Although it raked in a healthy $141 million at the box office during the summer of 1995, Pocahontas always was regarded as a minor failure for Disney animation. This stemmed entirely from the astonishing success of in 1994. That hit grossed an amazing $312 million and raised the bar for what would henceforth be considered "successful" for Disney. $141 million may sound pretty good, but it represented less than half of the take of King and started the gradual slide in revenue the studio wouldn't start to reverse until Mulan and A Bug's Life in 1998.

Back when Pocahontas arrived on screens, I was a very mild Disney animation fan. I owned and on laserdisc and would soon add King, but that was about it. I didn't have any interest in pre-1990s Disney animation, and any upcoming movies were taken on a case-by-case basis. As such, although I now rush to see new Disney animated films, that wasn't the case in 1995.

I only saw Pocahontas theatrically because of one day during which I literally had nothing better to do. I'd taken my car to have massive amounts of car stereo equipment installed, and because the store was far from home, I had nothing to do other than walk across the street to a movie theater. Much of what they offered I'd already seen, so I went for the two titles I'd not yet viewed: and Pocahontas.

Apollo was one I actually wanted to see, whereas Pocahontas came more as a default; that happens sometimes, when you have time and want to see a movie but there's nothing special so you take in something that doesn't really interest you. In the case of Pocahontas, my hesitation stemmed less from a lack of desire and more from an actual aversion, as my first preview of the film did not make it look pretty.

Back in the fall of 1994 Disney released a Pocahontas trailer that consisted solely of the "Colors of the Wind" scene in its entirety. This wasn't the first or last time Disney used this form of advertisement - King offered a similar trailer - but at least for me, it backfired in regard to Pocahontas. Removed from the context of the film, "Wind" came across as insanely "politically correct", preachy and condescending, and it immediately gave me a negative impression of the movie.

Admittedly, "Wind" still seems overly patronizing even as part of the film, but its isolation in a trailer even more strongly emphasized the "white people are bad" overtones. The song makes a lot more sense and is much more tolerable - and enjoyable, even - within the body of the movie.

None of that really mattered when I saw Pocahontas theatrically. I recall finding it to be a decent little film but not terribly stimulating, and I had no desire to add it to my LD collection. Actually, my batch of Disney LDs remained fairly small; over the three years that followed Pocahontas's theatrical premiere, I picked up boxed sets of Toy Story and 1996's The Hunchback of Notre Dame but passed on all the other releases.

I maintained that status until November 1998. At that time the LD was in steep decline and some great prices could be found on previously-pricey material. I saw that one store was selling the boxed set of Pocahontas - which originally went for $100 - for only $30. At that price, I figured I should give the movie another shot, especially since my opinion of Disney animation had recently started to pick up again after that prior summer's Mulan. (I'd also really liked Hunchback but initially found 1997's Hercules to be a big disappointment.)

Ironically, that decision to buy the bargain box of Pocahontas indirectly sparked my own soon-to-be-heavy interest in the history of Disney animation. I delighted in the terrific supplements in that set and decided it was time to branch out to some older Disney films. After all, with the acquisition of Pocahontas I already owned all of the modern-day Disney animation in deluxe boxed sets, but there were a bunch of older movies I had yet to peruse. During late 1998 and early 1999, I developed an intense interest in Disney animation and quickly snapped up slew of LDs.

As such, I owe a debt to Pocahontas since I'm really happy that I've become such a Disney fan; I'm actually mad at myself for not pursuing the classic films much sooner, but I had bizarrely convinced myself that I only liked the new stuff. That opinion changed once I started to watch the classics.

I've developed a greater affection for Pocahontas, and not just because it indirectly kick-started my fascination with Disney animation. Now that I can better distance myself from my disdain for the film's heavy-handed message, I find it to offer an above-average Disney experience. It doesn't stand up to the studio's best efforts, but it remains a solid effort that stands up well to repeated viewings.

Pocahontas may well be Disney's most intensely dramatic feature. Hunchback came close, but it relied too heavily on comic relief, most unfortunately near the film's climax when - in an insanely incongruous and disruptive move - the story leaves the action to provide a goofy musical number starring the gargoyles, the darkness quickly dissipates. Which was too bad, as much of the rest of Hunchback truly took Disney to a satisfyingly dark place that the studio had largely been unwilling to visit prior to 1996.

