The declining renaissance?

Rating: 5/10 (11 October 2015)

So after a run of successful films and a monster hit with The Lion King, it was up to Disney to keep the goods coming. Sadly Pocahontas didn't turn out as the crowd pleaser the studio hoped it would and it ended their hot streak by being something of a critical disappointment. It's not difficult to see why however. This was a very different take in a number of ways and dealt with actual historical events for the first time, so people were ready to scrutinise the film if need be. Credit must be given to the team behind it for taking such a risk at their peak and though it has its good points it definitely isn't up to the standard of its predecessors.
I think most people are familiar with the story. A group of British settlers, amongst them is John Smith, come to new found land with dreams of finding gold and eliminating savages. Smith meets and bonds with one of the natives named Pocahontas, as they begin to see that both sides can get along and avoid bloodshed. Here is the issue I have with this story, it has been done to death. It's the typical white men invade the land, one realises his mistake and they all see that the inhabitants aren't savages. We've seen it numerous times before to the point where you know exactly what will happen, making it totally uninteresting. They needed to do something truly different or experimental for this story to be engaging, which they sadly don't.
This could be salvaged if the characters are interesting, but they're not. Pocahontas (Irene Bedard) is as bland as they come. They try to make her adventurous and free-spirited, but she has no personality and just comes across as a bit of a moaner. John Smith (a monotone Mel Gibson) is equally as bland. I know he's meant to be a normal guy, it's just that he's a complete bore and does almost nothing of note throughout. If your main characters are like this then it's not a good sign. The natives are simply okay and a lot of Grandmother Willow's (Linda Hunt) dialogue seems very out of place. Thomas (a young Christian Bale) is likable enough and Ben is quite funny thanks to Billy Connolly, but there's a dearth of appealing characters.
The villain is very weak too. Ratcliffe (Disney regular David Ogden Stiers) is another guy who is completely fuelled by greed and just wants gold. He has absolutely no character beyond that, he isn't funny or threatening and he's only there to provide a bit of conflict. Another issue I had was with the animal sidekicks. There were far too many 'cute' moments, where there's a bit of slapstick or they do something silly and it clashes badly with the relatively serious tone. Plus given the themes of nature I think the animals should talk and it would make sense, it's strange that a tree talks but the animals don't. The songs are pretty bland for the most part, not remotely memorable and there are a few too many that get in the way. Though I will say 'Colours of the Wind' is excellent.
You might think I hate this film, but I don't and there are some very good areas. For one the animation is simply incredible. It is easily some of Disney's best ever. I'm not sure what it is about the colours but they are so vibrant that they almost leap off the screen and the backgrounds are just beautiful to look at. Simple things such as the rivers and the trees are animated gorgeously, while there's lots of sky blues and pinks that create a lovely colour palette. It's clear that a lot of work was put into the visuals and it certainly pays off. The characters are drawn more to look like real people which is also nice. Alan Menken's score is very effective and sets a good mood when it appears. There's also a strong atmosphere at certain points, especially in the quieter scenes, that I wish ran through the whole film.
Even though I don't think Pocahontas is a particularly good film, I can see why others do and it does have things to admire. I respect Disney for trying something very different to their usual work and I think the animation is a massive strong point. However it suffers in its two key areas, with a story that was already stale when it came out and with characters that it is almost impossible to get invested in. Not to that mention some of the decisions to take with the story are questionable and it is all over the place in regards to its take on history. It is very much a mixed bag, especially given Disney's successes at the time, but it's certainly an interesting addition.