I think it's also interesting that she is one of the first early Disney Princesses to not end up with her love interest. We see a sacrifice from the main character and there is no miracle at the very end to reunite them. At this point, almost everyone even unconventional female protagonists like Meg, Esmeralda, and even Mulan ended up with their love interests at the end.
Not to mention it subverts the White Saviour trope by having Pocahontas be the driving force of the story, school John on how backwards his way of thinking is and be the one to save the day
@@BetterWithBob The film does a good job of making it clear that John, not the indigenous people was the 'savage' in need of having his life improved. Not by giving him roads, tech or guns or liquor. But by having someone open his mind and teach him a thing or two about what actual kindness and tolerance looks like. It's actually a really beautiful subversion and I'll forever love this film for being brave enough to put forth this message to children (like me at the time).
Fun fact Ratcliff is the only villain from the Renaissance era not to have any interaction with the main protagonist Pochontas herself , as the closest was at the end where she saves Johnn from being executed and all the characters were they but the two never really acknowledge one another . It isn’t until the direct to video sequel where Pochontas and Ratcliff do offically meet .
When I hear people complain that "Savages" is such a racist song, I'm like, yeah... that's kind of the point. I was seven when this came out and I completely understood that it was meant to show us the dangers of racist and superior mindsets and depict a fictional version of history if colonizers back then had actually learned to respect the indigenous people they encountered. I knew it wasn't historically accurate but it was very blunt about how the Native people were treated "We invaded their land and cut down their trees and dug up their earth". The movie doesn't make white people look too good. My issue would be that they could have just written a completely fictional story rather than trying to use the history of Pocahontas since her story was actually really sad and not inspirational at all. When you have to warp history that much maybe just give up and start from scratch.
This is my favorite Disney movie. I was 9 when I first saw it and I loved Pocahontas and Grandmother Willowtree and the whole nature thing. And being in Scandinavia, it was so different and interesting. Afterwards I read anything I could find about native american legends and history. I get the critism as an adult, but I saw it as a kid and it inspired me so much so learn about another culture and I wouldnt be without that. And the music is still - I think - relevant today.
I disagree. I don’t put it anywhere near the top. I think it is one of the weakest Disney movies of all time. It was tone deaf and just didn’t know what type of story it was trying to tell, because the executives were trying so hard to replicate Beauty and the Beast’s success not understand what made that film get some Oscar love. Nostalgia just doesn’t always make a film great.
Ughhh, I get such goosebumps whenever I listen to 'Farewell'. Not only one of my favorite Disney music, but music in general. Such an epic way to end a film.
To me, Pocahontas IS something big. I hate how everyone hates on it cause its not historically accurate. Of course everyone's oppinion is valid so i respect it, but it makes me sad. I simply love it. I relate it with my love, admiration and respect for nature. I think it ignited something in me when i was little and it always inspires me
I'm kind of in the same spot. I've read every reason I should hate it, but I don't. It's actually my favorite!🙂 I mean, people seem to be putting Pocahontas on the same level on...maybe say... Barney's Great Adventure (that might be going too far) all because of how it represents Native American people and it's distorted history. But then they miss the good parts. This was a very brave baby step outside Disney's comfort zone. Glen Keane, Pocahontas's lead animator, said that when he was making Pocahontas, he remembered a piece of advice from The Nine Old Men: "Animate with sincerity." Essentially, you have to treat this character like a real person. That simple piece of advice made the difference, Pocahontas became unlike most Disney Princesses up to that point. Of course, this movie will always have it's fans and haters. I obviously consider myself a fan. My love of this film once got me an exclusive question in 11th grade American History Class "In the Disney film, who did Pocahontas fall in love with?" Me: "John Smith." John Smith was also arguably the first Disney Prince who rescued a person who wasn't his love interest, it was his surrogate baby brother (Thomas).
