Synopsis:

Reinstates the song missing from the theatrical cut back into the body of the film, now in high definition.

Intentions:

Like its more successful forbearers (“Beauty and the Beast” and “The Lion King”), 1995’s “Pocahontas” has had an extended version available on home media with an extra song compared to the theatrical cut. In this case, the track had been recorded and the animation nearly completed for the original release, but children in test audiences appeared to lose interest at this point so the scene was cut. Home viewers got to decide for themselves with the release of the Special Edition DVD ten years later, the animation fully completed. While “If I Never Knew You” doesn’t address the rather conventional plot or the controversy surrounding the film’s relaxed attitude to history, I think that not only is it a great song, but that it adds an important emotional beat before the final act. For some reason this longer version has not been made available in high-definition, this project aims to rectify that.

Change List:

The 2012 Blu-ray provided the theatrical cut and song “If I Never Knew You” in native Full HD (the latter in the special features). The 2005 Special Edition DVD, slowed down from 25 to 24 FPS, provided the soundtrack (preventing the need for any audio cuts) and some exclusive footage that was resized, upscaled and colour-matched (using DrDre’s excellent tool) to the Blu-ray’s. Two additions were made to the theatrical version, “If I Never Knew You” was almost entirely sourced from the Blu-ray special feature but the final shot fades out too fast there. This was fixed by making a plate of the (thankfully static) background and compositing in the canoe from the DVD. The call-back to the song right at the end of the film came entirely from the DVD, but I think the integration is seamless. On comparison with the Blu-ray, the DVD is brighter and has a more vibrant colour scheme. This was not mimicked, but the overall grade was adjusted to look (in my eyes) more pleasant. Exported Full HD with 5.1 audio, full English subtitles provided. Cuts and Additions: 0:00:00 Personal plate and fanedit disclaimer 1:02:00 Added back “If I Never Knew You” song from Blu-ray special features 1:05:55 Replaced canoe in last shot of “If I Never Knew You” with equivalent from 2005 DVD (7 seconds) 1:16:21 Added brief “If I Never Knew You” reprise from 2005 DVD (28 seconds)

Additional Notes:

If anybody is interested in a non-Disneyfied take on the apocryphal story that forms the basis for this film, check out Terrence Malick’s “The New World”. As well as featuring two of the same actors (Irene Bedard and Christian Bale) it is also available in multiple versions, including an edit by Heavisyde that combines them all to reach the maximum possible runtime.

Special Thanks:

Thanks to DrDre for creating and providing the colour matching tool that made integration of the DVD material alongside the Blu-ray’s possible.