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What A Cartoon Movie! - Pocahontas
🕑 Added 2024-07-29 06:00:11 +0000 UTCWith five years of box office success and a Best Picture nomination behind them, Disney was ready to take some big risks with their latest animated feature. A mix of actual history and myth, Pocahontas emerged in 1995 as a new kind of animated feature; one that rarely went for humor, took on racial prejudice, and dared to not have a happy ending. Nearly 30 years later, it's easy to pick out the flaws, but you can't deny the artistry and good intentions behind a film that didn't always meet its lofty goals. This month on What A Cartoon Movie, paddle just around the riverbend with us as we explore the uncharted waters of Disney's Pocahontas.
Comments
Adam Azzalino
Yeah, I do feel like the deal with Bob Mackey is if it was popular or millennials liked it he made a point to never see it or hates it and it refreshing to see him re-evaluate something and enjoy it.
Adam Elmahdi
Was pleasantly surprised by Bob's stance on this film - I too find the protective walls of irony starting to crumble as I approach 40. I wasn't a fan of this as a kid, but now I'm tempted to revisit it. (Also, I hope the Summer of Disney continues next year- I really want to hear the What A Cartoon take on Atlantis, which whilst far from perfect, may be the most underrated Disney film since the 90's Renaissance)
Dylan (batmanboy11) Freitag
Bob did a great job with relaying (what we know of) the real world inspirations behind this story and the changes made to it for Disney's version, which is always a highlight of these Disney Renaissance podcasts. Regarding the movie itself though, more than anything I was just BORED rewatching it, and its well-intended but still ultimately misguided attempts to explore the Native American characters rub me the wrong way with all I know of portrayals of Indigenous peoples in media (thanks to some great professors, I learned a LOT about this topic during university). It's certainly better in its depiction than many of its contemporaries, but with how blasé I am on the rest of the movie, it's still not something I'm going to be revisiting again any time soon.
N Rose
Hadn't seen this film since the 90s (recalled basically nothing about it), and found myself pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this rewatch. I agree with a lot of the criticisms out there, but the drama of this take on the story still hooked me, and the film as a whole felt refreshingly daring as far as these Disney things go. The more serious tone, and the bittersweet ending in particular, really stood out. Kudos to them for not throwing in a dumb joke at the very last second, like many of the other films of that era.
