Pocahontas Pocahontas II Journey to a New World Bluray 2Movie Collection 19951998 The daughter of a Native American tribe chief and English soldier share a. Chazz Palminteri, Actor The Usual Suspects. Bronxborn and raised Chazz Palminteri was a natural choice to continue the Italianate torch in film. In the tradition. Journey to a New World Blu rayIf you kill him, youll have to kill me too. Reviewed by Kenneth Brown, August 1. Disney has long been one of the more conservative studios when it comes to releasing catalog titles on Blu ray, especially its classic and even its not so classic animated films. The reasons are many some noble, others shrewd but chief among them is the sheer amount of time and level of care the studio invests in the restoration and remastering of its most treasured animated features. Theres another big reason, of course one that requires a healthy dose of corporate cynicism to discuss. You and I know it as the Disney Vault, that vacuous and abstract netherworld designed to drive demand, increase perceived value, provide marketing muscle, and bolster a films legacy. Its a practice that has continued well into Blu rays life cycle, with only a small number of animated films being issued in high definition each year. Apparently someone left the Vault door cracked open this month. August 2. 1st sees the release of not one but seven animated films spread across five different Blu ray releases. Included in the sudden, generous deluge five theatrical features The Aristocats 1. The Rescuers 1. 97. The Rescuers Down Under 1. Pocahontas 1. 99. The Tigger Movie 2. Lady. A pampered Cocker Spaniel whose life takes a sudden turn when a dashing Tramp from the other side of town finds his way into her heart. See More. Lady and the Tramp 2 Scamps Adventure Bluray Region Free. Seeking the freedom to be a wild dog, the son of Lady and the Tramp runs away to join a gang of junkyard dogs. 2010 Blockbuster Movies Toy Story: Partysaurus Rex. Watch Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp`S Adventure Online For Free' title='Watch Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp`S Adventure Online For Free' />Pocahontas II Journey to a New World 1. Lady and the Tramp II Scamps Adventure 2. Pocahontas and its misguided, wholly unnecessary sequel are the most problematic and unfulfilling of the bunch, though. The first film split audiences and critics, jumped the historical shark, and lacked the appeal and magic other Disney Renaissance classics continue to exude. Watch Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp`S Adventure Online For Free' title='Watch Lady And The Tramp II: Scamp`S Adventure Online For Free' />The second. I suspect even those who adore the original wish the second film had never came to fruition. Loosely based on the 1. Native American princess Pocahontas and Jamestown settler John Smith, Disneys 3. It isnt a bad film per se, but it does sit idly by, lovely and detached, struggling to connect in a way that might make its romance more timeless, its songs minus Colors of the Wind more stirring, and its seemingly dutiful blend of history and fiction more sweeping and engaging. Disneys Pocahontas a wooden Irene Bedard, who should have been replaced with Judy Kuhn, the woman handling singing duties isnt just a Powhatan princess, much as the filmmakers try to elevate her standing with Belle, Ariel, Jasmine and other Disney Animation royalty. She communes with nature, seeks guidance from a mystical tree named Grandmother Willow Linda Hunt and treats a raccoon and a hummingbird as her closest companions. Pocahontas serene world is turned upside down, though, with the arrival of a group of English colonists and a kindly captain by the name of John Smith Mel Gibson, a man with whom she soon falls in love. Her forbidden romance isnt without consequence, of course, and tensions between the settlers and the Native Americans erupt when jealousy, vengeance and greed enter the fray, courtesy of the warrior to whom Pochantas is betrothed James Apaumut Fall, a crewman named Thomas Christian Bale Smith rescues at sea, and the settlers insatiable leader, Governor Ratcliffe David Ogden Stiers. Pocahontas desperately wants to strike a balance between the historical account of its Powhatan princess and the overreaching spectacle of its cumbersome mysticism, cookie cutter supporting characters, and hit or miss musical numbers. The central love story is an effective one, but it would have been much more effective had Disney tossed out Grandma Willow and many of the elements that distract from the grandeur and grace of nature and the budding romance between the leads. Even the culture clashes, which are initially handled with a deft touch, are bobbled as the filmmakers battle to transition from the playful to the serious. Pocahontas would have benefited from a move, any move actually, to either extreme, bumping the movie lighter or darker. Instead, all involved seem all too willing to plow ahead and play it safe, neither honoring the history nor embracing the freedom a fictional account affords. It doesnt help that Pocahontas and John Smith are so believable while the settlers, Ratcliffe especially, are pure kiddie fare villains who behave selfishly and villainously, without the least bit of depth, as if this were another of Disneys takes on a beloved fairy tale. Pocahontas doesnt know what it is, and tries to be all things to all people. The waters are left murky, the ending is left muddled, and one of Disneys more successful animated features remains one of its most unsuccessful stories. The premise of Journey to a New World is promising, but the execution. Smith is yanked out of the proceedings early on during a return trip to England while he survives, reports convince the Powhatan he died, leaving Pocahontas alone and, apparently, in need of another man to fill that giant hole in her heart. That man turns out to be John Rolfe Billy Zane, an initially smarmy English diplomat who undergoes a startling transformation from sexist snob to marrying material becoming the kind of man with whom Pocahontas would want to spend the rest of her life, even after learning her previous true love is very much alive and well and sporting a mean cloak. Were meant to root for Rolfe and Pocahontas union, even though we know full well from the outset that Smith will re enter the picture at some point. Pocahontas, though, merely comes off as impulsive and fickle a woman whose heart is so easily swayed that shell hop from boy toy to boy toy in her search for the perfect man. Terrence Malick would be none too pleased. The end result Journey feels strangely divorced from the original Pocahontas, despite neatly picking up right where the first film left off. Sadly, Pocahontas slowly but surely takes on an entirely different, oft times detrimental role, Smith gives up far too easily, Rolfe turns things around much too quickly, and the spirited princess meetings with King James Jim Cummings and his court only detract from the love story theyre meant to enrich. With each passing interlude and poorly conceived song, the sequel pounds the listen to your heart drum so ragged that it all becomes shortsighted and hyper inflated. Listening to your heart is great and all, but poor Pocahontas isnt freed from anything. Shes repurposed as a slave to her own random whims, hardly the sort of path parents would want their young girls to forge. And yet were meant to believe Pocahontas is stumbling across some universal truth that shes arriving at an epiphany of the heart rather than wandering off into the wilderness. Nonsense. If nothing else, the first film had a sense of who Pocahontas was and who she was going to become. Journey to a New World is sequel making for sequel makings sake, and it tarnishes the original as much as the original tarnished the history of Pocahontas encounter with the Jamestown settlers. Pocahontas and Pocahontas II Journey to a New World share a single BD 5. AVC encoded video transfers dont take any apparent hit. The few shortcomings I encountered Pocahontas boasts a near perfect presentation, but the sequel struggles with a washed out palette and outmoded CG elements prone to slight aliasing are entirely source based, and most every issue traces back to the original film sources, nothing more. Easily overlooked instances of banding sneak into both films and minor ringing leaves its mark on the sequel, but those are the only problems I can point to, negligible as they are. Everything else is exactly as it should be. Pocahontas is especially stunning, full of lush, lively colors, rich primaries, gorgeous blacks, and vibrant contrast and clarity. Detail is exceptional too. The animators line art is crisp and clean, the backgrounds are teeming with hand painted beauty and brushstroke textures, and every last nuance of the animation is on display for all to see.