The first Pocahontas film was a phenomenon that cashed in on the Disney resurgence of the Nineties. Propelled by the popularity of Beauty and the beast and Aladdin, Pocahontas went on to earn something like $140 million domestically and more than $300 million worldwide. That kind of box office Disney couldn't buy now if it wanted to.
But, that was 1995. Oh, what a difference three years makes. When the sequel managed to roll off the presses in 1998, the franchise was DOA and then some. Disney was poised to shut down its much-vaunted Orlando studios and the best they could do was pump the video shelves with all the detritus.
Drifting along with the offal the straight-to-video stream was Pocahontas 2. It still featured the voice talents of Mr. Gibson as John Smith, but not the Mr. Gibson you might think. Mel had better things to do, so he had his brother Donal, do the honors. Now, I managed to miss it as the late Nineties were a fruitful time for me, but my 10 year old daughter insisted we download it on Netflix and, to my chagrin, I acquiesced.
Will saying anything about this sequel accomplish anything? Can a review of a decade-old film mean much anymore? Am I whistling in the proverbial wind here? I figure I have access to a quasi-public medium, so I'm going to just say what I feel. To the point: I'm just going to say I thought this film was terrible.
It's not Billy Zane shilling for a buck or the ridiculous plot that bothers me so much. It's the willful manipulation of reality and historical fact to make a buck that bothers me. I know this isn't a first for Disney and truthfully I support their right to make a buck. But Pocahontas meets her maker in England, not her next boyfriend. She dies of small pox, people!
But, that was 1995. Oh, what a difference three years makes. When the sequel managed to roll off the presses in 1998, the franchise was DOA and then some. Disney was poised to shut down its much-vaunted Orlando studios and the best they could do was pump the video shelves with all the detritus.
Drifting along with the offal the straight-to-video stream was Pocahontas 2. It still featured the voice talents of Mr. Gibson as John Smith, but not the Mr. Gibson you might think. Mel had better things to do, so he had his brother Donal, do the honors. Now, I managed to miss it as the late Nineties were a fruitful time for me, but my 10 year old daughter insisted we download it on Netflix and, to my chagrin, I acquiesced.
Will saying anything about this sequel accomplish anything? Can a review of a decade-old film mean much anymore? Am I whistling in the proverbial wind here? I figure I have access to a quasi-public medium, so I'm going to just say what I feel. To the point: I'm just going to say I thought this film was terrible.
It's not Billy Zane shilling for a buck or the ridiculous plot that bothers me so much. It's the willful manipulation of reality and historical fact to make a buck that bothers me. I know this isn't a first for Disney and truthfully I support their right to make a buck. But Pocahontas meets her maker in England, not her next boyfriend. She dies of small pox, people!
About the Author:
Don't look to Pocahontas 2 for anything resembling reality or historical fact. Screen it for the cute, talking animals.
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