Pocahontas

Jamestown in 1607, babbling brooks, thousands of miles of great pines, the Powhatan
tribe, love between a British soldier and the daughter of the Indian chief- this is the 33rd animated
Disney film Pocahontas, which hit theaters in July of 1995.

The story begins with the Susan Constant sailing into the Chesapeake Bay and its
passengers, including John Smith and Governor Radcliffe, setting up the Jamestown settlement.
As soon as the settlement goes up, Governor Radcliffe puts the men to work digging for gold,
Radcliffe’s true reason for visiting the “New World”. Meanwhile, Pocahontas is informed by her
father that she will marry a war hero of the tribe, Kocoum. Pocahontas is disgusted at that
thought because she believes that he is too “serious” for her spirited personality. One day as John
is exploring the land he encounters Pocahontas and the two instantly develop a bond fueled by
their fascination of each other’s worlds. After secretly meeting several times, the two fall in love,
disobeying her father’s wishes. Pocahontas then wants to take John to meet Grandmother
Willow, a spirit tree that guides Pocahontas and gives her insight into her heart. While there, the
couple share a kiss that is witnessed by Kocoum and a fellow sailor, Thomas. Kocoum attacks
John but instead is shot dead by Thomas. Indian warriors soon arrive and arrest John and take
him to the chief, believing that he is the culprit. The chief declares war on the Jamestown settlers
starting with John Smith’s execution at sunrise. In a panic from the news of John’s execution,
Pocahontas visits Grandmother Willow and asks for her guidance and what to do. The tree shows
her the path and tells her to follow it. Pocahontas starts running towards the battle site while the
settlers and Indians prepare for battle. She arrives at the battle just in time to save John.
throws herself on John and declares her love for him. In an attempt to establish peace between
the two side, Pocahontas reminds them that they are all equal and that there is no reason for
fighting. Convinced, both sides agree to not fight, except Governor Radcliffe who takes a rifle
and shoots John in an attempt to kill the chief, declaring that it is a trap. The settlers attack
Radcliffe and arrest him, while John is mortally wounded and his only chance for survival is to
return to England. John asks Pocahontas to accompany him to London and stay with him, but she
replies that she is “needed here” with her people. Pocahontas tells him that he “will always be
with [her]”. John is loaded onto the ship and sets sail. Pocahontas runs onto a ledge trying to
keep up with ship and waves goodbye to John.

With a three out of four star rating, Pocahontas dazzles on the screen and provides great
entertainment for the whole family. The highlights of the film were that it was the first Disney
movie portraying Native Americans and the film’s incredible soundtrack. The soundtrack
features a variety of upbeat songs focusing on the main story line and a few powerful tracks that
focus on the deeper, darker side of the story. The only slightly negative aspect of the film is the
historically contorted content. But this setback is not enough to ruin the movie’s affect or lessen
its entertainment. I personally recommend this film to anybody and everybody with a pulse! It is
truly riveting and is guaranteed to give you a laugh.