I respectfully disagree. It is one of the weakest Disney movies ever and easily the worst of the Disney Renaissance. It was super boring and lacked so much of the magic and wonder of previous Disney movies, all for that pathetic excuse for an Oscar nomination that failed horribly.
@@captainhowlerwilson508 Alright, now what if it had instead been called something like "Katanas of Jamestown" and been a full alternate history of Jamestown in Edo jidai Japan with John Smith instead having romance with some local noblewoman named...Sakura!
I really appreciate your analysis, it's how I feel about it too. There are problematic parts to Pocahontas...true, but the overall message still has merit. This movie and the Hunchback of the Notre Dame are my favorite Disney animated films as they were only Disney films to deal with darker themes and real life controversial topics in a way that children could understand. Also, the music is breathtaking in both, but I'm bias too as I loved Pocahontas since I saw it as a kid in the theaters just like you. Even then, I was excited to see a Disney film that had a female lead of another culture, who wasn't that same boring white Disney princess. Just discovered your channel with your Pretty Baby video, went on a little binge last night and watch several of your videos, liked them all, but this Pocahontas analysis made me subscribe.👍 Your channel needs more views, all your videos are so well done!
I think I got into reviewing and doing this kind of thing because of Pocahontas actually. I would see so many hot takes about why it was all terrible but even after listening to them, I still loved the film and felt there should be a discussion about its good points too. I love Hunchback as well, especially the music :)
I would agree with The Hunchback of Notre Dame being up there with the best as it handled its dark themes very well, and still had plenty of that Disney magic and wonder, despite some tonal inconsistencies that drag it down a bit. Pocahontas on the other hand? Not so much. It didn’t handle much of its themes very well and ended up being really boring as a result.
Pocahontas has always and will always be one of my top favorite Disney films! I went to see it many times in the theaters in the summer of ‘95. I just can’t understand why there is so much mediocrity regarding it. Every time I went to see it, the entire theater erupted with applause when it ended. It will always be one of my favorites!!! ❤❤❤
I'm the same way. I have watched it since I was small, and it came to theaters a year after I was born. I have always admired the film for so much it represented, it tried to teach us, and the respect for native culture the creators tried to represent with little knowledge of Powhatan culture, which lead me to seek out my own understanding of various Native American cultures and finding much respect and awe for their ways. Alongside all that, it showed this unique take of the view between two distinctly different cultures; how they saw one another for the supposed first time in the early colonial period, and what tensions and misunderstanding of one another can lead to, and what one of two outcomes can emerge from such strive and hatred from misunderstanding, rage, and imposing wills unwilling to see the differences and working them out with the opposing sides, until two people make that first step together. Not to mention this is one of the best looking Disney films. The artwork for this film, I put it up there with Sleeping Beauty, Beauty & The Beast, Atlantis, and Snow White amongst the classic Disney films. I even put it alongside Prince of Egypt, which IS the greatest animated film for more than just its art form.
Omygoodness! thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. You made so many wonderful points that I have thought as well and others that I never knew! I have been thinking similar thoughts about this movie my whole life and Pocahontas was my favorite Disney princess growing up. As a child, I assumed everyone loved this movie because of it's message of peace and tolerance, but ofc after learning the history was saddened to see it overlooked and understandably bashed on because of it's historical innacuracies. I honestly wish Disney hadn't based it on real historical figures and had used fictional characters and events to still portray their message. I appreciate how you mentioned Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke! He is also one of (perhaps maybe even my top) my favorite Studio Ghibli characters! I never even saw the similarity between the two characters, and now I am not surprised by why I loved Princess Mononoke as well. Goodness, so many wonderful things to say but this comment would never end haha.
I have the exact same opinion--the movie itself is pretty much a totally original magical realism historical drama promoting racial and cultural tolerance, respect for nature, and anti-colonialism, revolving around a Romeo & Juliet-esque "forbidden" romance...but with a few historical figure names slapped onto it. It probably wouldn't seem nearly as "problematic" to people if not for the latter.
