Beautiful... In Every Sense of the Word

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2015)

During the famed "Disney Renaissance", a period that started in 1989 with the release of The Little Mermaid and continued through the entire 1990s, Disney was creating modern classics with every film they released. In the midst of this revolution came Pocahontas, a rousing animated musical, directed by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg. Pocahontas is something of an outlier in the Disney cannon. It is not a cutesy, kid-centric fairy tale a la Disney classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Beauty and the Beast. What Disney's 33rd animated feature is, is a sensational movie musical, and one of Disney's most technically accomplished works.
Pocahontas, in typical Disney style, takes a well-known tale and molds it into an easy-to-digest story set to music. In this case, for the first time at Disney, the story is not entirely fictional. Here's where some people come down on Pocahontas. No, it didn't stay completely true to what really happened with John Smith and the real story of Pocahontas, but it would be a much lesser movie if it had. Pocahontas, the movie, is based on the legend of Pocahontas rather than the reality. The decision to romanticize the legend is a no-brainer. This is Disney after all. We expect strong archetypes and accessible drama.
The story begins with English settlers setting off for Virginia. Their leader, Governor Ratcliffe (David Ogden Stiers) comes in search of gold, John Smith (Mel Gibson) comes for the adventure of a lifetime. Back on the New World is Pocahontas, a young Algonquin princess voiced by Irene Bedard, who is set to be married to the tribe's dashing bachelor, Kocoum. It's all very predictable Disney stuff. The settlers are mostly just boisterous, gold-lusting, brutes, The princess is weary of getting together with the jock character, and there's only one man who understands her. We've heard it before. Even so, the story is handled with care and the familiar elements are welcome for the most part. The unfamiliar elements, chief of which is a surprisingly mature and complex love story between John Smith and Pocahontas, are where Pocahontas' plot stands out from its Disney siblings. There is more to this film than surface layer romance. Complimenting the dramatic story of betrayal and acceptance is a poignant message about coexisting peacefully with each other and the world around us.
The story is as moving as any other Disney classic, but what makes Pocahontas a notable Disney Renaissance landmark is its animation and music. Hand drawn animation had been around for a half century before Pocahontas, and stage musicals a hundred years before that. It's a wonder then, that somehow Pocahontas still manages to be a jaw-dropping example of both. I don't think the film gets the credit it deserves as one of Disney's best drawn films. The animators, led by the legendary Glen Keane, do things with animation that were game-changing, even by the high standard set by the world's leading animation studio. The character designs are expertly idealized, accentuating facial features and movement without ever crossing the line into cartoon. The backgrounds are even better. The untouched beauty of the American landscape is given scale, depth, and an expressionistic dynamism. It all comes together in the musical numbers.
Music is always a matter of taste, but for me, every song down the line in Pocahontas worked in a big way. I honestly cannot think of another musical that can make that claim. Every musical, animated or otherwise, has at least one dud. It's a rule. Pocahontas breaks tradition. The rhythmic "Just Around the Riverbend", the wonderfully wicked "Mine, Mine, Mine", and the grand, Oscar-winning spectacle that is "Colors of the Wind" are all rousing, bombastic, and sweeping pieces of music. The songs are up to the quality of the very best Broadway musicals, and the animation only improves the numbers. The explosively vivid colors and spacious movement that go along with the songs are artistry of the highest kind.
There is a surplus of talent and passion in every fiber of Pocahontas. When all the pieces come together, the story, the animation, and the music, Pocahontas is remarkable. It's a film of craftsmanship and quality. While kids will no doubt enjoy it, it's not made "for" kids. Like the best Disney movies, Pocahontas appeals to anyone who loves music and appreciates the warm touch of hand drawn animation. Add to the sights and sounds, some of which were enough to literally take my breath away from me, a timeless message of acceptance and stewardship of nature, and what you get is a classic, Disney or otherwise. Show this movie to your kids, watch it yourself, just see it. Pocahontas is in a word... Beautiful.
92/100