Over spring break, the animation I watched, or rather should say re-watched was Disney’s “Pocahontas.”  In this post, I will discuss Disney’s attempt at historical fiction, the animals in the movie, the animation of nature, and the use of song sequences to convey the plot of the narrative.

“Pocahontas” is definitely a story that strays from Disney’s typical fairytale plot line.  It is based on actual history, but this history is not necessarily accurate history.  Here is the history that Disney actually got right: Pocahontas’s spirit.  She was a free spirited girl and conveyed pretty well in that regard.  They also represented the spirit of the other Native Americans, as well as that of the early Jamestown settlement well.  Another thing that is accurate is the setting of James Fort and Powhatan village.  The lifestyles there are pretty well displayed.  The ship that the crew came on was also the right ship called “Susan Constant,” although in reality that was not the only ship that had come to Virginia.  The name of the governor is also right.  John Ratcliffe was in fact in charge of the colony at the time Smith was captured.  Finally, the way Smith was saved by Pocahontas was legitimate, since Smith had written himself that he had been saved by Pocahontas, who had thrown herself  by Smith’s head, coming in between him and the Indians attacking him.  Someone in Disney wanted this to be a Romeo and Juliet type of movie, and someone else wanted the American Frontier.  These two ideas combined together formed the rest of the fiction plot, with Smith as Romeo, and Pocahontas as Juliet.  The movie shows that Pocahontas and Smith met in the wilderness and fell in love (like Romeo and Juliet,) and Pocahontas was engaged to Kokoum but chose Smith instead.  In reality, the first time Pocahontas and Smith really met was when she saved his life, and he became Powhatan’s adopted son.  Pocahontas was actually engaged to Kokoum after she thought Smith was dead, but instead chose to marry John Rolfe over Kokoum.  Therefore, it would have made more sense if Kokoum was in the second movie and not the first.   If anyone is interested in the comparison of the animated Pocahontas and the real story of Pocahontas, this is a great website where I got the historical information, complete with a detailed chart: http://pocahontas.morenus.org/index.html.

Next I wanted to look at animals in the movie.  In the movie “Pocahontas,” the animals do not talk, as they do in some cel animation cartoons.  Rather they communicate with the humans like Pocahontas through certain gestures and actions.  This is also how they communicate with each other.  They are given their animal-like characteristics and actions, yet at the same time, these actions are exaggerated and at times seem a bit humane.  One example is the bird’s need to protect Pocahontas from any danger, in particular John Smith, and Meeko the raccoon’s overly friendly nature (except towards the dog Percy.)  The naming of Ratcliffe’s dog, Percy is also significant. George Percy was actually a colonist council President who followed Smith around and wrote two books about him.  Meeko and Percy also symbolize the relationship between the Native Americans and the colonists, when at first they don’t understand each other and fight all the time, but eventually become friends that help each other out.

In terms of animation, I like how Disney animated nature in “Pocahontas.”  One good example is Grandmother Willow.  The morphing of the tree trunk into her face and back again is done quite well.  Also, it is interesting how the animators used only the elements of the tree trunk to make her face.  For example, her eyes are hollow holes in the trunk, as is her mouth when she talks.  The tree vines on Grandmother Willow’s tree are also animated and give Grandmother Willow more personality.  They are used as her hands.  She smacks people with her vines, picks up Meeko, and can point and reach towards the water and touch it.  The other part in which nature is brought to life is in the song “Colors of the Wind.”  Here there is a sequence where everything on the screen appears painted with different colors, including Pocahontas.  The colors are smudged and look as though they are flowing all around Pocahontas.  The movement of Pocahontas’s hair also conveys the blowing of the wind.  In this way, the song sequence is describing its titles and literally showing the colors of the wind, which is usually colorless.  In another song, “Listen to Your Heart,” the wind and the nature are given a voice as echoes of Grandmother Willow’s songs are heard everywhere.

Songs play an integral part in the narrative of the movie.  I already talked above about some ways that the songs “Colors of the wind,” and “Listen to Your Heart” help in the plot of the film.  The song that I thought did best in conveying the film’s narrative was the song “Savages.”  Here are some of the lyrics that the colonists are singing:

[Ratcliffe]
What can you expect
From filthy little heathens?
Their whole disgusting race is like a curse
Their skin’s a hellish red
They’re only good when dead
They’re vermin, as I said
And worse
[English Settlers]
They’re savages! Savages!
[Ratcliffe]
Barely even human
[English Settlers]
Savages! Savages!
[Ratcliffe]
Drive them from our shore!
They’re not like you and me
Which means they must be evil
We must sound the drums of war!
[English Settlers]
They’re savages! Savages!
Dirty redskin devils!
Now we sound the drums of war!

Here are the Native American’s side of the lyrics:

[Powhatan]
This is what we feared
The paleface is a demon
The only thing they feel at all is greed
[Kekata]
Beneath that milky hide
There’s emptiness inside
[Native Americans]
I wonder if they even bleed

They’re savages! Savages!
Barely even human
Savages! Savages!
[Powhatan]
Killers at the core
[Kekata]
They’re different from us
Which means they can’t be trusted
[Powhatan]
We must sound the drums of war
[Native Americans]
They’re savages! Savages!
First we deal with this one
[All]
Then we sound the drums of war

Here is the video with lyrics:

This song sums up the whole movie for me.  The lyrics clearly convey that each side does not like the other, mainly because the other side is different, which makes them think they must be evil and not trustworthy.  However, seeing as how this is a cartoon movie aimed at children, the lyrics are a bit harsh, especially the first part that the colonists are singing.  The words are very racist.  There is talk of blood, war, killing, and offensive remarks made about skin color.  There are also guns being thrown, axes being sharpened, glowing face and body war paint, canons, pitch forks and shovels being raised, and Smith is shown with a rope around his neck and is being dragged.  While I appreciate that these lyrics do a good job of conveying each side’s mentality, these words do not appear suitable for a children’s movie.  Along with the lyrics, the song is filled with images of fire, smoke, and dark lighting on part of both sides as they get ready for war, which might frighten kids.  While I think this song did an excellent job of conveying the narrative both through the drawings and the lyrics, I don’t think it was necessarily suitable for a child audience.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching Disney’s “Pocahontas” again.  I noticed things in it this time that I hadn’t before, and had more appreciation for the historical fiction, the beautiful drawn cel animation, the animation of the animals and nature, and the song sequences.

**I commented on Brittany Alberry’s Post (#1) and Hayleigh Allingham (#2)