@@freshPrincess626 Alright, now what if it had instead been called something like "Katanas of Jamestown" and been a full alternate history of Jamestown in Edo jidai Japan with John Smith instead having romance with some local noblewoman named...Sakura!
The character Wiggins might have been a lot smarter and saner then how the film protrays him as he suggests giving the indians gift baskets and when asked by Ratcliff why they were attacked , he says because the settling were cutting down their trees and diggin up their earth and was simple self-defense , implying he doesn’t think their just blood thristy savages .
Thank you! You Review of Pocahontas is the only rational analysis i have seen on youtube. Of course there are problematic parts of this film, no doubt about that. But there are many great things in it as-well.
Great Video. Many people just immediately dismiss this film right to exist without even watching it. Im not an American and in the past years I was really shocked to realize it got so much hate ?! its a real shame because its one of their best
I think the big problem with Savages is that even though the Powhatans are portrayed as simply reacting to the European colonists, their reaction is portrayed as irrational. Which it really wasn't. The Powhatan people were being threatened by colonial exploitation. In real life they were probably screwed either way because European diseases that would kill off 90% of the native population had already reached the Western hemisphere, but the movie leaves that out, so within the context of the film, attacking the colonists is a completely rational and understandable choice. And even seeing it as a response to the Los Angeles riots doesn't really make it better. The 1992 LA riots were violent and destructive but they were not irrational. They were a pretty justified response to decades of systemic discrimination at the hands of the police, and centuries of persecution by the US government. It got to a point where violence was the only option many people felt they had. Unfortunately many innocent people were killed and many lives were destroyed, but that also happened during the French and Russian revolutions, and even the Civil War. The problem with Pocahontas, is that even though it acknowledges racism and historical atrocities, the message of the film is just fundamentally flawed. Blaming both sides for not putting down their arms and coming to terms doesn't work when one side had no intention of ever doing that.
The powhatan's began attacking the settlers when they refused to become effectively a vassal under them. Historically the governor Radcliffe was killed when he was ambushed during a negotiation for trading for food and was subsequently skinned alive l. History is not a fanciful black k and white affair and you're feeding into that exact galbrush paradox discussed in this video
I agree that the messaging is more on the simplistic and idealistic side...but it's a movie meant to be understood by children. Not a Poli-Sci lecture. Or a history of the entirety of American colonialism on Indigenous peoples.
I’m writing a sequel story to the Disney Pocahontas film about the second half of her real life while still incorporating the fictional characters of Nakoma and her animal sidekicks. I can’t wait to finish it!
@@BetterWithBob I will. But these things take time. After all, this movie went through thirty some script edits. Do you have a website with an email address?
I grew up ith stories about a great grandmother who was Indian and was so ashamed of her past she refused to pass on any tribal information. I identified with Pocahontas, Mulan, and Ariel the most out of all the "princesses".
This was a really good video. I agree with what you have to say about Pocahontas. It would be amazing if they were to do a live action remake but it would be very difficult because of how others view the film.
Yeah it's an odd situation alright. I suppose maybe they could go for the original plan for the animated version - where Pocahontas was twelve and would speak Powhatan for the majority of the film. I was surprised they announced a Hunchback remake so it's not outside the realm of possibility. Thanks for watching :)
I'd prefer just make a film about Native America before Columbus; There's loads of potential for stories since Native American cultures and history is so fascinating. Or maybe a high budget Game of Thrones(pre-Season Five) styled series.
@@jeffreygao3956 I had a similar thought--and they still could do that--but then we wouldn't get new interpretations of the gorgeous "Pocahontas" songs. Ah well.
you might just made me realize why i never could love Tiana that much. Characters that only think about working or putting work first every time.. i just could never felt much for them. (very inspiring in real life yes, but even there can be a little insufferable, and definitely not what drives me into disney princesses). On the contrary i always loved Pocahontas playful nature
One criticism that I honesty disagree with is how it’s a Disnefication of a Horrific Story. Like I get, but really? Fantasy or Fiction judge a movie on how it is not just on how off it is to the source. I mean if that’s the case How does HunchBack get a Pass when in the books everyone dies at the end.
