Disney / Buena Vista | 1998 | 72 min | Region A (B, C untested) | No Release Date
Pocahontas sets of on a journey to England with Meeko, Flit, and Percy. Hearing rumors of John Smith's death, Pocahontas tries to prevent war and battle.
Disney has long been one of the more conservative studios when it comes to releasing catalog titles on Blu-ray, especially its classic (and even its not-so-classic) animated films. The reasons are many -- some noble, others shrewd -- but chief among them is the sheer amount of time and level of care the studio invests in the restoration and remastering of its most treasured animated features. There's another big reason, of course; one that requires a healthy dose of corporate cynicism to discuss. You and I know it as the Disney Vault, that vacuous and abstract netherworld designed to drive demand, increase perceived value, provide marketing muscle, and bolster a film's legacy. It's a practice that has continued well into Blu-ray's life cycle, with only a small number of animated films being issued in high definition each year.
Apparently someone left the Vault door cracked open this month. August 21st sees the release of not one but seven animated films spread across five different Blu-ray releases. Included in the sudden, generous deluge: five theatrical features -- The Aristocats (1970), The Rescuers (1977), The Rescuers Down Under (1990), Pocahontas (1995), and The Tigger Movie (2000) -- and two direct-to-video sequels, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998) and Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001). Pocahontas and its misguided, wholly unnecessary sequel are the most problematic and unfulfilling of the bunch, though. The first film split audiences and critics, jumped the historical shark, and lacked the appeal and magic other Disney Renaissance classics continue to exude. The second... well, I suspect even those who adore the original wish the second film had never came to fruition.
Colors of the wind...
Loosely based on the 1607 encounter between Native American princess Pocahontas and Jamestown settler John Smith, Disney's 33rd animated feature is one of its most forgettable. It isn't a bad film per se, but it does sit idly by, lovely and detached, struggling to connect in a way that might make its romance more timeless, its songs (minus "Colors of the Wind") more stirring, and its seemingly dutiful blend of history and fiction more sweeping and engaging. Disney's Pocahontas (a wooden Irene Bedard, who should have been replaced with Judy Kuhn, the woman handling singing duties) isn't just a Powhatan princess, much as the filmmakers try to elevate her standing with Belle, Ariel, Jasmine and other Disney Animation royalty. She communes with nature, seeks guidance from a mystical tree named Grandmother Willow (Linda Hunt) and treats a raccoon and a hummingbird as her closest companions. Pocahontas' serene world is turned upside down, though, with the arrival of a group of English colonists and a kindly captain by the name of John Smith (Mel Gibson), a man with whom she soon falls in love. Her forbidden romance isn't without consequence, of course, and tensions between the settlers and the Native Americans erupt when jealousy, vengeance and greed enter the fray, courtesy of the warrior to whom Pochantas is betrothed (James Apaumut Fall), a crewman named Thomas (Christian Bale) Smith rescues at sea, and the settlers' insatiable leader, Governor Ratcliffe (David Ogden Stiers).
Pocahontas desperately wants to strike a balance between the historical account of its Powhatan princess and the overreaching spectacle of its cumbersome mysticism, cookie cutter supporting characters, and hit or miss musical numbers. The central love story is an effective one, but it would have been much more effective had Disney tossed out Grandma Willow and many of the elements that distract from the grandeur and grace of nature and the budding romance between the leads. Even the culture clashes, which are initially handled with a deft touch, are bobbled as the filmmakers battle to transition from the playful to the serious. Pocahontas would have benefited from a move, any move actually, to either extreme, bumping the movie lighter or darker. Instead, all involved seem all too willing to plow ahead and play it safe, neither honoring the history nor embracing the freedom a fictional account affords. It doesn't help that Pocahontas and John Smith are so believable while the settlers, Ratcliffe especially, are pure kiddie fare; villains who behave selfishly and villainously, without the least bit of depth, as if this were another of Disney's takes on a beloved fairy tale. Pocahontas doesn't know what it is, and tries to be all things to all people. The waters are left murky, the ending is left muddled, and one of Disney's more successful animated features remains one of its most unsuccessful stories.
The premise of Journey to a New World is promising, but the execution... oh, dear readers, the execution. Smith is yanked out of the proceedings early on during a return trip to England (while he survives, reports convince the Powhatan he died), leaving Pocahontas alone and, apparently, in need of another man to fill that giant hole in her heart. That man turns out to be John Rolfe (Billy Zane), an initially smarmy English diplomat who undergoes a startling transformation from sexist snob to marrying material; becoming the kind of man with whom Pocahontas would want to spend the rest of her life, even after learning her previous true love is very much alive and well (and sporting a mean cloak). We're meant to root for Rolfe and Pocahontas' union, even though we know full well from the outset that Smith will re-enter the picture at some point. Pocahontas, though, merely comes off as impulsive and fickle; a woman whose heart is so easily swayed that she'll hop from boy-toy to boy-toy in her search for the perfect man. (Terrence Malick would be none too pleased.)
