"Pocahontas" - A Genuine Disney Failure or a Victim of It's Circumstances?

Hi folks! Welcome to My Personal Own Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analyses. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries is meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies. 

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So what's the deal with Pocahontas?

Having already reached it's Silver Anniversary, Pocahontas was a highly ambitious project made during the high peek in the Disney Renaissance. With music by Disney A-lister Alan Menken and their Top Animator Glen Keane being the lead animator of their not exactly ugly lead. The studio had high hopes for it and while it was put into production at the same time as The Lion King, it ended up being it's follow-up (and was originally slated for a fall 1994 release).
An interracial romance. A Romeo and Juliet-esque depiction set in the discovery of the early America. Two lovers preventing their clans from having a war. Director Mike Gabriel was came up with the idea and the crew automatically agreed to work on it. Eric Goldberg who supervised the Genie made his directorial debut. The Disney team were deliberately looking for a Romeo and Juliet-esque premise to work with (and were actually considering to adapt the actual Shakespare play).

Bad Reputation

But since it's release, Pocahontas have been stuck with a reputation of being a failure in many aspects! And being the one who's began the downfall of the Disney Renaissance! Although the latter statement is a passionate debate between Disney fans who consider The Hunchback of Notre Dame or Hercules being the ones who teared down the Disney peak, Pocahontas certainly belongs in that category. It's not that Pocahontas is universally hated, it definitively has it's lovers. But it is a hated film indeed and received several mediocre reviews back at it's release. 
Released the same year as Pixar's Toy Story (which was marketed mostly without the Pixar logo with the exception of the trailers, probably because Disney's name was bigger), 1995 was a turning point for animation. And the beginning of the end of hand-drawn animation and the arrival of Pixar's good reputation. Which of course meant the welcoming of CGI-animation (despite that Toy Story was less expensive to make than Pocahontas).

"Let it go, let it go, can't let hand-drawn animation be relevant anymore" :)

But is it really right to call Pocahontas a failure? In every aspect?

 

 

 Box Office Results

 

At least commercially, Pocahontas wasn't a failure at all! It didn't outgross it's predecessors, but it made a solid $141,579,773 Domestically and $346,079,773 Worldwide. It's opened as number one theatrically and had a huge premiere outdoors at Central Park in New York, which was a record event at the time (coincidentally enough, it started raining during the storm sequence). Alan Menken continued his winning streak by gaining Oscars for best song and score.

And the soundtrack debuted on nr. 1. The followers Hunchback, Hercules and Mulan grossed less (although Mulan grossed more than the two former domestically), while Tarzan would be the one who would outgross Pocahontas. And let's not forget Disney's ongoing and big merchandising campaign to lure the kids (though it payed off for Disney, as the merchandise sold well).

 

The Real Problem With Pocahontas

It's really on the artistic level you can say Pocahontas fails as a whole. The film is, as many has stated, a result of the crew trying too hard to cater and appeal to a certain audience. Although I've always loved the film, it's easy to see why it has failed to connect with many people. Despite being quite rooted with the same components as it's Renaissance predecessors, it comes across as a departure from them, as being more mellow, calmer and more melancholic. 

I'm a hamster... in my mind :)

It's been claimed for being too deep and slow for kids and too simplistic for adults. But despite the latter statement, it's mostly a film with a more adult appeal and tone than it's predecessors. Even more so than Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. It's a film with depth, layers, maturity and underlying themes and it's also been certainly labeled as a "chick flick", considering that it was most likely to appeal to girls than boys (but also because of it's minimal action and PC policy).

Shaped For an Oscar & The Various Criticisms

There`s no secret that this film was shaped and intended to be a Oscar contender, since Katzenberg was eager to make a film that would actually win the award. But perhaps Pocahontas was too shaped for it and therefore, as well as dealing with historical events and other subjects, the film became too po-faced and grave as a whole. But despite that notion, it certainly became a victim for a lot of criticism. 

Spell this, Blondie; R.A.C.I.S.M.

Bullseye! I made it without looking :)

 

First Criticism: Historical Inaccuracy

One of the most common criticisms about this movie is about it's historical inaccuracy. Well, that's a legit criticism, alongside as being un-legit as well. While Matoaka or Amounte (Pocahontas' original names) truly was a real person who actually existed, the Disney crew were depicting the legend of Pocahontas' encounter with Smith, not the truth.