Pocahontas lacks the depth of the experience provided by Hunchback, but it remains more consistently serious and "heavy." Yes, it includes the traditional sidekicks who exist for comic relief, but they're less of an intrusion than the gargoyles. In fact, I thought they blended well with the action. Most of the humor comes from Pocahontas's animal friends Meeko the badger and Flit the hummingbird. We also get a few laughs from two of malevolent Governor Ratcliffe's companions: his manservant Wiggins and his pampered pooch Percy. I didn't find the comedy that revolved around these characters to appear forced or intrusive, and it should be noted that when the action becomes serious, there are no comedic pauses to lighten the tone; the filmmakers essentially follow through on what they promise.

Virtually every Disney animated title receives criticism from some groups - though the Pixar pictures have escaped pretty much unscathed - and Pocahontas took a greater beating than most. This occurred due to the film's rather loose retelling of history. Pocahontas differed from every other Disney cartoon in that it didn't adapt characters from a fictional source; it remains the only Disney animated feature that utilized actual historical figures. (Although I believe Sleeping Beauty was based upon some really lazy chick Walt once knew.)

Disney take their lumps for altering the storylines of the fictional works they adapt, but those beatings didn't compare to the assault that accompanied the release of Pocahontas. It probably didn't help that they took a person who was in reality a fairly young girl at the time of the events related in the film and made her into a rather idealized – and built - woman. Make no mistake - this movie's Pocahontas is quite a babe! Even when she reached adulthood, the actual Pocahontas was nothing to look at, but many protested over Disney's "sexist" treatment of the character.

This ruckus ignores a few issues. For one, John Smith looked nothing like the figure we see depicted here. Also, if the movie created characters who resembled their historical forebears in age and appearance, we'd have a pretty sick story, since a grown man would be smitten by a very underaged girl; they'd have to call it Lolitahontas.

I'm perfectly fine with all of the alterations Disney made to the facts. Do I encourage films to depict factually inaccurate material? Nope. However, one has to consider the form that the product takes. Some movies purport to be historically accurate and realistic; Pocahontas is not one of those pictures. At no point did Disney claim this would be a biography or anything other than a fantasy loosely based on some historical material. Truly, the film takes from the legend of Pocahontas; as such, criticisms of its lack of factual accuracy are misplaced.

Personally, I think the folks who criticize the alterations in Disney films miss another point. I believe that these movies create interest in the subjects that otherwise wouldn't exist. How many kids decided to read Tarzan because of the book, or learn more about Greek mythology due to Hercules? A lot? Maybe not, but enough to make the endeavors worthwhile.

No, I don't claim that Disney create these films in the hopes that they'll spur additional study by youngsters. Nonetheless, I think it's a positive byproduct and it shouldn't be discounted. I'm certain that most kids see the movies, dig them and then move on, but I'm also sure that a goodly amount of children discover material that otherwise might have remained unknown to them. It's all about broadening horizons, and while it's true that "the Disney version" of a story tends to become the absolute last word in that tale to the general public, Disney releases also create awareness that the material would not otherwise obtain. Whine about Pocahontas's rack all you want; the final result still gets the job done.

Personally, I rather like Pocahontas's rack, but I think the movie works for reasons other than hormonal. One positive aspect of the film that gets lost in the criticism stems from the nature of her character. For many years, Disney heroines remained fairly passive figures; Snow White, Cinderella, Briar Rose. Ariel and Belle displayed more spunk, but neither really took charge of events.

The same cannot be said for Pocahontas. She's tough, brave, smart and caring. The first time she meets John Smith, he holds a rifle on her; she reacts by simply standing up and staring at him. Whether through defiance or ignorance - logically, she wouldn't know what that weapon was, though I'd expect she would glean a negative intent from Smith's posture - she's nobody's victim and won't be bullied or intimidated.

Pocahontas is a romance, but it avoids the "Someday My Prince Will Come" trappings of many other Disney films in which the women are clearly viewed as incomplete if they lack mates. In fact - possible spoiler ahead! - Pocahontas stands as one of the rare Disney films in which the boy and the girl end up apart. In fact, I think it's the only Disney romance that ends in such a manner. Yeah, Quasimodo remains single at the conclusion of Hunchback, but Esmerelda and Phoebus have matched, and at least he's made some new friends and gotten out of that filthy tower.

Pocahontas, on the other hand, features a relatively down-cast ending. I won't call it "sad", but it does seem bittersweet. Part of me dislikes the fact that Pocahontas and Smith end up separated at the conclusion of the story, because for all of the film's preaching about racial harmony, it seems bothersome that the only romantic couple in Disney history who don't walk off into the sunset together would also be Disney's only interracial couple. Was that a consideration? I doubt it, but I must admit it makes an otherwise satisfying conclusion more disappointing.

