Blu-ray Review Pocahontas/Pocahontas II Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Mike Frezon]

It's a beautiful song. Really beautiful.

So beautiful it wasn't even ruined by Mel Gibson's singing talents!

And they went ahead and put the "pop" version over the beginning of the closing credits. They were committed to this song...but, as the story has been told already in this thread they made a rash decision to cut it for fear the young audience wouldn't appreciate it...an unlikely miscalculation by the Disney company--which rarely underestimates the intelligence of their young customers.

There are some really nice covers of the song available.

 

[bryan4999]

It's a beautiful song.  Really beautiful. 
So beautiful it wasn't even ruined by Mel Gibson's singing talents! 
And they went ahead and put the "pop" version over the beginning of the closing credits.  They were committed to this song...but, as the story has been told already in this thread they made a rash decision to cut it for fear the young audience wouldn't appreciate it...an unlikely miscalculation by the Disney company--which rarely underestimates the intelligence of their young customers. 
There are some really nice covers of the song available.

I watched MARY POPPINS the other day and it occurred to me that if that movie were made now, songs like "Stay Awake", "A Man Has Dreams", and maybe even "Feed the Birds" wouldn't be included, for the reasons you state above - and they are some of my favorite moments in the film - they add so much to the richness of the stortelling.
I, too, am on the fence about buying this because of the lack of that option. For me, "Human Again" in B&TB adds less to that film than "If I Never Knew You" does for Pocahontas and yet it is all over every edition of B&TB.

 

[Mike Frezon]

And as you watched Mary Poppins, Bryan, I bet you were asking yourself, "WHEN are they going to put this out on Blu?!?"

Oh. And don't forget the "pop" duet of I Love to Laugh by Rihanna & Chris Brown which would be over the closing credits...

 

[bryan4999]

And as you watched Mary Poppins, Bryan, I bet you were asking yourself, "WHEN are they going to put this out on Blu?!?" 

Oh definitely, but, seriously, I hope they are taking their time on it so it is absolutely perfect as a blu-ray. There are lots of choices they need to make in regard to that title and I hope they choose wisely. I really don't expect to see it until 2014 for its 50th -- OMG how old with that make me?!?

Oh.  And don't forget the "pop" duet of I Love to Laugh by Rihanna & Chris Brown which would be over the closing credits...

Yeah, I figure they will probably star in a remake at some point. Thank God for home video so I can live in the past.

 

[Escapay]

I'd say that it's almost definitely because the deleted footage was finished on NTSC video so it couldn't be used for a Blu-ray.

It's presented in full HD on the Blu-Ray. Which makes its exclusion in the film itself (branched or otherwise) all the more maddening.
The entire song was pretty much completed animation-wise (the commentary notes it was 95% fully animated), and so when it was re-instated, it was merely a matter of - I'm assuming - going to the CAPS files and coloring in the parts that were still just pencil animation.

And I am one of those who falls into the camp that the song should have been left in and was thrilled when the DVD allowed the option to put it in.

I'm in the camp, too. I already outlined my reasons why in an earlier post.

 

[TravisR]

It's presented in full HD on the Blu-Ray. Which makes its exclusion in the film itself (branched or otherwise) all the more maddening.

You're kidding me? At least when I chalked it up to not being in HD, I could understand why they did it (once again, not to excuse them for not going the extra mile) but if it is HD, that's just unbelievable to not have the seamless branching at that point.

 

[jim_falconer]

This is one of the most disappointing Disney-related news I've heard in a long time. "If I Never Knew You" is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded for a Disney film. After seeing it restored to the special edition DVD, I can not believe the blu does not have it in the film. And knowing I would eventually get the blu, I gave the DVD to a co-worker who has children. Ugh!

 

[Ejanss]

Mary Poppins
Yeah, I figure they will probably star in a remake at some point. Thank God for home video so I can live in the past.

Y'know, if I really wanted to scare people, I could mention some of the ideas Disney was throwing around for a Mary Poppins sequel, in the mid-80's/early-90's, back before they had to settle for a Rescuers and Fantasia sequels--
One of them had to do with the fact that they needed a replacement for Dick Van Dyke, and didn't know what to do with Michael Jackson just before "Captain EO'...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I guess I'm the only one who prefers the movie without the extra song! From my 2005 review:

" It’s a sappy tune and the scene slows down the dramatic progress; the movie works better without it."

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Originally Posted by Colin Jacobson /t/323120/pocahontas-pocahontas-ii-blu-ray-review#post_3965754
I guess I'm the only one who prefers the movie without the extra song! From my 2005 review:

" It’s a sappy tune and the scene slows down the dramatic progress; the movie works better without it."

Not the only one. I would gladly plus one that opinion. The song is good, but it just brings the movie to a screeching halt at a point where it cannot really afford to be bogged down.

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

Originally Posted by MattH. /img/forum/go_quote.gif



...



The disc claims there are additional bonus features from the old DVD release in the Virtual Vault, but I was not granted access to this without a broadband rather than a DSL internet connection.


...

