Pocahontas (Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz)
(1995)
Following a large success with The Lion King in 1994, Disney would release two animated films in 1995, Toy Story, (notable for being the first film in cinema history to made completely using computers, and also my personal choice for the best film of 1995), and Pocahontas. The latter was the studio’s first attempt at making an animated film based on a true story, although that story didn’t seem to have much influence on the screenwriters (in fairness though, it is a children’s film).
Composer Alan Menken had previously worked on three Disney animations – The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, winning two Oscars for each of them. In 1996, the Academy created a special category just so that they could accomodate Menken’s wins (the “Best Original Musical or Comedy Score one). This category lasted for just four years, for Menken’s dominance of Disney animations had come to an end , and following Hercules in 1997, he would not score another feature film until Home on the Range in 2004. In the meantime, Disney Animation would experiment with several other composers, notably Jerry Goldsmith (whose score for Mulan is probably the best ever written for the studio, with the possible exception of Menken’s Beauty and the Beast), and James Newton Howard.
So what can be said of Pocahontas’ score? Menken teamed up with lyricist Stephen Schwartz to write the songs for the film (having previously collaborated with the late Howard Ashman and Tim Rice for his previous Disney work). There are several highlights the album has to offer, most notably “Colors of the Wind”, which is without question one of Menken’s best compositions, very deservedly earning an Oscar for Best Song. Schwartz’s lyrics don’t have the brilliance that Howard Ashman’s did, but they’re still pretty good. Both this and the song “Just Around the Riverbend” are beautifully sung by Judy Kuhn. Mel Gibson also lends his voice to the song “Mine, Mine Mine”, but thankfully the singing is minimal.
So yes, the songs are great. But the score? To be quite honest, the only bits of it that I really enjoyed was the very last part. “Execution” is good, and the choral conclusion to the cue “Farewell” is simply glorious. Both those cues are based on the themes for “Colors of the Wind”. Aside from that, “Ship at Sea”, contains some excellent action music, but the score as whole, whilst functional in the film, is, for the most part unmemorable, and rather disappointing.
The album merits a recommendation, mainly for the songs though. As well as the Oscar for Best Song, the film of course also won for Best Score, an award that, considering it was up against The American President, was remarkably undeserved.
Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (UK)
Purchase from Amazon: CD | Download (USA)
Track Listing
1. The Virginia Company (song) (1:30)
2. Ship at Sea (2:43)
3. The Virginia Company (Reprise) (song) (0:35)
4. Steady as the Beating Drum (Main Title) (song) (1:46)
5. Steady as the Beating Drum (Reprise) (song) (0:45)
6. Just Around the Riverbend (song) (2:28)
7. Grandmother Willow (1:27)
8. Listen With Your Heart (Part 1) (song) (1:27)
9. Mine, Mine, Mine (song) (3:05)
10. Listen With Your Heart (Part 2) (song) (2:44)
11. Colors of the Wind (song) (3:33)
12. Savages (Part 1) (song) (1:43)
13. Savages (Part 2) (song) (2:14)
14. I’ll never See Him Again (1:54)
15. Pocahontas (1:23)
16. Council Meeting (1:11)
17. Percy’s Bath (0:51)
18. River’s Edge (1:27)
19. Skirmish (2:02)
20. Getting Acquainted (1:30)
21. Ratcliffe’s Plan (1:46)
22. Picking Corn (0:54)
23. The Warriors Arrive (1:22)
24. John Smith Sneaks Out (1:14)
25. Execution (1:34)
26. Farewell (4:45)
27. Colors of the Wind (4:17)
28. If I Never Knew You (4:11)
Credits
Music Composed by Alan Menken
Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Orchestrated and Conducted by Danny Troob
Produced by Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz
Awards
Academy Award for Best Original Score (won)
Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Colors of the Wind” (won)
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score (nominated)
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Colors of the Wind” (won)
Grammy Award for Best Song for “Colors of the Wind” (won)
Insert Notes
Purchased as MP3 Download
All artwork and images are Copyright © Walt Disney Records.
