Director: Mike Gabriel, Eric Goldberg
Writer: Carl Binder, Susannah Grant, Philip LaZebnik (Screenplay)
Starring: (Voice Talents) Joe Baker, Christian Bale, Irene Bedard, Billy Connolly, James Apaumut Fall, Mel Gibson, Linda Hunt
Plot: An English soldier and the daughter of an Algonquin chief share a romance when English colonists invade seventeenth century Virginia.
Tagline – An American legend comes to life
Runtime: 1 Hour 21 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Pocahontas starts as we meet the English colonists led by Governor Radcliffe who are looking for new land for their hunt for gold, with the fearless warrior John Smith along with them, the English arrive in Virginia where they clash with an Algonquin tribe.
As John explores himself, he meets the daughter of the chief Pocahontas, a dreamer who is always searching for more from the world, one with nature and someone John has never met before. The union between John and Pocahontas could stop the bloodshed the two sides want to bring onto each other.
Thoughts on Pocahontas
Thoughts – Pocahontas is one of the many Disney animations that is built around a legendary story, one that doesn’t always connect with the reality of history, it does show the arrogance of the people that invaded lands compared to the people there who just wanted a normal life that is getting shattered. When it comes to the animated Disney, this does feel like one of the weaker ones, which was just the start of the many weaker films we got to see in the later 90’s in the post early 90s boom back to success. The songs never feel as catchy as they should be for a Disney film and while the messaging is clear about accepting people, it just never seems to hit the heights of many other films that have tried and succeeded with the same ideas. Most of the highlights in the film come from sidekick animal characters that will get all the laughs to keep you smiling.
Final Thoughts – Pocahontas is the standard Disney animation.