Pocahontas – 2 Movie Collection now on Blu-ray

Now on Home Video for the first time in breathtaking Blu-ray High Definition, it’s Pocahontas and Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World! The rich animation and Academy Award(R)-winning music (1995, Best Original Musical or Comedy Score and Best Original Song, “Colors of the Wind”) burst forth with all the “Colors Of The Wind” in this amazing 2-movie collection!  This 3-disc combo also features a DVD of each film! Fun and excitement are “Just Around The Riverbend” as Pocahontas and her friends Flit and Meeko find adventure at home and abroad in these sweeping stories from the earliest days of American history. This POCAHONTAS 2-Movie Collection delivers action-packed stories of adventure, friendship and courage that your family will cherish forever.

When it comes to Pocahontas, I’d never been a real fan of this film, and it took a long time to warm up to it. As the years have passed and I have kids of my own who enjoy this story as much as they love Toy Story or Sleeping Beauty, I have come to enjoy elements of it I haven’t before. The music was always my kryptonite with the movie though and the soundtrack really is fantastic. “Colors of the Wind,” “Savages,” If I Never Knew You,” just melodic and fun in their own right.  Pocahontas II, I may have caught bits and pieces on a rebroadcast on Disney Channel years back, but it never caught my interest. The story follows the true life adventures of Pocahontas when she comes to England in search of John Smith. It’s a very convoluted plot and after all the traveling and drama, in the end she ends up with another guy. I dont’ know, so hard to wrap my head around these direct to video sequels that just try and mooch off the success of the full-blown animated feature.

Pocahontas

THE PICTURE:

Both films look great but it’s evident in the smaller budgeted sequel that less time was taken to really give it the kiss of perfection to measure up to it’s predecessor. Pocahontas 2 is ok, it feels at time like a made for TV animated feature, the colors (not of the wind but of the images), aren’t as vibrant and rich as the original. Nothing really jaw dropping amazing, it’s a pretty recent film to really have too much wrong with it, but the visual production value as well as the story is dull and a transfer to Blu-ray does not help it’s cause. Now the orginal…well, it is what it is, a Disney classic! You would not expect anything less than rich colors (yes, here, OF THE WIND)…the fall colors, the ocean waters and streams, the lush forest, all the primary and sceondary colors leap off the screen! In some cases it’s hard to really tell if a film looks that much better with a transfer to Blu-ray, this one DOES! The time, love and tenderness of the animators who put this film together is at center stage here and it does not go unappreciated.

THE SOUND:

Both films offer audio in Dolby Theater Sound in HD 5.1 surround. The original film truly is the winner of the two and we can put the blame on a sequel with less budget and less production value. There’s relly nothing bad, or great about the 2nd films audio, so let me focus on the original movie. Sharp, crisp, clean and clear! The voices permeate as if you were discovering the new world side by side with John Smith. Rushing water, rustling leaves from Grandma Willow, corn husks blowing in the Colors of the Wind…all sound fantastic! Lots of ambient sounds in the background really fill in the scenes with a rich and sometimes sublte splash of atmosphere, was truly enjoyable to immerse myself in this film again!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Drawing Inspiration: The Lost Story Of Hiawatha – an interesting 11 min look into a production that never was, but showcases elements that later were implemented in the creation of Pocahontas.

• “Little Hiawatha” Cartoon Short – this is the original 1937 Silly Symphony cartoon, entertaining for what it is.

• “If I Never Knew” : Deleted Song – though this was a part of the later 2005 DVD release, this is the full animated version of the song which was not a part of the original film and now has been removed and brought back as a spefcial feature.

• The Music Of Pocahontas – A fun behind the scenes look with the films composers of the film score and some of the recording sessions with the cast!

• Deleted Scenes – A lot of storyboarded scenes, none of which reall add much to what was presented in the final film. But always a treat to see what could have been with more time and budget. Plus to see the sketches of the works in progress are always fun!

• Audio Commentary – Interesting at times, but unless you’re a die-hard fan of this film, there’s really no reason to sit thru this

• DVD Disc 1: The Music of Pocahontas
• DVD Disc 2: Pocahontas II DVD Storybook

CLOSING THOUGHTS: Both these films are fun in their own right, but only the original I’d consider a true Disney Classic. It’s worth the investment for the first film to add this to your personal home video collection!

Add this one to your Disney libary today, now available on AMAZON!

Pocahontas – 2 Movie Collection now on Blu-ray