So then how would this movie have gone if it was a flat out alternate history of Jamestown in Edo jidai Japan with John Smith instead having romance with a local Yamato Nadeshiko called Sakura instead?
I don't think Simba is white-coded. Straight, possibly yes. But, not white! The movie takes place in East Africa and is based on African tribal relationships. The Broadway version of the character is always played by a little black boy. Hell, in the game Twisted Wonderland, which features humanized versions of The Lion King characters, the Simba analog, Cheka, is a little boy with brown skin and red hair. Since the game is licenced by Disney, I think that is the closest thing we'll ever get to an official animated humanized Simba and proves that Simba is intended to be seen as black. However, I agree that Simba is allowed to be more flawed thanks to being a guy and not human. Disney movies like this and Princess and the Frog have a HUGE problem of not allowing the bipoc characters to have flaws. I'm half Mexican. Trust me. I'm super flawed. The same can be said for all other bipoc people. Bipoc characters need to have flaws in order to come off as well rounded and to endear us to them just like their white counterparts.
To be flawed is to be... well, human. Nobody is perfect and that should be the point. It's frustrating and unrealistic to watch Tiana have to walk on eggshells and seem two-dimensional compared to other heroines when she might have a bad temper, or have said or done something she regrets, or have a bad habit, anything. Maybe resent her best friend a little for all the wealth she has--etc. I think characters in general need to be three dimensional for true immersion in the story to be achieved. Otherwise, how are any characters believable as people if they're not well rounded?
I was told her story by an Indigenous woman making a video about why her costume making channel wont do a video on a Pocahontas costume. Until then I didn't know she was real. She said she was kidnapped very young & ripped from her husband & new baby. Her life was held over her father as leverage. She was brainwashed, r*ped, & married off to a settler who took her back to England. The English were considering leaving the colonies. She was made to tell them that they shouldn't leave bc they "fixed" her or "civilized" her or some such white supremacist nonesense. She was taken against her will & forced to be a tool used against all the people she loved & was stolen from. They made her say they were wrong & needed white people to help them. This is the story I was told. Not a love story, a horror story of Stockholm syndrome & white supremacist violence. Using her at all, again, after all they did to her already, after using her to create a white supremacist narrative that killed millions, sickens me. It feels like the moral of the story is that colonialism wasn't all bad if even she could find something to love. I dont know the historical accuracy of the truce portrayed in the movie, but I know many such peace treaties like it were made. The story portrays this as good, vurtious, & the morally right choice. It fails to mention what happened next. Given that context, don't you think it's a little rich to act like fighting back would have been wrong? Doesn't it feel disgusting that they portrayed the man meant to represent her kidnapper & r*pist as her love interest who she wanted to leave her would-be husband for when reality she was taken from him & I think they killed him in the process if I remember correctly. I'm sorry, but the historical info you provided doesn't match with what I was told.
I doubt they'd do one. The film isn't beloved in the same way as Aladdin or Beauty & the Beast, and I don't know how they'd go about trying to make it more 'woke' the way they've done with the others. I wouldn't mind seeing them try however.
I think you’re being a little harsh on the First Nation people who didn’t like the film before they even saw it and were protective of making sure it was historically accurate. Sure the Russians were okay with Anastasia, they had loads of other movies and other in country made media about the real history of Anastasia and the Romanovs. They can afford a fantasy version. But the First Nations don’t, they hardly have anything. And nothing from the native’s point of view. So they very intelligently surmised that this movie was going to influence an entire generation’s view of natives and they wanted to make sure it was done right. They didn’t feel they could afford a fantasy version.
