist/evangelical/is-there-actually-a-difference? She may as well have come up to John Smith's door and harassed him about the Watchtower of Mormon. She also never came off as that bright to me, more closely resembling that girl everyone seems to know who paraphrases or quotes her pastor because she isn't bright enough to formulate opinions.
@@scottfinkelstein9865 Yeah in real life she was a hostage and converted to Christianity( but i take it that would be too grim for a Disney film to put in)
whoa has anyone seen the second pocahontas movie?
+Cornelia Hanimann I have.
Kendra Benoit did you like it?
+Cornelia Hanimann me too
Cornelia Hanimann Not very memorable, but not horable.
+Cornelia Hanimann I saw it and it's actually sort of better than the original. Not great, but I kind of liked it. It felt like a genuine continuation of the story.
Pocahontas is one of my favorite Disney movies tbh
I'm still surprised people disliked this movie... This and Mulan are my personal favorites
This is my favourite film EVER
"If you watch Disney's Pocahontas for your history assignment, you're gonna have a bad time".
-Ski instructor from the South Park episode Asspen
Historical inaccuracies aside, I absolutely love this film. In fact, it is my second favorite animated Disney film, second only to the Lion King.
I think the animation and music are all excellent, and the story hits a few emotional points for me. I totally understand why people don't like this movie, but I'm on the other side of the fence for this one.
pocahontas is one of my favourite disney movies
i always understood that pocahontas could understand the animals without them actually having to talk because she was more in tune with the world around her than the white colonists. that's what the beginning of colors of the wind plainly states.
also, pocahontas has always been my favorite princess. i always loved her message better than the other princesses, which are more self-centered (not in a bad way, just in a "im gonna focus on improving my personal situation" way. nothing wrong with that); like belle's song is about wanting adventure for herself, ariel's very similar, jasmine...does jasmine even have a song to herself? the golden age princesses are all about finding their One True Love, etc. pocahontas' is about john smith getting his head outta his ass and actually looking at the beauty around him (i count colors to be her song even more than just around the riverbend)
Fun Fact: Everyone at Walt Disney studios thought that Pocahontas was gonna do better at the box office than the lion king so they had their more "B" squad working on the animation for that movie and the "A" squad worked on Pocahontas.
Oh how wrong they turned out :o. I did think sequal was slightly better but you aint wrong
Where did you hear that?
@@furtadoalbum9679 I heard it somewhere on TH-cam, the video escapes my mind ATM but yeah
@@packnetadaija Oh so it might not be true?
@@packnetadaija I mean, was it the actual creators saying it? I just know that some sources can’t really be trusted.
3:03 Well I heard they were going to have the animals talk as well as a turkey as one of the characters being voiced by the late John Candy. However due to the passing of the actor, they decided to cut out the turkey and knock of the talking animals. You can see a rough animation about it here: th-cam.com/video/lnS6OyCDSmc/w-d-xo.html
Why they did knock off the other talking animals? That's dumb.
I love this movie! I get that they re-wrote history, but the story and it’s messages are so beautiful. The subtle messages of tribalism, greed, curiosity are so brilliant. These messages shed light on the human experience
The animation is beautiful and the music is great, but that's about it. Movie's not bad, but I always thought it was a classic. Didn't realize it wasn't as revered as I thought. But to call Colors Of The Wind only okay is criminal. I love Disney movies, and while Pocahontas is not even in my top 10, I think Colors is the greatest song that Disney ever made. It's incredibly beautiful and gets me emotional every time I hear it.
my sister and I watched this movie a lot, this Disney film and sleeping beauty. I loved the detail in the face animation. as a kid I would examine the faces.
Pocahontas is my favorite Disney princess. I know the story isn't true at all, but I love Pocahontas' sense of adventure, love of nature, and independence. I understand if you don't like the movie, but I still love the movie nonetheless.
"It's not doing anything awful besides re-writing history..but hey, HISTORY already did that."
Touche, Doug.
It's the most 6/10 disney movie there is, with a couple great songs
I did like Pocahontas as a kid. She wasn't my favorite, but I enjoyed the movie. Until I got older and learned the history of Pocahontas. It made me view this movie in a whole new light after learning the history.
