In the 17th century, in the wide plains of America, the Powhatan tribe
lives peacefully. This existence is shattered with the arrival of
European settlers, but one woman is fated to make a difference, and act
as a bridge between the two cultures-Pocahontas, Indian princess...
There
have been a few animated re-tellings of the legendary Pocahontas's
story over the years, namely the Disney classic. There was a spike of
off-brand = during the =, taking advantage of the public domain status
of these characters to make their own versions as a cash-in. Some of
these companies were pretty overt and ballsy with this, while others
felt more sincere. Such is the case with today's film, which doesn't
feel at all like a knock-off of Disney's Pocahontas, but is its own
unique story that really quite surprised me!
While
more famous versions of this story take some liberties, =, 199=
Pocahontas is actually remarkably true to her real life story! Some
liberties are taken, and this is probably more fantastical than real
life, but otherwise I was impressed! Regarding tone, this isn't a really
depressing film, but it never shies away from certain darker topics.
Always in a context suitable for children, of course, but it doesn't
sugarcoat or warp history by trying to say the pale faces were peaceful
travellers who tried to tame the 'mindless savages'.
The
story here isn't a simple romance, nor is it all set during the one
time. It spreads across the entirety of Pocahontas's life, from her
childhood years being raised by her tribe, to meeting settlers, averting
catastrophe, then John Smith's injuries force him to return home to
England, and Pocahontas must undertake a vast journey. We see her travel
across the lands, from tribe to tribe, spreading a message of peace and
harmony. I figured this would be it, but nope, the film goes even
further! We see Pocahontas getting married, giving birth, travelling to
England, before we witness the end of her life...And then the movie is
*still going*, as it focuses on her son now. Jeez!
If
all of this sounds like = overload, it thankfully isn't. The plot is
detailed enough without ever being overcomplicated, and while the lack
of one = = could hurt the overall story, the lead character is enough to
anchor it, for the most part. The film gets across a truly [epic] feel
during its relatively brief runtime, and while it did throw me through a
loop with how quickly the movie = certain things, I never had a huge
problem with its decisions.
In
terms of history, this surprised me because of the sheer number of
details that were accurate, which never are in other adaptions! Not to
slight/sleight them, as such an approach can be fine, but I really
appreciated the = touch here. Certain things are different, but the
details themselves are all spot-on, with the only major difference being
everything here is markedly happier (barring her tragic young death, of
course). This feels like the ideal way her life would have played out.
The
characters here are pretty good. Pocahontas is the best, and most
well-rounded. She's likeable, sweet, and proactive too. She takes her
destiny in her own hands, and doesn't rely solely on others, nor does
she devote all her time to fawning over romances. She gets shit done!
She shares good chemistry with pretty much everyone, and the = are fine.
The only issue with the remainder of the cast is that they don't really
appear enough. Some are built up as if they're gonna be important, like
the childhood rival or John Smith, then just depart. Pocahontas's
inter-tribal band doesn't get a whole lot to do either, but they make a
decent impression. Her son is good. He was just a smidge annoying at
first thanks to his = voice, but that lessens as the story goes on and
he gets to endear himself to the audience, and improve in general. He
manages to carry the story well enough in the absence of its true lead,
even though you do wish she were still here.
A
Japanese production (Or Italian? Or both), I saw the English dub for this, and it's...not
terrible. Some of the voices don't match up with the characters, and the
performances get get pretty cheesy at times, but otherwise there's
nothing bad here. As for the animation, much of the same can be said.
It's obviously cheap, and = in places, but I'd never say it's bad, and
it's really quite good in places, and always gets the job done.
A
highlight of this film is definitely the score! While this may have
been a low=budget production, they did not skimp on the music, which has
a =, =, and sometimes melancholic feel. Some of the tracks are used a
little bit too much too often, but I never got sick of them, and they
lend so much to the [experience].
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