However, the current ending seems in keeping with the tone and the spirit of the movie, so I won't complain too much. By the way, if my preceding comments make it appear that I'm an enthusiastic supporter of Pocahontas, that's not the case. I still dislike the generally preachy tone of the movie, plus many of the characterizations seem stiff and bland. Irene Bedard's Pocahontas stands out so far above the rest that everyone else suffers in comparison. Mel Gibson's Smith never rises above generic action-hero fluff, though I won't fully - or even mostly – blame Gibson for that; while I understand the filmmakers' reluctance to draw a Smith who looked like the real-life troll, his UCLA frat boy appearance here makes him look like a dude more at home on a surfboard than in a new land.

Ratcliffe seems to be a decent villain, though he's underdrawn and flat, and I strongly disagree with the decision to cast David Ogden Stiers as both Ratcliffe and his lackey Wiggins. Stiers gives satisfactory performances in both roles - though he stands out in neither, unlike his strong turn as Cogsworth in Beast - but it seems tremendously obvious that the same guy does both voices. This lends the proceedings a quality of stinginess that I found hard to shake, as though the producers were too cheap to pay for two actors. Also, since literally all of Wiggins' scenes come along with Ratcliffe (though not vice versa), I got the uncomfortable impression of a man talking to himself. This sort of double-casting can work for uncommonly-talented voice artist - such as Mel Blanc - or if both roles are minor or at least don't interact. None of those qualifications exist, so I found the dual performance by Stiers to detract from an otherwise strong film.

Ultimately, that's how I would classify Pocahontas. It's not the best Disney has to offer, but it presents some definite strengths and it creates an appealing sense of drama and seriousness lacking from many of their other movies. I may not have cared for the film initially, but my tune has changed since 1995, and I now find it to be a solid and compelling effort.

Pocahontas appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.66:1 on this single-sided, double-layered DVD; the widescreen image has been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Though Pocahontas wasn’t one of Disney’s top transfers, it mostly satisfied.

Sharpness seemed solid most of the time. Usually the movie remained crisp and well defined. Some shots looked a little soft, though, especially in wider angles. Jagged edges and moiré effects appeared absent, but I noticed mild signs of edge enhancement. These created most of the distractions, as they occasionally gave the movie its minor lack of definition. In regard to print flaws, I noticed none, as the movie looked clean and fresh from start to finish.

The setting of Pocahontas meant that it boasted a wonderfully vivid and varied palette, and the DVD presented those hues well. The tones consistently looked terrific. The hues always came across as lively, and the movie handled lots of colored lighting with aplomb. Black levels looked solid, and low-light images were concisely displayed and tight, with no excessive opacity. Pocahontas presented a consistently good transfer that fell below “A” level solely due to the issues related to sharpness. Since those were fairly minor, it still earned a positive “B+”.

As for the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix of Pocahontas, it was good but not terrific. The soundfield displayed inconsistent breadth. At times it could provide a pretty nicely encompassing experience, such as during the first scene in which Smith's boat set sail; the surrounds kicked in strongly when the storm hits, and the track became quite involving.

After that, however, the mixers must have napped, for the soundtrack largely remained dormant. The forward soundstage often provided some decent stereo imaging, but it still appeared pretty tame. The surrounds received even less consideration and did little more than offer general ambience from the "tweeting birds" school of sound design. The track picked up a bit from time to time, but not substantially, and it never approached the pretty active level displayed at the start.

The audio quality also declined after that early segment. Dialogue seemed fine, with clear and natural speech that was easily intelligible. Effects were usually pretty accurate and clean, with no signs of distortion, and music seemed crisp and smooth. Bass response occasionally lagged, with some songs and effects that lacked the expected dimensionality. Low-end sporadically created a more dynamic impression, but often those elements seemed a bit lackluster. This mix suited the material to a sufficient degree but not much better than that.

So how did the picture and audio of this DVD compare with those on the original 2000 release? I thought both DVDs presented similar soundtracks, but the new one improved considerably over the old disc’s unimpressive visuals. That one’s biggest issue connected to graininess, as it looked really messy most of the time. It also demonstrated a bit more softness than this one. The 10th anniversary release cleans up matters dramatically and looks much smoother and clearer. It’s a vast improvement.