Mike Gabriel directed this movie. He have co-directed, "The Rescuers Down Under," back in 1990, along with Hendel Butoy.
Eric Goldberg co-directed this, too.
I think I enjoyed this so much because at the time I saw it, I did not yet have the "bad white take Indian land for beads" lesson hammered into my head. Most of my schooling taught the re-writtten version about how they came over and were friends and shared and thanksgiving so this movie was actually a different perspective for me. Plus I liked that she didn't fall in love with him at first or even really like John Smith. She was curious and scared by him.Plus her friend is hilarious!
I loved this movie
Hell Pocahontas is my favorite Disney princess next to Jasmine and Esmeralda. I don't mind the ending, I actually kind of like it. The villian isn't scar, shere khan, maleficent, evil stepmother, etc. but I could find myself hating him. I love how it's pretty well shown that BOTH groups aren't right and that their both wrong and are just misunderstanding each other. I love the songs. This animation is gorgeous. I love spiritual characters. I like free spirits.
Starr Smith Esmeralda isn't a princess though
The weirdest thing about this movie by far is that Disney expected it to be a giant hit. Ironically, Disney also expected The Lion King to bomb and didn't back it. Somehow, the smaller film expected to do badly became higher grossing than any other film of the time, and the bigger film only got mild praise.
I’m sure that’s something Disney is looking back on and regretting.
This is actually one of my biggest guilty pleasures, I really enjoyed that movie
She was my hero growing up
Pocahontas is my all time favorite Disney Princess.
After all these years, I still remember clearly my Mom driving us home from a screening of this film saying, "Disney just lost their way!" with a tone of voice that said she'd been gypped out of her hard-earned money. And I remember agreeing just a bit.
The soundtrack to Pocahontas is flawless! Menken&Schwartz outdid themselves! “Listen With Your Heart” and “Farewell” are some of the films standouts. “If I Never Knew You” is probably the best Disney ballad in my opinion. Such beautiful music and a beautiful film!
Pocahontas is definitely the most beautiful disney princess, for me at least.
I feel like the ''We've all seen it before'' is a very American way of looking at, as a European it did not feel like a subject that was constantly shown to us. It's one of the VHS's I grew up with - for me it is a movie of great memories and visuals - and especially the (sort of) inclusion of some of my favourite R&B Divas, Vanessa Williams and Shanice on the soundtrack gives it a great nostalgia vibe. I feel sorry for those who had to grow up with Demi Lovato singing the pop version of a Disney Classic.
As a kid it really made me care for the well drawn nature aspects (especially those leaves in the wind) and the magic of it. I guess the story has a little less going for it but still a worthy watch.
I love Pocahontas, its my favorite Disney movie:)
I remember going to see Pocahontas at the drive thru with my family when it came out and I got bored halfway through and started watching Judge Dredd in the rearview mirror.
The way I see it, this is a beautiful movie. The quality of the actual story is not very good and rather dull, but it's very beautiful. You say the message has been done before, but it never really struck home like this one did to me. It's also not just about respecting nature or overcoming racism. It's about true equality. No matter what humans look like, no matter what they believe in (a God or ancestral spirits or whatever else), humans are still humans. Everyone lives, breathes, has family and friends. This movie doesn't just say...it demonstrates how humans are all equal. And this is shown the most in the Colors of the Wind and Savages songs. And how we're all very capable of great good and great evil. You say you don't like the villain because of his character but those kinds of people exist in the world. And this movie also shows you that you have to take what people say with a grain of salt and think about it on your own terms. Don't just write it off as "Oh, they're savages, so that's what they do. Of course they did that."
The characters, the story and all of that are a bit bland, sure. But when I watched this when I was younger, I felt like I'd matured afterward. I mean...yeah, you get it hammered into you that "racism is bad" and blah blah blah. But this movie demonstrated to me what the real meaning of that was. It showed me what true equality really meant. So this movie will always mean a lot to me.
It's not the best movie in the world by far, but I think it is a beautiful film worth watching.
I loved this movie as a kid, but now as an adult i only love it for it's color imagery
Ah, yes. Pocahontas. The Disney flic that made Ru Paul go "Dayumn girl!"
