Continuing my countdown of favorite Disney Animation movies following my marathon viewing of all 64…
My Top Ten Disney Animation Movies
#7 – Pocahontas (1995)
The period from 1989 through 1999 is considered Disney’s Renaissance era, when the studio produced some of its most beloved and successful films. A renewed focus on the quality of storytelling, animation, and songwriting resulted in a run of undeniable classics.
Some of those movies made my list while others didn’t (sorry, The Lion King fans). But of all of them, I think the most underappreciated is 1995’s Pocahontas.
As a dramatization of the relationship between the Powhatan woman Pocahontas and John Smith, an English colonist, this story is in danger of veering into problematic territory from the start. But the filmmakers avoid those potholes by making Pocahontas the undeniable heroine of the movie, rewriting history in Tarantino-esque fashion to give her more agency.
The result is a deeply spiritual film that honors the Native American tribe’s relationship with nature, condemns the white settlers’ subjugation, and builds a Romeo and Juliet-like relationship between Pocahontas and John at the center of the conflict. It’s a surprisingly mature film that doesn’t settle for easy solutions.
It’s also gorgeous to look at, with a palette of rich reds, browns, and yellows and an impressionistic visual approach that nods to indigenous artwork.
Pocahontas has long been one of my older daughter’s favorite Disney films, and I’m glad this rewatch put me solidly in her camp.
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During the design phase for this film, Studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg asked the animators to come up with the most beautiful woman ever imagined onscreen. They pulled it off, landing Pocahontas near the top of my list of hottest Disney heroines. Here are some others:
Disney Animation – Hottest Heroines
5. Tiana from The Princess and the Frog
4. Nani from Lilo & Stitch
3. Esmerelda from The Hunchback of Notre Dame
2. Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire
1. Jasmine from Aladdin
You think I’m an ignorant savage
And you’ve been so many places
I guess it must be so
But still, I cannot see
If the savage one is me
How can there be so much that you don’t know?
You don’t know[Verse 2]
You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name
[Verse 3]
You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You’ll learn things you never knew you never knew
[Chorus]
Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
[Verse 4]
Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sun-sweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they’re worth
[Verse 5]
The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends
[Bridge]
How high does the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you’ll never know
[Chorus]
And you’ll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
For whether we are white or copper-skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind
[Outro]
You can own the Earth and still
All you’ll own is earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind
Meet Me In Montauk 
I probably only saw this movie once or twice many years ago, so I don’t recall much about it. Of course, “Colors of the Wind” is a standout song. A ranking of top 10 Disney songs may be in order, and I suspect this one would make the list.
lovely song ❤️ how did you view all of these films? Were they available to stream?
Disney Plus has the whole catalog… quite the bargain!
wow that is great!
I thought Disney+ plus had them all except for “Make Mine Music” (1946). Did they finally add it? When I was going through them all last year, I had to buy that one on DVD to watch it.
This is such a beautiful film and I also owe it a revisit soon.