Toy Story (10th Anniversary Edition) • A Goofy Movie (Gold Collection) • James and the Giant Peach (Special Edition)

Pocahontas (Disney Gold Classic Collection) [DVD] Pocahontas (Disney Gold Classic Collection) [DVD]

While the film hits the right dramatic notes (at least most of the time), the comedic elements do not fare as well. These laugh-seeking segments, which are primarily carried out between Percy and Meeko to parallel the disagreement among the humans, are entertaining, but they feel out-of-place and forced. Then, on the other hand, there are moments when the film is being sincere where one can't help but laugh. There's also little depth to the villain; Governor Ratcliffe is a greedy, overweight baddie who hardly breaks the mold of caricature antagonist.

The third component of Disc 2 is Design, offering 13 sections mostly on the different characters of the film. Most of the characters are accompanied by a short featurette ported over from laserdisc and centering on comments from the supervising animator. The best of these pieces is "Creating Pocahontas" (4:20), in which the heroine's lead animator Glen Keane amuses an audience by comparing Disney's Pocahontas to a historical rendering of the real woman. He proceeds to sketch both Ariel and Pocahontas to illustrate the great differences in their design. The first feature on Disc 2 is one of many the disc ports over from Pocahontas' deluxe laserdisc release from last decade.

Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition DVD Review - DVDizzy Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition DVD Review - DVDizzy

As far as set-top games go, "Follow Your Heart", the one included here, is incredibly simple. The narrator (Grandmother Willow) asks a question and you select from the bank of nine pictures the appropriate character or object. The premise is simple, but the character profiles that follow each correct answer are kind of neat, though one wishes they didn't make use of grainy video that looks like the old DVD. Also contributing to the film as a whole is the affecting imagery. It's not considered a milestone in animation, but the winning visuals of the scenic pre-civilization America are pretty impressive. The artwork feels right for the period epic tone the film strives for, and this is all the more true with this substantially improved DVD transfer. Perhaps with the exception of when the film employs pop music video style editing in its climactic scenes, Pocahontas makes wise choices in pacing and style. A mostly pastel palette, contrasted with bolder and deeper colors at moments of heightened drama, Pocahontas boasts a pretty unique look that works well. The final part of the section is a Production Progression, also introduced by director Eric Goldberg. You can view a 37-second scene from the film (Pocahontas's big dive) in any of four stages of production (Storyreel, Rough Animation, Clean Animation, and Final Color). With the 'Angle' button, you can toggle between the different stages. This concept is not going to be unique to anyone who has a Disney animation DVD collection, but it would probably have been more effective with a longer clip. Comparing the two Pocahontas DVDs: With this new 10th Anniversary Edition, you not only get a transfer with higher resolution (since it's enhanced for 16x9 televisions), but also far more accurate colors and a tiny bit more picture.The first bonus feature worth mentioning on the first disc is the one that will probably be viewed as much as any other. That is because it is the extended "10th Anniversary" cut of the film, which plays by default. The 10th Anniversary version restores the musical sequence "If I Never Knew You", a touching duet sung by John Smith and Pocahontas the night before Smith is to be executed. It also adds a reprise of the song near the end of the film, where Pocahontas and Smith exchange two lines. When Pocahontas was released to theaters in June of 1995, "If I Never Knew You" was present only as a pop version end credits tune performed by Jon Secada and Shanice. The melody of the song, however, turns up throughout the Oscar-winning score by Alan Menken as a recurring instrumental theme for the film. Thankfully, the original theatrical cut of the film is also here as an option, a wise decision enabled by seamless branching. If you'd like to view the theatrical cut, you may choose to do so by selecting the appropriate listing from the "Film & Audio Options" menu.

Songs: "The Virginia Company", "Steady as the Beating Drum", "Just Around the Riverbend", "Listen to Your Heart", "Mine, Mine, Mine", "Colors of the Wind", "Savages", "If I Never Knew You"The last section The Release provides something that for some reason has mostly vanished from Disney DVDs in the past couple of years: trailers for the feature presentation. There are actually not one but two theatrical trailers offered here! Taking a cue from The Lion King (which smashed records using the powerful "Circle of Life" opening as its trailer), Pocahontas' first preview (3:30) showcased the "Colors of Wind" sequence in more or less its entirety. Then, the Virginia Company arrives. Pocahontas's desire for the new and uncertain seems a perfect match for John Smith and his longing to fit in somewhere. After initial confusion and fear, Pocahontas and Smith bond while sharing information about their very different ways of life. From conversations on culture comes the revelation of prejudices, but even stronger a friendship and a still greater connection. Pocahontas and Smith are in love, but they must meet in secret, both certain that the people around them won't understand. After all, the Englishmen and Indians are busy thinking of hostile ways to deal with each other. Maybe the makers of Pocahontas were content to please moviegoers and those who enjoy Disney animation with their highly fictionalized account. Skeptics and historians may be unable to appreciate the film then and label it a misfire, but those who do not approach it as a history lesson can. Though not as universally satisfying as The Lion King or Aladdin (and the chronological comparisons won't cease anytime soon), Pocahontas is an artistic success, if not a faithful historical one. It is, however, quite possible to enjoy the film as a fictionalized period romance/drama and there's plenty of appreciate on this level. Pocahontas is technically sound when considering the different elements of the production. With the exception of the award-winning "Colors of the Wind", the musical numbers of Pocahontas haven't really entered the pantheon of Disney's most memorable tunes, but the songs are almost universally rousing. "Just Around the Riverbend", Pocahontas's pace-changing "I want" solo early on, is a particular highlight and if you haven't seen the film many times or recently, you might pleasantly surprised by how well the songs written by Stephen Schwartz and composed by Alan Menken hold up. Furthermore, Menken's Oscar-winning score is solid and evocative. ( Pocahontas won the same two Oscars as The Lion King: Best Song and Best Score.)

Disney Movies featuring the Voice Cast of Pocahontas: Squanto: A Warrior's Tale • Newsies • Jungle 2 Jungle Pocahontas, the 33rd Disney animated feature by the studio's count, finally has a worthy DVD release in this top-notch 10th Anniversary Edition. Those in possession of the film's Gold Collection DVD have every reason to upgrade, for this two-disc set boasts far superior picture quality, a wealth of supplements, and a not unnecessary new cut of the film as an option. Even if most of the extras come from the nine-year-old deluxe laserdisc, they are substantive and full of insight. Theatrical Trailer #2 (2:50) employs the more common approach of montage and dramatic narration which proudly proclaims the film Disney's 33rd full-length animated motion picture. Both may transport you to that pre-release state of excitement there was ten years ago. The "If I Never Knew You" sequence between Smith and Pocahontas was part of the film in pre-release screenings, but the creative team decided to cut it on the basis that it was, in Schwartz's own words, "straining the attention span of younger viewers"¹ and slowing down the film near its end. The sequence itself was more or less completely animated, and was provided as a deleted scene on the deluxe laserdisc release. It even found its way to network television when Pocahontas aired on ABC's "The Wonderful World of Disney."Aladdin (Platinum Edition) • The Lion King (Blu-ray + DVD) • Mulan (2 Movie Collection Blu-ray + DVD) • Tarzan (Collector's Edition)