This movie’s got plenty of good moments but I’m not fond of it. I just can’t ever buy Matoaka/Pocahontas and John Smith as a romantic couple and lots of the themes were done better in Princess Mononoke.
My main problem is not with the historical inaccuracies, thought that is a problem in its own right. My main problem with it is that we've heard this story many times before and many times since. Every character is a cut-and-paste archetype of the stereotypical "Who is the real savage" story. You could have made this movie be about the first Thanksgiving and little would change.
Funny you say that because Thomas Hunt was a colleague of John Smith and Hunt abducted Tisquantum. Tisquantum was also living in Britain when Matoaka was and it's likely they met.
I only have one word to describe the movie: Yikes Not only did it not age well at all, but it made many egregiously inaccuracies that misrepresented the torment the Native Americans suffered at the hands of the colonists. Pocahontas's real story was actually rather dark and depressing, with her meeting a rather tragic end. Disney proved that they are still stuck in their bigoted ideas, regardless of how much they are willing to pander to modern society.
At least the motives of the English aren't whitewashed since several of them DO insist on conquest and they have a whole song about taking the land for God, Gold, and Glory.
Thank you so much, not enough people praise this movie and I gotta say always have and always will say that this is my favorite movie EVER. Not enough words can describe how I feel. But the last sentence you said that some people get their magic from Simba's pride, but I too get it from Pocahontas❤ 😭🥲🥲
I think it's also interesting that she is one of the first early Disney Princesses to not end up with her love interest. We see a sacrifice from the main character and there is no miracle at the very end to reunite them. At this point, almost everyone even unconventional female protagonists like Meg, Esmeralda, and even Mulan ended up with their love interests at the end.
Not to mention it subverts the White Saviour trope by having Pocahontas be the driving force of the story, school John on how backwards his way of thinking is and be the one to save the day
@@BetterWithBob The film does a good job of making it clear that John, not the indigenous people was the 'savage' in need of having his life improved. Not by giving him roads, tech or guns or liquor. But by having someone open his mind and teach him a thing or two about what actual kindness and tolerance looks like. It's actually a really beautiful subversion and I'll forever love this film for being brave enough to put forth this message to children (like me at the time).
Fun fact Ratcliff is the only villain from the Renaissance era not to have any interaction with the main protagonist Pochontas herself , as the closest was at the end where she saves Johnn from being executed and all the characters were they but the two never really acknowledge one another . It isn’t until the direct to video sequel where Pochontas and Ratcliff do offically meet .
And ironically the film shows him living and being removed from power - when in real life he was tied to a tree and flayed alive.
@@BetterWithBob I don’t think Disney could get away with that
@@NicholasRSims No but their Touchstone brand definitely could.
The sequel stunk to high heaven 😡
@@rosapayne5660 I just love how Bob acted like the sequel didn't exist in this analysis.
He was giving that Mariah Carey "I don't know her" energy 😂
All of this and let's not forget how STUNNING the music is (which, for me, has always been the most important thing about a Disney movie).
When I hear people complain that "Savages" is such a racist song, I'm like, yeah... that's kind of the point. I was seven when this came out and I completely understood that it was meant to show us the dangers of racist and superior mindsets and depict a fictional version of history if colonizers back then had actually learned to respect the indigenous people they encountered. I knew it wasn't historically accurate but it was very blunt about how the Native people were treated "We invaded their land and cut down their trees and dug up their earth". The movie doesn't make white people look too good. My issue would be that they could have just written a completely fictional story rather than trying to use the history of Pocahontas since her story was actually really sad and not inspirational at all. When you have to warp history that much maybe just give up and start from scratch.
Great video. I haven't seen the movie in years, but Colors of the wind is one of my favorite songs. Has a message our world still desperately needs.
Colors of the Wind is indeed magical :)
@@BetterWithBob 'How HIGH does a sycamore grow?'
Me: 30 meters, 30 METERS!
This is my favorite Disney movie.