While the old DVD included only a smattering of minor extras, this “10th Anniversary Edition” of Pocahontas broadens matters considerably. This package includes two versions of the film: the original theatrical cut and the 10th Anniversary Edition. The latter adds three minutes to the 1995 release’s 81-minute running time, all due to the inclusion of a cut song called “If I Never Knew You”. This track shows up about two-thirds of the way through the flick when Pocahontas goes to visit the imprisoned John Smith. It’s a sappy tune and the scene slows down the dramatic progress; the movie works better without it. (The longer cut also includes a brief reprise of the number when Pocahontas and Smith part ways at the end.)

DVD One’s supplements open with an audio commentary from directors Eric Goldberg and Mike Gabriel and producer James Pentecost. All three sit together for this running, screen-specific chat. They cover the expected subjects, as they get into story topics and history, characters and actors, specifics connected to the animation, the music, cut sequences, and various challenges. The track occasionally drags, but it usually moves along well. It goes over all the requisite information in an appealing and enjoyable manner to give us a good examination of the film.

Note that the commentary solely accompanies the extended “10th Anniversary” cut of the film. That makes sense, since the participants recorded it for that edition. However, there’s an old commentary created for the laserdisc of Pocahontas, and it’s too bad the DVD’s producers didn’t include it to go along with the theatrical cut. Granted, it probably would have been somewhat redundant, but additional options are never a bad thing. It goes missed here.

Next we find two “set-top games”. Disney’s Art Project teaches kids how to make “fun and magical toys” from household items. These include a dream catcher and a drum. Artsy-crafty kids might enjoy this feature. Hosted by Grandmother Willow, Follow Your Heart asks a series of very easy questions about the flick. Perfect performance brings no reward, so skip this dull contest.

After this we locate two Sing-Along Songs. We find karaoke takes on “Colors of the Wind” and “Just Around the Riverbend”. These simply offer the appropriate scenes from the movie with added text at the bottom of the screen.

A repeat from the old DVD, we get a music video for “Colors of the Wind” by Vanessa Williams. It adheres to the usual movie clips and lip-synch format typical for Disney music videos. Don’t expect anything more than a dull piece for this dreadfully overproduced rendition of the tune.

As DVD One starts, we encounter a mix of ads. We find trailers for Cinderella, Chicken Little, Tarzan II and Kim Possible: So the Drama. These also appear in the disc’s Sneak Peeks domain along with promos for Pooh’s Heffalump Movie, Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch, The Cat Returns, Porco Rosso, Nausicaa, and the Disney Princess line.

DVD One features the THX Optimizer. Also found on many other DVDs, this purports to help you set up your system for the best reproduction of both picture and sound, ala stand-alone programs such as Video Essentials. I’ve never tried the Optimizer since I’m happy with my settings, but if you don’t own something such as Essentials, the Optimizer may help you improve picture and audio quality.

With that we move over to DVD Two and its features. First comes a documentary called The Making of Pocahontas. Hosted by actor Irene Bedard, this 28-minute show from 1995 includes a mix of movie snippets, behind the scenes shots, and comments from Gabriel, Goldberg, Pentecost, Walt Disney Company vice chairman of the board Roy E. Disney, supervising animators Glen Keane, Duncan Marjoribanks, Nik Ranieri, Ruben Aquino, Dave Pruiksma and John Pomeroy, art director Mike Giaimo, Disney Feature Aniamtion president Peter Schneider, head of story Tom Sito, composer Alan Menken, lyricist Stephen Schwartz, singer Jon Secada, and actors Russell Means, Mel Gibson, Judy Kuhn, and David Ogden Stiers. The piece covers the story and its historical background, research, accuracy, the movie’s look, the cast, character development and depiction, and music.

With a reasonably long running time, you’d expect a little depth from “Making”. And that’s what you’ll get – just a little depth. Clearly created to promote the movie, “Making” offers a very glossy look at the production. Bedard’s tour around Jamestown is good, and the animators provide some decent insight, but this piece remains long on fluff and short on useful information.

For a glimpse at initial work on Pocahontas, we find the Early Presentation Reel. This three-minute and 45-second clip starts with an introduction from Pentecost as he explains what we’ll see. Then we watch production art accompanied by a demo of “Colors of the Wind”. We can view this with or without commentary from lyricist Schwartz. He tells us about the origins of the lyrics and the impact the song had on some Indian leaders. It’s an interesting presentation either way, but the commentary offers the best way to watch it.

An introduction from Goldberg opens the 94-second Storyboard-to-Film Comparison. We look at the usual splitscreen comparison for the scene in which Smith first meets Pocahontas. It provides a good look at Glen Keane’s distinctive charcoal boards, and it also can be viewed with or without commentary. Here the directors discuss Keane’s creative processes.