According to Mouse Under Glass, even when the Disney team were researching the truth, they discovered that the historical events weren't suitable for a Disney animated feature.
The historical John Smith was a ruthless killer and unrepentant scalawag. The event of Pocahontas meeting Smith is still surrounded with such myths and disagreements between historians that the filmmakers felt they had license to take elements from the folklore (though rumors says that Disney wanted to make Pocahontas twelve and Smith fifteen initially). 
Quite funny that two crucial members of this movie (head of story Tom Sito and John Pomeroy, supervising animator of Smith,) are both history nuts and made sure that several of the details being accurate. Though not all of them were.
As the Virginian woods, a place that according to many doesn't have high Lion King-esque cliffs imported straight from the African Savannah (haha!). Or the huge waterfalls that would make parents to hide their Pocahontas DVD's or VHS' for preventing their kids to jump from the waterfalls as Poca does (haha!). So the historical inaccuracy gave Disney a lot of flack (although Don Bluth and his team would mess up more blatantly with history with their Disney knock off Anastasia two years later).

Whoa, I'm in the wrong movie! This isn't even from my studio! But at least I'm a Disney knock-off, so I'm relevant ;)

Second Criticism: Depiction of Native Americans

Another criticism is the depiction of the Native Americans. After the harsh reaction from the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination-League units for the portrayal Arabs in Aladdin, Disney knew they were in hot water when they were depicting American Indians and especially after their last depiction of them, the caricatured Red Man in Peter Pan.
The crew hired Indians consultants (as artist/poet Jim "Great Elk" Waters), historians, had Native Americans in the Native parts (if you'll exclude Judy Kuhn, though) and included many Algonquian words and culture in the script.
However, there's still no doubt that the Indians in Pocahontas are treated with respect and being portrayed as a noble, peaceful people or three hugging hippies, as a former IMDb user once mentioned. Russell Means (Chief Powhatan) mentioned himself in The Making of Pocahontas-documentary that the depiction was one of Hollywood's finest ever. 
However, the depiction did get criticism from Natives, nonetheless. A couple of former IMDb users labeled the film as racist towards the English, since the Indians were being more pure, sanitized and more realistic than the more caricatured and broader Whites. However, the film continued the Hollywood-trend of depicting the Natives with respect, certainly to mirror Kevin Costners Dances with Wolves.

Is this portrayal of the Noble Native a bad thing? While some might think so, I personally think it's a honorable depiction. Though it has become a stereotype in Hollywood.
While the English are definitively the antagonists, it really doesn't depict them as they were completely evil and one-sided, after all. In fact Savages (a song that heavily resembles The Mob Song from Beauty and the Beast) manages to portray the hatred equally from both sides, with surprisingly hard-hitting and explicit lyrics (that was demanded to be changed).

Criticism About Pocahontas` Design (Not a Major Point in This Disucssion)

 

By the way, there were some criticism about Pocahontas' design resembling
a Barbie/Baywatch Babe with a tan, rather than an actual Native Ameircan woman. Some have even labeled her as rather Asian-looking than Native looking. Well, let's not forget the fact that Glen Keane hired Native Americans women to be the live physical model/live action references for the character, alongside with Irene Bedard, who is Native herself.

Native Americans descends from Asia and can have as much Asian features as they can have the stereotypical Native American. And Pocahontas' design is certainly a departure from Tiger Lily's in Peter Pan. During Walt's time, a full-length version of Hiawatha was considered to be made. But it was scrapped for the same problems that hampered Pocahontas.

Eeenie meenie... Or in second hand, just pick me! 
I have bigger boobs! ;)

 

Third Criticism: Preachment

The third criticism about this film is that it's too preachy. While there are varied opinions about that statement, I can definitively see why people thinks that. Especially in the portrayal about preserving the nature/environment and about tolerance and acceptance.

Even the film's main highlight, Colors of the Wind, while being a wonderful song with a good message (and being the first introduction to the film for many), could be easily seen as preachy.  