Unpopular opinion: I think Pocahontas is the first movie of the new decline. Not necessarily bad, just disappointing. At least Hunchback came out after.
0:55 Tarzan actually made more money than Beauty and the Beast. That film put them out of the ditch making it the successful film........ until Fantasia 2000 bombed hard.
Y'know, even with the Disney movies I don't like that much and didn't watch as much I could still remember them just enough that I'll instantly recognize most scenes/pictures. Even after watching film reviews for this I still don't recognize anything other than Color of the Wind. I think this means that either I got so bored as a kid that I asked my parents to turn it off, I zoned out, or I decided to see how far under the covers I could crawl because back then my parents' bed looked huge.
I met someone who worked on this movie. It was being made at the same time as the Lion King, and was actually having more time and money put into it. Lion King was the "B" movie at the time, ironically. The animator I talked to basically said that the director ruined the film by not taking any suggestions, and making the animators pretty much trace over live action videos. Oh well? lol
There’s a good reason why the animals don’t talk: there was supposed to be another animal, a turkey called Redfeather voiced by John Candy. Unfortunately, he passed away during production, so they not only removed the character, but muted the animals, by respect. It may not be common knowledge, but no need to get angry about it 😅
This is so inaccurate. MANY people saw this movie. It's really interesting, not a snore fest at all. This movie did NOT start any downfall for Disney.
My *favorite* Disney movie (yeah ah said it, what ya gonna do ?!!) second only to "Lion King"
For someone who grew up in the Netherlands, it was an amazing film to me... But I litteraly didn't get bombarded with American history growing up. For me it was the first time i got some insight to American history
one of my favorite films, pocahontas is an amazing character, gorgeous and smart, colors of the wind is a masterpiece
Could Doug review Balto? That was also another animated film based on real-life events.
Not a Disney though. Is it a Dreamworks ? I'm not even sure...
+invock I didn't think it had to be Disney.
And no, it's not Dreamworks, it's Amblin Entertainment.
+The Batman Of Neo-Gotham Huh why did I think it was Universal studios? Maybe Doug could do Universicember/Universerary?
+The Batman Of Neo-Gotham they made it universal distributed it
And don't forget about Anastasia
A lot of people get offended when Disney rapes a true story because there's a real person behind it. I get offended when Disney rapes a fairy tale because there's a real writer behind it. Or in the case of Hercules, a whole culture. I will never ever forgive them for making him pure god instead of half-human like he was supposed to be. Backbone of the story.
i love how i used to LOVE this movie as a kid! i got a bunch of Pocahontas stuff cuz i loved this movie so much! i watched it over and over again! as i got older i realized it wasnt that great. it might have been the whole nature and animals that i loved but idk. oh well.
I loved this movie as a kid. I was impressed by the colors and the animation, especially when "colors of the wind" played and alle the environmental motives in the movie like listening to your environment. The one thing I miss and what I'm still upset about is the song "If I never knew you". Disney should have kept this sweet little love song in the movie and because of this song I don't like the sequel of Pocahontas.
If I recall correctly; a reason why the animals do not talk was in tribute to the death of John Candy. Originally there was another animal character in the works, a turkey who was to be voiced by John Candy. But when he died, Disney decided not to have any of the animals speak out of solidarity for Candy because that Turkey character and all the comedy surrounding him was designed for Candy. Whether this is true or not is up to debate I think; but that is just one theory.
I used to love this movie for the little things it did right. Story didn't get me excited as much as simply the tone.
Maybe it's because I watched it as a kid and didn't know it was a "true" story, but I always loved this movie
I was in love with this movies and all my friends and other kids around me too. As you say you heard a lot about indien, sauvages... in school and this give you nothing more. In France, we didn't heard a lot about it, so for us it was new ! It was the first time we saw a racoon and a hummingbirds...
being a kid in germany, not the USA, i really didn't hear all that much about american/native american history until highschool. like, i knew stuff happened, but it's really not "preached" about that much over here. so for me, personally, as a european child of maybe 6-8 years, this movie was so foreign and exotic and emotional, and i really felt like i was learning something (even though it was wrong, of course, but it IS a disney movie).
i really didn't know what was going to happen. i didn't know who was going to die, or who was going to win. i had never heard that story before. i can even remember the song "savages" (in the german version, of course) and the climax-execution scene really scaring me, back then. when i was a little older (like 11 maybe), i loved that pocahontas stayed with her family, instead of running off with smith (and then i watched the sequel as a teenager...).
what i'm trying to say is: i get why this movie might be dull and unimaginative for people from the US - but to someone, especially a child, from europe (or some other part of the world) it 's probably still exciting.
i know i enjoyed it, and i still do.