Here are the contents of the "Virtual Vault" for those interested. It gathers most of the behind the scenes extras from the previous DVDs and laserdiscs not otherwise on the Blu-ray, although it is missing all of the still galleries, "The Making of Pocahontas" featurette, and "The Making of If I Never Knew You" featurette. For obvious reasons, the progression reel does not include the angle switching feature of the DVD:




Sing-along Songs

• 
  Colors of the Wind (3:24)
• 
  Just Around the River Bend (2:16)

Colors of the Wind Music Video (4:12)


Early Presentation Reel (3:46)


If I Never Knew You Music Video (4:11)


Multi-Language Reel (3:35)


Design

• 
  Creating Pocahontas (4:22)
• 
  Creating John Smith (2:16)
• 
  Creating Ratcliffe (:50)
• 
  Ratcliffe Test Animation (:20)
• 
  Creating Grandmother Willow (2:09)
• 
  Grandmother Willow Test Animation (:22)
• 
  Creating Meeko (1:42)
• 
  Meeko Test Animation (:30)
• 
  Creating Flit (:57)
• 
  Flit Test Animation (:17)
• 
  Creating Percy (:55)
• 
  Thomas Test Animation (:24)
• 
  Kekata Test Animation (:16)
• 
  Deleted Character Test Animation Redfeather (:31)
• 
  Creating Art, Design, Layout, and Backgrounds (2:14)

Production

• 
  Storyboard to Film Comparison (1:33)
• 
  Production Progression
  
  
  Introduction (:53)
• 
  Story Reel (:39)
• 
  Rough Animation (:39)
• 
  Clean-Up Animation (:39)
• 
  Final Color (:39)

Pocahontas II Storybook (Have the Story Read to You) (6:10)

 

[Charles Smith]

I can't believe Disney carries on with the Virtual Vault. I thought they were roundly excoriated for the Fantasia debacle in which so many people buying the Blu-ray to enjoy the films clung nevertheless to their DVDs for the extras. Or do they even read sources such as HTF where the real feedback and criticism occurs?

I suppose it's possible that J6P and his kids think they're getting something "cool" by accessing these things from The Cloud instead of from a stodgy old disc. But really, have studios actually had such overwhelming positive feedback on this stuff? Or are they simply ignoring the numbers for now and valiantly attempting to force it on the public? (Much in the way Disney has so valiantly attempted, from day one, to convince their public that the DVD was a shamefully obsolete product?)

Because of their treatment of the song here, but also for the Virtual Vault BS, this release marks my break with AUTOMATICALLY purchasing the latest release of their animated classics (or anything close to classic). The aim of my rather large Disney collection is to hold the best release for ME of each item, and in the case of Pochahontas, they hit it right with the DVD and took a few steps backward with the Blu-ray. No sale on this one.

 

[Escapay]

Thanks for the list, Kevin. Looks like the trailers and "Premiere in Central Park" featurette are also gone, too. Thank goodness I still have the 2005 DVD. I've got to start hunting down the 1996 Laserdisc, since that had an exclusive commentary, several storyboard sequences, "If I Never Knew You" in pencil animation, and a couple galleries not on the DVD.
When I wrote to WDSHE about the Blu-Ray, I got a usual form letter response:
Dear Albert,
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns about the recent release of Pocahontas and Pocahontas II. We're sad to hear that you didn't like the way it was released.
We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback! We will be sure to share your thoughts and concerns with the rest of our team.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to reply to this email. You may also contact us at 1-800-723-4763 (Canada: 1-888-877-2843), Monday 9:30-7:30 and Tuesday through Friday 9:30-6:30 CST.
Sincerely,
Walt Disney Studios Distribution Consumer Relations
US and Canada
They didn't even bother to answer any of my inquiries as to why there was no branching option, why the extras are Virtually Vaulted rather than on the disc themselves (which DVDizzy's review points out uses only 36.6 GB of the 50 GB!), why the DVDs are stacked together rather than on their own hubs, and why there's no disc art at all on any of the discs.
I also pointed out how they screwed up the commentary towards the end. Although they removed the "If I Never Knew You" reprise, they didn't edit out the commentary that was said over it (Eric Goldberg telling a story about the L.A. riots). As a result, the rest of the commentary plays out on a 20-second lag of what they're actually commenting on. It's immediately noticeable when Mike Gabriel starts talking about the Pocahontas/John kiss, but that moment's already passed and they're been rowing John out into the water.
:td:

 

[Matt Hough]

Thanks, Ken, for posting what I was denied access to (the very argument against the Virtual Vault), and thanks, Albert, for noting the noticeable absence of commentary during the tent scene where the commentary previously was. (The commentary is provided as an option in the bonus features with the song, but the deletion of the song from the scene meant they had to delete whatever comments were present in that sequence until they could pick it up again.)

 

[Jonathan Perregaux]

I'm waiting for Pocohontas III: Honey Boo Boo.

 

[Mark-W]

I 100% agree. I just watched the 10th Anniversary 2 DVD set, and moved it over into the new Blu-ray set because of this and the missing bonus features, including the "making of..." on disc 2.
I watched the variation on the Blu-ray, and the scene in the tent plays odd without that song.
The Co-Director, Eric Golberg agrees and even says so at the intro of the deleted scene, stating that many of the team felt like "..the heart kind of came out of the movie without that song..."

WHY NOT PUT IT BACK IN JUST LIKE THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY DVD?
(Yes, I am shouting, because this is just so stupid to have the DVD superior to the Blu-ray in bonus content and options.)
ugh.

Yup.  That is what's maddening.  That and the fact that the technology allows you to keep BOTH SIDES of the question happy.  Those who want the theatrical cut can select that and those who want the extended cut can have that. 
Choices are good.  More happiness is good. 
They should have remembered that from when they made the smart decision when they released the DVD so many years ago.
And I am one of those who falls into the camp that the song should have been left in and was thrilled when the DVD allowed the option to put it in. 

 

[stephen la]

I'm still upset about this. Is there any news on Disney releasing a "fixed" bluray version, maybe even if it available in a different country/region?

Thanks,
Steve