D

Yes, you should hold my hands,
we could be taken away :)

epicting the Natives lifestyle in a superior way (and Colors of the Wind was the first song written which defined the movie before the story was settled). But hey, it's not a bad message at all by any means! It was based upon research and the Algonquian culture is quite ecological and steeped in nature, so it's a accurate portrayal. This is after all Disney we're talking about, so they've always been preachy in a archetypal sense. Which leads us to the fourth criticism.

Fourth Criticism: Serious tone

 

We'll fill him with water from now on :)

And that's about the film being too serious. Well, I can see that, too. Most of the humor really comes
in form of the gags of the naturalistic animal sidekicks. Originally they were supposed to talk and John Candy was going to voice Pocahontas' original companion, Redfeather. Even Percy was going to have a voice (by Stephen Fry).
But they were dropped along the way (Nakoma and Wiggins were created when the animals lost their voice, since both Pocahontas and Ratcliffe needed confidants). It's not that there aren't any wisecracks in this film at all, but not as much as you've could expect (frankly, the wisecracks in this film doesn't get enough credit).
It's clearly that the filmmakers really wanted to make a serious and dramatic film and thought the film would be more compelling and stronger with less humor. And why blame them? A naturalistic approach to the animals is a good fit for a "realistic" story. There were more comedy initially, but at the expense of the drama.

I'll aiming for an A in exaggerating in drama class :)

But to tell a noteworthy experience; I remember seeing The Lion King trice and Pocahontas twice theatrically as a kid. The audience barely chuckled of the funny parts in The Lion King, but they were obviously
delighted by Meeko's mischievous gags. And Meeko's interactions with Percy is a clever parallel to the conflict between the Natives and the English, as they were intended to be. It's remarkable that the protagonists have realistic human sidekicks, which makes it a quite human centric movie. 

The Naturalistic Animal Sidekicks

I've done this all day long :)

Btw, several people has labeled Pocahontas as the first Disney film where the animals didn't spoke. Well, those people clearly need to research Disney history, haha! There has been several films where the animals are "mute" and naturalistic, heck even in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs! While the compromise of having naturalistic, "mute" animals and talking three in Grandmother Willow (Linda Hunt) may seem odd, it certainly adds to the spiritual aspect of the film. 

And Grandmother Willow is certainly one of the best characters in the film and a motherly figure to our heroine (originally Eisner wanted to give Pocahontas a mother, but considering how the historical Chief Powhatan was polygamous, it was scrapped. And Pocahontas' mother is referred to several times in this movie).

Don't worry, I've dressed in drag myself before ;)

 

Criticism About the Villain

Another criticism is how Ratcliffe (David Odgen Stiers) is not being a strong enough villain. While I personally don't find him to be the weakest of the bunch, he's certainly a inferior villain to many of his predecessors. He comes across as rather a buffoon than a real, menacing villain. Personally, though, I find him somewhat entertaining on his own merits. 
But a remarkable issue is that he's not specifically after our heroine and doesn't even have a confrontation scene with her (without taking consideration to the much loathed sequel, of course). He certainly began a trend with inferior villains who didn't outshine their heroes, as Shan-Yu (Mulan), Clayton (Tarzan) or Rourke (Atlantis The Lost Empire). 

We had a party last night and lost our senses. This is an evident of this :)

 Criticism About Dull Characters

 

While Pocahontas often gets criticism for having flat characters, I do honestly find some of them likable, especially those from the settlers.
As the cheerleading-esque Wiggins, the naive, but kind Thomas (voiced by Christian Bale, folks) and the jovial and loud Lon (Joe Baker) and cranky Ben (the latter voiced by legend Billy
Connoly, who would almost two decades later do another Disney collaboration, with Pixar's Scotland-themed Brave, a film that also is worth to discuss). Though perhaps none of these characters actually steal or carry the film, they're not as bad as people make them out to be.
Btw, another complain is how the film doesn't contain enough action sequences. Well, that's understandable. But due to the fragility of this project, I guess that's why the crew excluded the action sequences. Though there was a deleted scene of John Smith escaping the Natives.

All the Good Things About Pocahontas

Despite all of these criticisms, I personally think there's much to like and appreciate about Pocahontas. The music is absolutely wonderful and simply beeing Alan Menken's best (not to slam the music of his previous work, since they're great, but I personally think Pocahontas beats them).
The backgrounds, by Mike Giamo and Rasoul Azadani, are incredible and the colors are simply luminous and wonderful (the geometrical shapes being influenced by Sleeping Beauty).
The film is gorgeous-looking! The character animation is top notch and especially with the subtle expressions on the faces of the humans, bringing animated acting to a new level! The character designs are excellent and Pocahontas herself is one of Disney's strongest (and underrated) heroines. 

