Pocahontas (1995)

Directed by Mike Gabriel & Eric Goldberg. Starring (voices) Irene Bedard, Mel Gibson, David Ogden Stiers, Russell Means, Christian Bale, Linda Hunt, Michelle St. John, Billy Connolly, James Apaumut. [G]

Disney tackles a historical tale by ignoring the problematic/uncomfortable details and pushing a pro-nature message while preaching for love and peace; good for them, but does empowerment have to be so clichéd and truth so sanitized? The love story between English colonialist John Smith and Native “princess” Pocahontas is less shallow than the average Disney romance, but the effect it has on their respective peoples was already a bit hoary when West Side Story premiered, and a blowhard governor leading conflicted settlers against “noble savages” doesn’t make for great drama. The animation in the forests and rivers, full of greenery and mists and “colors of the wind”, is beautiful, but animal antics upstage all the philosophical dilemmas, action, and swooning (fortunately, those animals—a raccoon, a hummingbird, and a pug—are all cute/funny enough for approval from Disney’s marketing team). A few sly bits slip in, like a satirical jab at pro-gun advocates (“A man’s not a man unless he knows how to shoot”), but this was an example of Disney addressing an idea that needed more balance, maturity, and revisionist truth than could be easily adapted for children’s entertainment. Songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz include “Steady As the Beating Drum”, the Oscar-winning “Colors of the Wind”, and highlight “Just Around the Riverbend”. The movie also won an Academy Award for its score. Followed a few years later by a straight-to-video sequel.

66/100