The end result? Journey feels strangely divorced from the original Pocahontas, despite neatly picking up right where the first film left off. Sadly, Pocahontas slowly but surely takes on an entirely different, oft-times detrimental role, Smith gives up far too easily, Rolfe turns things around much too quickly, and the spirited princess' meetings with King James (Jim Cummings) and his court only detract from the love story they're meant to enrich. With each passing interlude and poorly conceived song, the sequel pounds the "listen to your heart" drum so ragged that it all becomes shortsighted and hyper-inflated. Listening to your heart is great and all, but poor Pocahontas isn't freed from anything. She's repurposed as a slave to her own random whims, hardly the sort of path parents would want their young girls to forge. And yet we're meant to believe Pocahontas is stumbling across some universal truth; that she's arriving at an epiphany of the heart rather than wandering off into the wilderness. Nonsense. If nothing else, the first film had a sense of who Pocahontas was and who she was going to become. Journey to a New World is sequel-making for sequel-making's sake, and it tarnishes the original as much as the original tarnished the history of Pocahontas' encounter with the Jamestown settlers.
Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World share a single BD-50 disc, but the films' 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfers don't take any apparent hit. The few shortcomings I encountered -- Pocahontas boasts a near-perfect presentation, but the sequel struggles with a washed out palette and outmoded CG elements prone to slight aliasing -- are entirely source-based, and most every issue traces back to the original film sources, nothing more. Easily overlooked instances of banding sneak into both films and minor ringing leaves its mark on the sequel, but those are the only problems I can point to, negligible as they are. Everything else is exactly as it should be. Pocahontas is especially stunning, full of lush, lively colors, rich primaries, gorgeous blacks, and vibrant contrast and clarity. Detail is exceptional too. The animators' line art is crisp and clean, the backgrounds are teeming with hand-painted beauty and brushstroke textures, and every last nuance of the animation is on display for all to see. And while Journey to a New World can't seem to escape the constraints of its budget or inferior animation, its technical encode is sound, accurately reproducing the image without any mishandled sequences, pesky macroblocking or errant eyesores. Yes, Pocahontas' presentation outshines and outclasses its sequel's duller, drearier image, but both deliver where it counts: faithfully preserving and, in most cases, rejuvenating their filmmakers' visions.
Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World both offer rousing DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks; the first film just offers fuller, more enveloping forest-scapes, river bends and culture clashes. Dialogue is clear and intelligible across the board, without any muffled voices or poorly prioritized lines of note. LFE output is able-bodied and assertive, lending power and presence to anything that deserves it. And the rear speakers eagerly capitalize on Pocahontas' surroundings, be it a rustling forest, a serene willow grove, a bustling English palace, the open sea, the surge of music or the swell of a song. The original film boasts more captivating and immersive sound design, sure, with more intentional and convincing directional effects, smoother pans and more affecting dynamics, but only because the lower budgeted direct-to-video sequel's sound design doesn't live up to its heritage. Still, both Pocahontas and Journey to a New World sound as magnificent (or as serviceable) as they should, and neither lossless track fails to live up to its potential.
Pocahontas Audio Commentary: Producer James Pentecost and co-directors Eric Goldberg and Mike Gabriel host a discussion more akin to a measured defense of their film than a traditional commentary, but the trio effectively pull back the curtain on the first film, covering everything from the balance they struck between the historical and the fictional to the many difficult decisions they made over the course of the film's development and production.
Drawing Inspiration: The Lost Story of Hiawatha (HD, 12 minutes): Goldberg and animation historian Charles Solomon introduce the story of Walt Disney's Hiawatha, a long-lost animated feature film Disney and his team storyboarded and then shelved. The storyboards are presented here, as Goldberg narrates the story as it unfolds. It's a rare and invaluable glimpse into a Disney film that never came to be.
Deleted Song, "If I Never Knew You" (HD, 5 minutes): Watch the deleted Pocahontas scene and song itself, or listen to optional commentary with Goldberg, Gabriel and Pentecost as the sequence plays.
The Music of Pocahontas (SD, 7 minutes): A look at the music and songs of the first film, culled from the DVD.
Deleted Scenes (SD, 15 minutes): Nine storyboarded scenes deleted from Pocahontas.
Cartoon Short, "Little Hiawatha" (SD, 9 minutes): A Walt Disney Silly Symphony from 1937.
Disney's Virtual Vault (SD): The Virtual Vault wasn't accessible to me yet, but if it follows in the paths of previous Virtual Vaults, additional featurettes and extras from the original DVDs will be available via BD-Live.
Pocahontas has never been an audience favorite and its direct-to-video sequel, Journey to a New World is even more problematic. The years haven't been kind either. The original film's animation is still stunning and its music still fairly stirring, but its story and characters are as unengaging as ever. And Pocahontas II? As dull and dreadful as it's ever been. Thankfully, Disney's 2-Movie Collection Blu-ray release will thoroughly please fans with two true-to-their-source video transfers, two remarkable DTS-HD Master Audio tracks, and a solid assortment of special features (even if most every extra is attached to the first film).
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Pocahontas / Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