Don't worry, I'll give ya the rest of my armor later ;)

She's adventurous, fun-loving and as headstrong as Ariel and Belle, but is also spiritual, mature, brave and wise. Although she's being labeled as dull and boring by some people, she's certainly the best role model of the Disney heroines.
John Smith is the best and most realistic looking Disney male (and certainly resembles his voice actor, Mel Gibson, a lot). And Meeko is certainly a fun and likeable sidekick. Director Mike Gabriel brings the same swooping camera which he brought to The Rescuers Down Under. And remarkable how Pocahontas never got the publicity about the groundbreaking CGI scene of the 90's, which was only made for some props and Grandmother Willow.

 

The Weakness of the Script

It's pixie dust out without Tinker Bell! Kudos, huh?

Perhaps the "trying too hard"-mode really hampered the film as a whole, as well as the constant comparison to it's Renaissance predecessors. As well as lacking the big show-stopping number which was prominent in the 90 era, Pocahontas definitively stood out.
But there's no denial that the script is the weakest part of the movie (no offense to the screenwriters). I personally don't mind the "peace and love"-moral and no-fighting policy. But there are definitively parts that could be perceived as cringe-worthy. As the "listening with your heart"-premise (with the wind). As poetic and lovely as it is, it certainly unrealistically executed, considering that Pocahontas is supposed to be a portrayal of a historical event (the wind being a character was also considered for Bambi as well).
And for being a Romeo and Juliet-esque premise, the romance between the two leads could've been more developed. It's not that they don't share chemistry or lack some genuine romantic moments together, but their romance could've been more expanded, after all.

If I Never Knew You
 

Which leads us to If I Never Knew You. Despite that I've never been particularly gaga of the song (I don't personally hate it, I just don't think it's the best song in the movie), it gives the romance the much depth and substance that it's needed.
Though I fully understand why they deleted it. I've probably would have been bored by the song as a kid (since it's a lyric-specific sequence which only takes place in a hut, without the leads having to actually do anything). 
Initially I thought it was ironic that a Romeo and Juliet-esque love story never had a love duet for the leads. Either way, If I Never Knew You is one of the most mature and sophisticated love duets by a Disney couple ever made. And it's a rare occasion to hear Gibson sing (Gibson is indeed the biggest star on this movie and while he seemed as a odd choice, he was a conscious one, for his joviality and cocky charm)

The Ending

Pocahontas breaks with Disney convention by having the lovers not ending up together (which
surprisingly didn't cause much buzz). I know many Disney fans consider The Fox and the Hound to be the first Disney film with a unhappy ending, but personally I found the ending rather to be more bittersweet than downright depressing (Tod and Copper may not continue their friendship, but at least they part away having restored their conflict). Pocahontas and John Smith parts away without knowing if they'll ever meet again.
According to various sources, the story team deliberately wanted to fulfill Romeo and Juliet-routine with an unhappy ending. They thought the plot seemed too realistic to have a happy ending (and producer James Pentecost cites in the Audio commentary for the Laserdisc release of this movie that he would've never have a different ending).
You've got to admit that it's a pretty bold and admirable move to fulfill it! While some blames the unhappy ending for hampering the wide appeal of the movie, there are those who loves the ending. It's sad and effective indeed. And the Farewell music is definitively one of the saddest pieces of music that I've ever heard!

 

 

However, the ending still falls into the contrived script-notion. While I certainly don't mind having a unhappy ending, it could've been better executed, at least screenplay-wise. After preventing the fight, Ratcliffe demonstrates his villainy by continuing the war and Smith taking the bullet by saving Chief Powhatan. But that happens way too quickly! Which makes the accident somewhat contrived!
Although the historical Smith was sent back to England, we could easily assume that Disney-Smith could've probably died on his voyage back home. The ending also feels contrived because Pocahontas is given the choice herself to actually go with Smith.
Kudos to Pocahontas for actually doing the heroic, noble thing to do and to stay with her people, which certainly makes her one of the most feminist Disney heroines ever. But again, it makes the "tragedy" contrived, as it's not as hopeless as it could've been.

