Pocahontas 1995 Film
Pocahontas is the thirty-third animated feature in the Disney animated features canon. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and was originally released to theaters on June 16, 1995 to selected cities by Buena Vista Pictures. The film is based loosely on the encounter between the colonists of Jamestown, Virginia and the native Powhatan tribe, and in particular presents a highly emotionally charged and dramatic account of the meeting between Pocahontas and John Smith. A musical with music by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, the film's anthem, Colors of the Wind won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Song. It was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World in 1998.
In 1607, a ship carrying a group of over 100 British settlers sets sail for North America. Also on board is handsome Captain John Smith (voice of Mel Gibson), and the greedy Governor Ratcliffe (voice of David Ogden Stiers). They are going to America in search of gold and other riches (which Ratcliffe wants all to himself), and, quite possibly, to fight Natives (Virginia Company).
When we are introduced to the Powhatan tribe (Steady as the Beating Drum), they are in a celebratory mood, and with good reason. The Powhatan tribe have just conquered a rival tribe. We next see the chief's beautiful daughter, Pocahontas, who is standing on a cliff, the wind blowing leaves around her. Her best friend Nakoma calls here from a canoe in the river below and tells her to come back to the village. Pocahontas, accompanied by her animal friends, Meeko, a racoon, and Flit, a hummingbird, leaps off the cliff, into the river where she overturns the canoe, and has a brief splashing fight with Nakoma before they turn the boat over, and row back to the village.
Upon reaching the village, Pocahontas and Nakoma see Kekata, the village's elder and medicine man, paint two of bear paw prints on the chest of a handsome warrior named Kocoum, who Chief Powhatan says fought much bravely than the other warriors. Later, in Powhatan's hut, Pocahontas learns that Kocoum has asked for her hand in marriage. She tells her father that Kocoum seems so serious as she looks outside and sees that Kocoum is practically ignoring the children around him. Her father says it's a good choice for her and gives her the necklace that her mother wore on her wedding (Steady as the Beating Drum Reprise). Confused, Pocahontas gets in her canoe with Flit and Meeko, and travels to an enchanted glade that only she knows about (Just Around the Riverbend). We are then introduced to a talking tree called Grandmother Willow, who instantly recognizes the necklace Pocahontas is wearing. Pocahontas tells her about her father wanting her to marry Kocoum, and Grandmother Willow agrees that Kocoum is too serious. She proceeds to tell Grandmother Willow about this dream she's been having: She is running through the woods, and right there in front of her is an arrow. As she looks at it, it starts to spin. It spins faster and faster until suddenly, it stops. Pocahontas suddenly hears the wind, and when she does not understand what it is telling her, Grandmother Willow begins to sing a little song, and tells her to listen with her heart (Listen With Your Heart). Pocahontas climbs to the top of a tree, and sees strange clouds.
The "strange clouds" that Pocahontas has seen are the sails of the settlers ship, on which we see Ratcliffe in his cabin with his assistant, Wiggins, and his spoilt pug dog, Percy. Once ashore, John Smith climbs up some rocks to get a better look at the island. Hiding in the bushes, Pocahontas seems smitten by Smith. Meeko sneaks out, and catches Smith's attention. Smith gives him a biscuit. When he goes to the bush where Pocahontas is, Flit attacks, and Smith drops many more biscuits which Meeko scarfs down.
The settlers arrive to America, "The New World"The tribe is aware of the new arrivals, and Kekata throws some powder onto a fire. The smoke takes on many frightening shapes and sounds, and Powhatan tells Kocoum to take some warriors to observe the strangers.
The settlers start digging (Mine, Mine, Mine), and John Smith walks the land, unaware that he is being followed. Smith comes to a stream. He cups water in his hand, and sees a reflection in the water. Regardless, he washes his face, then hides behind a waterfall. When he sees a figure approach, he leaps out, armed, but lowers his weapon when he notices it's a woman. Pocahontas runs off, but Smith catches up with her. He extends his hand to her and when she takes it, the wind-carried leaves form a bond between the two. When Smith asks her who she is, the wind swirls around Pocahontas, and she hears Grandmother Willow telling her again to listen with her heart, and she tells Smith her name is Pocahontas.
In the meantime, the warriors are watching the settlers digging. However, when Percy spots one of them, a panic ensues. In the ensuing guns and bullets versus bows and arrows battle, one warrior, Namontak is shot and wounded by Ratcliffe. The Natives retreat, and Powhatan declares, "These white men are dangerous! No one is to go near them!". Meanwhile, John Smith and Pocahontas are getting to know each other. Meeko mistakes John's compass, for a biscuit, and steals it. However, the two encounter a problem when John thinks of Pocahontas and her people as "savages". Pocahontas thinks Smith does not know about the nature of the world. Pocahontas then sings one of the film's most popular songs, "Colors of the Wind". However, their time together is abruptly cut short when Pocahontas hears a distant drumming sound, and runs away.
