Worse the second time around

I saw this movie in the theater when it was released in '85. I remember being mildly entertained but annoyed, despite my loose grasp of American history, at the extreme liberties taken with the realities of this true story. No, I was not expecting a documentary from Disney, but a second viewing a few days ago really brought home how non-praiseworthy this film really is.

There's a lot to like: love the "Sleeping Beauty" era animation style. Pochahontas, as a fictional construct, is gorgeous in a very exotic way, and Mel Gibson delivers a very engaging performance as a fictional John Smith. The overly (as usual) anthropomorphized animals were rendered less obnoxious by not speaking English...but then they threw in a talking tree(!). Oh, and despite the fact that I've grown weary of animated musicals, "The Colors of the Wind" is a fabulous (if tree-huggy) number with beautiful visuals.

So what's not to like? Pretty much everything else. The rest of the songs are about on par with the dreck from the Rankin-Bass "Hobbit". Remember that? Ugh. I know people defend this movie by justifying the historical inaccuracies as "art" or "minor artistic license" or whatever, but that demonstrates a deep ignorance that testifies to the shameful state of public education. Another reviewer here used the illustration, by way of comparison, of a supposed film about Anne Frank where she might run off and marry a German soldier. That example carries the right weight, imo. Pochahontas was a little girl when the Jamestown colonists arrived! She was not a statuesque teenager! She may have had some kind of illicit relationship with John Smith later on, but she married somebody else. She was passed around like a novelty back in England and died there. This is not really Disney material, folks.

This goes beyond "artistic license" to completely re-writing the story and replacing historical characters with fantastical constructs that just distract the educated viewer from enjoying a nice little tale. When the writers of "The Patriot" (another Gibson project) played this loose and fast with history, the historical big wigs eventually pressured them to change the names from actual persons to fictional ones, because the story was no longer really about actual historical people. This one is even worse, and they really should have done the same. This is not a fairy tale, like "Little Mermaid" (which was also changed dramatically...but who cares? It's just a fable...), and there is a should be a certain amount of responsibility to see that the lives and efforts of those represented are honored.

If they just wanted to fill their lineup with a "native American" story, why not Sacajaweya? Here's a girl who was taken from her people as a child, volunteers or is sold (can't remember) to the Lewis/Clark expedition as a native guide, and ends up finding her own people along the way! Baby Pip grows up and is sponsored by the "evil white guys" to get a good education and ends up an important guide and Native advocate in the West. Lots of adventure and some seriously happy endings. Crazy wacky characters built right in, plus it's a "buddy pic".

No, we'd rather make up some tree-huggy sexual tension fantasy with bad songs. Gah. It sort of works for pre-schoolers: pretty colors, cute animals, mindless songs...but then why the romantic angle? Kids hate the "kissy" stuff. It's like they couldn't make up their mind what they wanted it to be, so the whole thing is kind of half-baked.

It could be worse, I guess.

Overlooked Disney gem

Even if it's historically inaccurate, it's still an enjoyable movie.

That being said, there's few things wrong with this special 10th anniversary edition. For a really good price (about $15) you get a ton of special features which weren't present in older releases. And it's still a great film, with great music and a good, solid storyline. And if it gets kids interested in American history, that's a bonus!

The only reason I'm not giving it five stars is for the absolutely horrible added scene between John Smith and Pocahontas. (I still haven't figured out how to get the original version to play on my DVD player, and so it automatically goes right to the 10th Anniversary Edition). The song, "If I Never Knew You" is absolutely gorgeous (see the original soundtrack for a good version), and Judy Kuhn (the singing voice for Pocahontas) has a wonderful voice. But when she's paired up with Mel Gibson for their version of "If I Never Knew You," it's just awful. I think the concept behind the scene is great, but it doesn't seem to add much to the plot - which is probably why it wasn't included in the original theatrical version. And Mel Gibson can't sing. That's what ruins the scene for me more than anything, especially since you can tell Judy Kuhn is holding back vocally to match Gibson's lackluster vocals. Since she shines on all the other songs in the movie, she would probably have overpowered Gibson on the duet.

So buy this DVD because it's a great movie at a great price, but then do yourself a favor and watch only the original version!

Disney could have done a much better job.

I actually wanted to give this one star, but my sentimental attachment to all things Disney forced me to throw in a bonus point.

I know it's for kids. I know it's for entertainment's sake. But....

There is so much that is of value in the truth. I don't know why the actual story had to be turned into this PC mish-mash. Disney's adult fans will not be amused. If it's for the kid's sake, please just rent it or borrow it from the library. And, while you're at the library, be sure to pick up some of the wonderful books for kids and teens that tell the facts in just as exciting a manner.

If you really want to excite your children about history, take them to Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg, where history really does come to life!