The Cheapquel/John Rolfe

You're absolutely right, folks, I'm trouble ;)

How do I get myself down from here? :)

However, we know that thelovebirds never became a couple, anyway! The much-loathed direct-to-video sequel actually stopped the romance by introducing John Rolfe. Which really is the single reason for why fans despises this sequel! Though it's just as historically inaccurate, it pays at least homage to Matoaka's real life, since she actually went to England and married Rolfe.

The reason for Rolfe's exclusion was due to that he introduced tobacco to the New World (though his descendants pleaded that he would be in it). Though it would be tempting to nitpick for Rolfe was introduced in sequel, after all, but we'll have to remember that the crew were depicting the legend of Pocahontas chronologically.

The sequel showed us a snowy Jamestown. And Pocahontas having a more clothed version of her buckskin-dress. But that's wasn't the only time we saw that! For us who grew up in the 90's (and bought several Disney merchandise), remembers the read along Pocahontas: The Spirit of Giving. Which also took place in a winter month and had Pokey bringing food to the settlers. It portrays her friendship with a friendly Brit named Samuel Quincy and his family. He narrates the story by actually writing a letter to John Smith! 

 

 

The Comparison Between Pocahontas and it`s Renaissance Predecessors

 

After the animalistic The Lion King, Pocahontas was a return to the formula created by The Little Mermaid. Funny how Mermaid and Pocahontas share some quite obvious similar components; Both having ocean settings with ships! Both having sea shanties that opens the movies (with seagulls) and storm sequences where the male leads are being heroic. A clash between different races/species (though it's more prominent in Pocahontas' case). Both heroines having strong, oppressive fathers who forbids to seek the race of her love interest (though it's more literal and obvious in Mermaid). 
The truth is all the Renaissance had romance in them. Pocahontas is as much a romance as Beauty and the Beast, hence it's supposed to be a Romeo and Juliet-depiction after all (though I consider Mermaid as equally romance-themed). It's not strange that Katzenberg wanted to make a grave, adult romance to actually win the award, hence the sophisticated romance in Beauty led to the nomination (perhaps the notion that a beauty could tame and transform an ill-tempered Beast was the cue for it). But in reality, all the early Renaissance films were about different classes and species falling in love (with the exception of Mulan).
Pocahontas seems to be a mixture of the romance in Mermaid and Beauty. The lovebirds falls in love despite their race, which gives it sophistication. But unlike Ariel, who aggressively fights to be with Eric, Pocahontas sacrifices her love (who wonders what would happen if Mermaid fulfilled the un-happy ending premise).

You know I'll squeeze your hand when I'll touch it, 
so why even bother? :)

Pocahontas also was another film where the heroine was given a potential suitor and a father who chooses her husband. But unlike Gaston and Prince Ahmed, Kocoum is never really a bad character. Though not particularly developed or elaborated, he's not villainous either. Though Matoaka was married to Kocoum in real life, he became a substitute for her brother Pochins. Which was originally a part of the movie and was her real-life brother. And Pochins was originally going to suffer Kocoum's fate. However, the filmmakers decided to scrap the brother relationship entirely, in order to make it less disturbing to the audience.

Final Conclusion

Was Pocahontas really hampered by being the follow-up to The Lion King? I certainly think so, but even then, I still think the final result would've been criticized, anyways. Along with Hunchback and to a lesser extent Hercules, Pocahontas certainly gave the Disney Renaissance a bad name uptil Mulan, who would be the film that would gain better reputation and criticism. But despite it's the criticism and bad reputation, I think Pocahontas is definitively worthy to be appreciated for it's strengths and for what it is. But who wonders if Disney would dare to make a story with a tragic ending again?

 

 

 

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References:
Pocahontas Deluxe Laserdisc Edition.
The Art of Pocahontas (Stephen Rebello)
Mouse Under Glass (David Koenig).
Pocahontas 10th Year Anniversary Edition DVD.
Disney Magazine (Spring 1995).
Disney Adventures (July 1995).
Animation Magazine July 1995. 
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http://www.history.com/topics/john-rolfe 
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https://web.archive.org/web/20121025122132/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,312562_3,00.htm