*sigh* a disappointment is upon us...

Rating: Null/10 (4 July 2002)

The guys at Disney were really on a hot streak from 1989-1994. Their films "The Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", and "The Lion King" were all masterpieces that I would recommend to everyone.

But enter 1995, their hot streak ended. When I got my hands on a VHS copy of "Lion King", a preview contained an ad for the 33rd Disney animated movie, "Pocahontas". I skipped it in theatres, as it looked very bland and unappealing. My family and I chose to see "Batman Forever" instead (we must have seen it three times theatrically...^_^).
I waited to see it come out on video. But, still, I didn't rent it, until my local Family Video opened up (free kids movies! ^^). Finally, I checked it out to see it for myself.
It was no good. Aside from the bad press it got due to its 'romancization' of a real life historical event (Pocahontas was ten when she saved John Smith's life, and before that, Pocahontas and Smith had never met. That, and the real John Smith was no hero) it's really a 16th century retelling of "Romeo and Juliet". It's based on fiction, not history. If you wish to write a report on the life of Pocahontas, don't credit this movie.

Compared to the other four animated Disney films mentioned in this review, the artistic style is very minimalist. Here, the characters and backgrounds are just flat, and rather unengaging. The designs are very plain, and very boring.
It lacks a strong, colorful villain, too. Until the end, Governor Ratcliffe is more goofy than evil. As Roger Ebert claims, 'after Ursula, Gaston, Jafar and Scar, the villains of 'Pocahontas' seem rather nice.'

A lot of the songs felt unnecessary, and none where especially memorable. I know that some of the songs in "The Lion King" weren't either (Tim Rice is decidedly less talented a lyricist than Howard Ashman), but at least they were enjoyable. The only songs in "Pocahontas" I enjoyed were "Colors of the Wind" (by Vanessa Williams) and "If I Never Knew You" (both in the closing credits).
Only the antics of Meeko (Pocahontas' pet raccoon) made the movie more worthwhile. As Cylex states, he's the real star (if he's still a little plain). Flit and Percy are a bit perfunctory, little more than foils for Meeko. Without him, this film would've been junk.
I felt the ending was a bit weak. *spoiler alert* It would have been nice to see Pocahontas travel to England, as she did in real life. But, no such luck. *end spoilers*
My verdict is that I cannot recommend "Pocahontas". In short, the entire movie just felt lazy. It is an extreme disappointment, especially considering this is the follow-up to Disney's immortal "The Lion King". I guess after making four back-to-back masterpieces, a disappointment was bound to happen sometime. u_u