I was 9 when I first saw it and I loved Pocahontas and Grandmother Willowtree and the whole nature thing. And being in Scandinavia, it was so different and interesting. Afterwards I read anything I could find about native american legends and history.
I get the critism as an adult, but I saw it as a kid and it inspired me so much so learn about another culture and I wouldnt be without that.
And the music is still - I think - relevant today.
I disagree. I don’t put it anywhere near the top. I think it is one of the weakest Disney movies of all time. It was tone deaf and just didn’t know what type of story it was trying to tell, because the executives were trying so hard to replicate Beauty and the Beast’s success not understand what made that film get some Oscar love.
Nostalgia just doesn’t always make a film great.
Ughhh, I get such goosebumps whenever I listen to 'Farewell'. Not only one of my favorite Disney music, but music in general. Such an epic way to end a film.
Fantastic video essay. People should stop expecting every movie to be a documentary.
And likewise, people should also stop shutting down scrutiny.
@@jeffreygao3956 nobody's doing that
@@sheila19954 What's the rock you're living under? Anti-intellectualism does exist and people should NOT promote it.
To me, Pocahontas IS something big. I hate how everyone hates on it cause its not historically accurate. Of course everyone's oppinion is valid so i respect it, but it makes me sad. I simply love it. I relate it with my love, admiration and respect for nature. I think it ignited something in me when i was little and it always inspires me
I'm kind of in the same spot. I've read every reason I should hate it, but I don't. It's actually my favorite!🙂
I mean, people seem to be putting Pocahontas on the same level on...maybe say... Barney's Great Adventure (that might be going too far) all because of how it represents Native American people and it's distorted history. But then they miss the good parts. This was a very brave baby step outside Disney's comfort zone.
Glen Keane, Pocahontas's lead animator, said that when he was making Pocahontas, he remembered a piece of advice from The Nine Old Men: "Animate with sincerity." Essentially, you have to treat this character like a real person. That simple piece of advice made the difference, Pocahontas became unlike most Disney Princesses up to that point.
Of course, this movie will always have it's fans and haters. I obviously consider myself a fan.
My love of this film once got me an exclusive question in 11th grade American History Class "In the Disney film, who did Pocahontas fall in love with?" Me: "John Smith."
John Smith was also arguably the first Disney Prince who rescued a person who wasn't his love interest, it was his surrogate baby brother (Thomas).
Sure but if Atun-Shei Films could make a fairly accurate film about the late 17th century named The Sudbury Devil, what's Disney's excuse?
I respectfully disagree. It is one of the weakest Disney movies ever and easily the worst of the Disney Renaissance. It was super boring and lacked so much of the magic and wonder of previous Disney movies, all for that pathetic excuse for an Oscar nomination that failed horribly.
@@captainhowlerwilson508 Alright, now what if it had instead been called something like "Katanas of Jamestown" and been a full alternate history of Jamestown in Edo jidai Japan with John Smith instead having romance with some local noblewoman named...Sakura!
@@captainhowlerwilson508 🙄
I really appreciate your analysis, it's how I feel about it too. There are problematic parts to Pocahontas...true, but the overall message still has merit. This movie and the Hunchback of the Notre Dame are my favorite Disney animated films as they were only Disney films to deal with darker themes and real life controversial topics in a way that children could understand. Also, the music is breathtaking in both, but I'm bias too as I loved Pocahontas since I saw it as a kid in the theaters just like you. Even then, I was excited to see a Disney film that had a female lead of another culture, who wasn't that same boring white Disney princess. Just discovered your channel with your Pretty Baby video, went on a little binge last night and watch several of your videos, liked them all, but this Pocahontas analysis made me subscribe.👍 Your channel needs more views, all your videos are so well done!
I think I got into reviewing and doing this kind of thing because of Pocahontas actually. I would see so many hot takes about why it was all terrible but even after listening to them, I still loved the film and felt there should be a discussion about its good points too. I love Hunchback as well, especially the music :)
Yea, people never really seemed to, as my Mom likes to put it, "hunt the good" in the movie. So then they miss what the movie did right.