Goldberg appears again in his 50-second introduction to the Production Progression Reel. We then can watch any of four options via the “angle” button. These include “story reel”, “rough animation”, “clean-up animation” and “final color”, and they let us see the scene in which Pocahontas rushes to greet her father. Each lasts 40 seconds, and they offer a fun way to see the various steps of artwork.

Under the “Design” banner, we get a wide mix of pieces. These mostly break down into areas connected to characters, and some of them include featurettes called “Creating (Character Name)”. These appear for Pocahontas (four minutes, 22 seconds), John Smith (2:16), Governor Ratcliffe (0:51), Grandmother Willow (2:09), Meeko (1:43), Flit (0:57), and Percy (0:55). We also get “Creating Art Design, Layouts and Backgrounds” (2:12). These contain comments from folks such as Keane, Pomeroy, Marjoribanks, Ranieri, Pruiksma, Giaimo, supervising animator Chris Buck, and CGI supervisor Steve Goldberg.

For Pocahontas, Keane compares her look to that of Ariel, another character he drew. Pomeroy tells us about influences for Smith and his development, and the rest go over what they attempted to do with the various characters. We also learn about the CG elements of Grandmother Willow, an abandoned turkey character, and some talking animals who lost their voices. These are informative and enjoyable discussions, even though some repeat notes we hear elsewhere.

Some characters include Test Animation snippets. We get these for Ratcliffe (20 seconds), Grandmother Willow (0:22), Meeko (0:29), Flit (0:16), Thomas (0:24), Kekata (0:17) and a deleted turkey character called Redfeather (0:30). These offer a nice glimpse of early animation, and the “Redfeather” segment proves especially valuable since he doesn’t appear in the final film. It also gives us a look at talking Percy.

Lastly, each character comes with Still Images. We find them for Pocahontas (150 frames), John Smith (78), Ratcliffe (81), Powhatan (42), Grandmother Willow (35), Meeko (24), Flit (16), Percy (21), Thomas (27), Kocoum (30), Kekata (18), and Redfeather (17). We also see a collection for “Art Design, Layouts and Backgrounds” (241). All of these add up to a rich and detailed view of the different artistic elements.

With that we head to the “Music” domain and a featurette called The Music of Pocahontas. It runs seven minutes, five seconds, and presents comments from Pentecost, Menken, Schwartz, We learn about the Menken/Schwartz partnership, the composition of some songs, and the work of the vocalists. The program gets a little fluffy at times, but it includes nice insight into the collaborative process, and the shots in the studio are solid as well.

Another retread from the original DVD, we find a music video for “If I Never Knew You”. This features Jon Secada and Shanice. My comments for the “Colors of the Wind” video hold true here: overproduced tune, weak video.

A featurette called The Making of “If I Never Knew You” goes for four minutes, 34 seconds. We hear from Menken, Roy E. Disney, Pomeroy, Goldberg and Gabriel. They talk about the song’s composition, its deletion, and its reinsertion in the movie. Really, we don’t learn anything here that’s not already covered in the commentary.

Nine Deleted Scenes run between 37 seconds and four minutes for a total of 15 minutes, 11 seconds of material. Most of these appear as storyreels, though “Miscellaneous Scenes” mixes rough and finished animation. Nothing fascinating appears here, though it’s fun to have a look at some abandoned concepts.

Two scenes come with optional audio commentary: “Dancing to the Wedding Drum” and “In the Middle of the River”. The former would have been our introduction to Pocahontas as the tribe gathers for her wedding, while the latter offers an unused song. The commentary talks about the clips and tells us why they got the boot.

Over in “The Release”, we get two trailers plus a three-minute and 45-second look at The Premiere in Central Park. It talks about how big, big big! this massive screening was. The usual Multi-Language Reel gives us snippets of the film in Norwegian, German, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Korean, French Canadian, Turkish, Brazilian Portuguese, Mandarin, Japanese, Castilian, Slovak, Icelandic, Polish, and French. In a nice touch, we also learn the names of the various international vocalists.

Finally, a Publicity Gallery includes a mix of stills. It presents 18 frames. In addition to the usual ads, we get oddities like Pocahontas in modern fashion designs featured in Harper’s Bazarr!

Does this two-disc Pocahontas lose anything from the original? Yes, but not much. It drops a "Read-Along Storybook" a trivia game with 16 questions.

I enjoy Pocahontas and think it's a rather underrated Disney feature, though still not one of their best pictures. This DVD vastly improves over its predecessor, as it offers mostly solid picture with positive audio and a quality roster of extras. This is a fine DVD that should make fans happy.