Personally Pocahontas is one of my favorite Disney films. I like it better than the lion king. But then I had a unique circumstances that made the move kind of special to me. It came out the year of my trip to Disney world. It was really being pushed there and it made me want to see it after I previously thought it looked stupid from the commercials. Shortly before my trip, I learned about Pocahontas in history class and realized Pocahontas was a real person, which added to my interest. And before seeing the movie, I learned more about her by watching a Biography episode of her on A & E.
While this wasn't my top ten, I loved the animation and colors in this movie. I especially loved Pocahontas' hair.The historical inaccuracy didn't bug me because, well, I was a kid and I didn't care about history. I wanted a good story, that's it. And the story--meh. Heard it, seen it, was sick of it even then.
Granted, it ain't the best Disney ever made, but the positives outweigh the negatives pretty strongly. The score is impeccable, the animation was an upgrade from all the precedent productions, Mel Gibson gave a good performance as John Smith (and take into account he had to make do with not that much material) and I would lie if I said that this movie successfully pulled my heartstrings...
I watched this movie all the time growing up. I've always loved it. I love the songs, the artwork, and the different kind of Disney princess that is Pocahontas. The story is nice and surprisingly sad too. I like how it ended on a bittersweet moment rather than a typical Disney happy ending. I can see where you're coming from, Doug, but I have to disagree. :)
Hello! While I did enjoy the review I have to say I disagree with your points. For many children this was their first instance of learning about native Americans outside of the classroom (and barely there). And yes while most of this story I fake it is nice to get a story about a "real" minority princess, it may prompt kids to want to learn more! And as a kid who watched this in theaters when it came out, it was nice to see a different type of princess. Thanks for the reviews! Please keep doing them
I remember when I was a kid the teacher showed this after teaching us about the actual historic people involved in movie and the movie just confused everyone, most of my grade was just trying to reconcile the textbook with the cartoon during recess and not drawing any solid conclusions because we were like 8
Also learning how gruesomely the real Governor Ratcliffe died makes the cartoon version uncomfortable to watch now
I really liked this film. Especially the powerful music in the ending. Who cares if it wasn't historically accurate. Tbh, i don't think it was even supposed to be. It was very entertaining and gave an important message about racial issues. Plus, it's a disney film. What were critics expecting? Lol
You know, I bet if Pocahontas had explored Native American culture and mythology in a fashion similar to how Moana explores Polynesian culture and mythology, it would have done a hell of a lot better at the box office.
I like this movie because of the artistic aspect, not the historical accuracy. Disney isn't about the accuracy of history or source material. Also it didn't start the downfall of Disney, it did however slowed down Disney's record breaking movies, the movie kind of ripped off Dances with Wolves, which was also a historical film. But the songs and the animation was really good.
I don't remember this movie being bad but then again, I haven't seen it in a while.
I remember my cousin told me Pocahontas was only, like 14 in real life and I was like: "That's stupid" (not my cousin, the fact they changed her age just to have a generic love story).
Another issue is that her motivations are kind of... odd. She only ever seems to want to make John Smith convert to her religion, and she won't stop riding him about it. It's like making a Disney movie about some Mormon kid's quest to make the Jewish kid at school real The Watchtower.
pocahontas is so amazing
Personally I really like this movie, mostly because of the art style, because I like the angles and the more realistic approach and then I love the color theory in it as well. They used so many colors to convey certain things especially in the opening and in the savages song as well. The clashing of colors I find stunning and visually impressive, and also the music. Some of the instrumentals, to me at least, are spine tingling and for those reasons I thoroughly enjoy this movie.
Kind of funny, I looooooove this movie. Pocahontas was my favourite Disney princess growing up. I loved the songs, the colours, the hero herself, the message, the nature..