I prefer the real story.
I would agree with The Hunchback of Notre Dame being up there with the best as it handled its dark themes very well, and still had plenty of that Disney magic and wonder, despite some tonal inconsistencies that drag it down a bit. Pocahontas on the other hand? Not so much. It didn’t handle much of its themes very well and ended up being really boring as a result.
Pocahontas has always and will always be one of my top favorite Disney films! I went to see it many times in the theaters in the summer of ‘95. I just can’t understand why there is so much mediocrity regarding it. Every time I went to see it, the entire theater erupted with applause when it ended. It will always be one of my favorites!!!
❤❤❤
I'm the same way. I have watched it since I was small, and it came to theaters a year after I was born.
I have always admired the film for so much it represented, it tried to teach us, and the respect for native culture the creators tried to represent with little knowledge of Powhatan culture, which lead me to seek out my own understanding of various Native American cultures and finding much respect and awe for their ways. Alongside all that, it showed this unique take of the view between two distinctly different cultures; how they saw one another for the supposed first time in the early colonial period, and what tensions and misunderstanding of one another can lead to, and what one of two outcomes can emerge from such strive and hatred from misunderstanding, rage, and imposing wills unwilling to see the differences and working them out with the opposing sides, until two people make that first step together.
Not to mention this is one of the best looking Disney films. The artwork for this film, I put it up there with Sleeping Beauty, Beauty & The Beast, Atlantis, and Snow White amongst the classic Disney films. I even put it alongside Prince of Egypt, which IS the greatest animated film for more than just its art form.
Omygoodness! thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. You made so many wonderful points that I have thought as well and others that I never knew! I have been thinking similar thoughts about this movie my whole life and Pocahontas was my favorite Disney princess growing up. As a child, I assumed everyone loved this movie because of it's message of peace and tolerance, but ofc after learning the history was saddened to see it overlooked and understandably bashed on because of it's historical innacuracies. I honestly wish Disney hadn't based it on real historical figures and had used fictional characters and events to still portray their message. I appreciate how you mentioned Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke! He is also one of (perhaps maybe even my top) my favorite Studio Ghibli characters! I never even saw the similarity between the two characters, and now I am not surprised by why I loved Princess Mononoke as well. Goodness, so many wonderful things to say but this comment would never end haha.
Thank you for your comment 🙂 Princess Mononoke is so awesome, I'd love to one day do a video on it but I wouldn't know where to start 😊
Right there with you!
I have the exact same opinion--the movie itself is pretty much a totally original magical realism historical drama promoting racial and cultural tolerance, respect for nature, and anti-colonialism, revolving around a Romeo & Juliet-esque "forbidden" romance...but with a few historical figure names slapped onto it. It probably wouldn't seem nearly as "problematic" to people if not for the latter.
@@freshPrincess626 Alright, now what if it had instead been called something like "Katanas of Jamestown" and been a full alternate history of Jamestown in Edo jidai Japan with John Smith instead having romance with some local noblewoman named...Sakura!
The character Wiggins might have been a lot smarter and saner then how the film protrays him as he suggests giving the indians gift baskets and when asked by Ratcliff why they were attacked , he says because the settling were cutting down their trees and diggin up their earth and was simple self-defense , implying he doesn’t think their just blood thristy savages .
Yes, weren't there plans for him to be excited at the thought of killing the Powhatans?
Clearly, Wiggins should've been in charge from the start.
Thank you! You Review of Pocahontas is the only rational analysis i have seen on youtube. Of course there are problematic parts of this film, no doubt about that. But there are many great things in it as-well.
