Podcast Blog: Pocahontas

Pocahontas is a Disney film released in 1995, and arguably a classic. I personally didn’t watch it really when I was younger, but I really enjoyed the movie. First of all I personally love Disney movies in general, they have a certain charm to them. Starting with the animation, I found it really interesting. I liked that they chose to depict the leaves as colorful and bright, implying that there is some kind of magic at work. I mean, that really does seem to be the point since after all Pocahontas can see that everything on the land is alive and has spirit, she can even talk to the willow tree. Another moment in the animation I appreciate is when they’re singing about how the other side is a bunch of savages, and you can see the shadows of soldiers in the smoke in the sky as it collides. That moment is really impactful and drives home the point that something awful will happen if the two sides go to war.

Going off the point of everything in the forest being alive, I thought the film has some really good messages to share with the audience. First of all, Pocahontas herself talks about respecting the earth rather that just exhausting resources out of greed, which is a positive environmental message. In the lyrics of arguably the most memorable song “Colors of the Wind” she explains that if you just use the resources of land you’ll never be able to learn about it. To her people, everything has a spirit name from the animals to rocks even.

This transitions into another message the film sends, which is about how one should try to see things from others perspectives and communicate. John Smith and the crew travel to the new land expecting to just be able to take it, all in a very fixed mindset of entitlement as they don’t see the natives as human, or at least not on the same level as them. Meanwhile, as soon as Pocahontas’s tribe hears that these people have ill intent, they automatically refuse to see them as anything but monsters. Up until the very end only John and Pocahontas were able to get along because they remained open to each other’s perspectives, and since the rest of the characters didn’t do that there was bloodshed and they nearly fought an entirely preventable war. This is an excellent message to be sending to kids and the general public alike.

Overall I like how these serious and inspiring messages were included in the film even though it’s meant to be for younger audiences. That, and the art and music made it an enjoyable experience, but I don’t expect anything less from Disney. Personally, it really touched my heart to see these two groups of people come together and later support one another. The ending was especially touching when John had to leave and her tribe provided him and the rest of the crew with food. If I had to rate the film, I’d give it a good, good.