A few days go by, and John can't seem to get Pocahontas out of his head, and decides to track her down. Ratcliffe sees Smith is gone, and sends two other settlers (one of whom is voiced by Billy Connolly) to find him. Nakoma also finds that Pocahontas is hiding something. Smith locates Pocahontas just as Nakoma tells Pocahontas to trust her with her secret. Pocahontas tells her not to tell anyone, and she and John sneak off. They head to the enchanted glade where John learns that his friends won't find any gold, so they came all this way for nothing. Pocahontas introduces John to Grandmother Willow. John hears the voices of the two settlers Radcliffe has sent, and he and Pocahontas hide. As the settlers pass the tree, Grandmother Willow lifts her root, and trips them, and the settlers are sure they see the tree lower its root. Grandmother Willow then snaps her vines, hitting their rear ends, and they run away. John and Pocahontas agree to meet again that night. Pocahontas wants to meet him again, and Grandmother Willow wants to as well, but Pocahontas is afraid it's too dangerous. She gets the idea that the arrow in her dream is pointing to John, and not Kocoum.
When Pocahontas returns to the village, some brothers of the Powhatan tribe have arrived to help them destroy the white men. Pocahontas tries to convince her father to try and talk the men out of fighting. Her plea falls on deaf ears. Smith arrives back at the settlers' fort, and tries to convince Ratcliffe that there is no gold, because a Native told him. Ratcliffe sees this as a lie, and warns Smith that there is a severe penalty for treason: death by hanging.
That night, Nakoma catches Pocahontas sneaking off again, and tries to convince her not to go out there again. Pocahontas tells her best friend she must do this, and runs off through the cornfield. Nakoma finds Kocoum sitting on a rock, sharpening his knife, and tells him that she thinks Pocahontas is in trouble. Meanwhile, a young settler named Thomas (voice of Christian Bale) sees Smith sneaking off. Ratcliffe tells him to follow him, and gives him a rifle to use on any Natives.
John and Pocahontas meet in the enchanted glade, Smith tells her what his men are planning to do. A mysterious creature, which turns out to be Percy stuck in an old bit of tree appears and chases after Meeko, who has become quite a thorn in his side. Upon seeing the face of Grandmother Willow, Percy faints. Grandmother Willow manages to convince John that the both of them can bring peace between their two worlds. Pocahontas and John start kissing, and we see that from a corner of the glade, Thomas is watching, with an astonished look. From another corner we see that Kocoum is also watching, astonished. Kocoum finally snaps and lets out a deafening war cry, and attacks John. Pocahontas tries to pull Kocoum off him, only to be tossed aside. John is saved when Thomas appears and fatally shoots Kocoum, who pulls the necklace from Pocahontas' neck as he falls to the ground dead. Pocahontas, angry at Thomas for killing Kocoum, flies at him in a rage but John manages to hold her back. As voices approach, John tells Thomas to run. Having heard the gunshot, a group of Natives arrive, John is taken prisoner, and Kocoum's dead body is carried off. Percy trembles at this sight, and he follows Meeko and Flit as they follow Pocahontas back to the village. Back at the village, Powhatan announces that Smith will be killed at sunrise, and out of anger, he blames his own daughter's foolishness for Kocoum's death (If I Never Knew You).
Thomas runs back to the fort and breaks the news of John's capture. Ratcliffe sees this as a perfect excuse to get his greedy hands on the gold that the Natives don't have, and announces that they will attack at dawn (Savages). Meanwhile, Pocahontas returns to the enchanted glade, and tells Grandmother Willow what's happened. Meeko gives Pocahontas John's compass, and as she stares at it, the needle, which looks like an arrow starts to spin, and Pocahontas recognizes it as the arrow from her dream, and realizes she was right about the arrow pointing at John. As Pocahontas stands up, the sun starts to rise. The needle then stops. It is pointing in the direction of the sun, and Pocahontas races back to the village.
The settlers arrive at the village just as Smith is about to be killed. Pocahontas arrives just in time, and throws herself over John, telling her father that if he kills John, he will have to kill her too. After proclaiming her love for John, she shows her father that this is where the path of hatred has brought them. Powhatan declares: "From this day forward, if there is to be any more killing, it will not start with me". Smith is freed. However, Ratcliffe, who's eager to get rid of the Natives once and for all, orders the settlers to fire, but, seeing that Smith's release is an act of peace, they refuse. Angry, Ratcliffe snatches a rifle, and aims at Powhatan. John pushes the chief aside, and he gets shot instead. The settlers now see Ratcliffe for what he really is, and they gang up on him. Thomas grabs the rifle from Ratcliffe, and orders the settlers to chain and gag him. Later, he is seen being loaded onto a rowboat and taken back to the ship, chained and gagged.
John is only wounded, but must return to England if he is to survive. Pocahontas and her people arrive, carrying baskets of corn. Percy is now dressed like a Native, indicating that he has decided to stay in Virginia. The animals return Pocahontas' mother's necklace, and Pocahontas promises John, "No matter what happens, I will always be with you. Forever". As the boat sails away, Pocahontas comes to the edge of the cliff, and waves her hand goodbye to John, but it doesn't look like she's in pain. She looks like she has hope that he will return someday, back to her again.