Great Video. Many people just immediately dismiss this film right to exist without even watching it. Im not an American and in the past years I was really shocked to realize it got so much hate ?! its a real shame because its one of their best
I think the big problem with Savages is that even though the Powhatans are portrayed as simply reacting to the European colonists, their reaction is portrayed as irrational. Which it really wasn't. The Powhatan people were being threatened by colonial exploitation. In real life they were probably screwed either way because European diseases that would kill off 90% of the native population had already reached the Western hemisphere, but the movie leaves that out, so within the context of the film, attacking the colonists is a completely rational and understandable choice. And even seeing it as a response to the Los Angeles riots doesn't really make it better. The 1992 LA riots were violent and destructive but they were not irrational. They were a pretty justified response to decades of systemic discrimination at the hands of the police, and centuries of persecution by the US government. It got to a point where violence was the only option many people felt they had. Unfortunately many innocent people were killed and many lives were destroyed, but that also happened during the French and Russian revolutions, and even the Civil War. The problem with Pocahontas, is that even though it acknowledges racism and historical atrocities, the message of the film is just fundamentally flawed. Blaming both sides for not putting down their arms and coming to terms doesn't work when one side had no intention of ever doing that.
That's an extremely valid point. Thank you for your comment :)
The powhatan's began attacking the settlers when they refused to become effectively a vassal under them. Historically the governor Radcliffe was killed when he was ambushed during a negotiation for trading for food and was subsequently skinned alive l. History is not a fanciful black k and white affair and you're feeding into that exact galbrush paradox discussed in this video
I agree that the messaging is more on the simplistic and idealistic side...but it's a movie meant to be understood by children. Not a Poli-Sci lecture. Or a history of the entirety of American colonialism on Indigenous peoples.
@@freshPrincess626 Sure but if Andrew Rakich can do 17th century America history justice, why can't Disney with all the money in the world?
@@jeffreygao3956 because that wasn't their intention??
I’m writing a sequel story to the Disney Pocahontas film about the second half of her real life while still incorporating the fictional characters of Nakoma and her animal sidekicks. I can’t wait to finish it!
@@lukasmiller486 send it to me when it's finished 🙂
@@BetterWithBob I will. But these things take time. After all, this movie went through thirty some script edits. Do you have a website with an email address?
I love this!! Thank you for sharing this information.
Thank you for the comment and the sub :)
Me too!!
Very well researched
I grew up ith stories about a great grandmother who was Indian and was so ashamed of her past she refused to pass on any tribal information. I identified with Pocahontas, Mulan, and Ariel the most out of all the "princesses".
This was a really good video. I agree with what you have to say about Pocahontas. It would be amazing if they were to do a live action remake but it would be very difficult because of how others view the film.
Yeah it's an odd situation alright. I suppose maybe they could go for the original plan for the animated version - where Pocahontas was twelve and would speak Powhatan for the majority of the film. I was surprised they announced a Hunchback remake so it's not outside the realm of possibility. Thanks for watching :)
I'd prefer just make a film about Native America before Columbus; There's loads of potential for stories since Native American cultures and history is so fascinating. Or maybe a high budget Game of Thrones(pre-Season Five) styled series.
@@jeffreygao3956 I had a similar thought--and they still could do that--but then we wouldn't get new interpretations of the gorgeous "Pocahontas" songs. Ah well.
@@freshPrincess626 Not Disney! Someone who does proper research.
you might just made me realize why i never could love Tiana that much. Characters that only think about working or putting work first every time.. i just could never felt much for them. (very inspiring in real life yes, but even there can be a little insufferable, and definitely not what drives me into disney princesses). On the contrary i always loved Pocahontas playful nature
I had this film recorded on an old VHS tape
I have the VHS and DVD and probably will end up buying it on here too hehe
One criticism that I honesty disagree with is how it’s a Disnefication of a Horrific Story. Like I get, but really? Fantasy or Fiction judge a movie on how it is not just on how off it is to the source.
I mean if that’s the case How does HunchBack get a Pass when in the books everyone dies at the end.
Hunchback gets a pass because it is a fictional story with fictional characters.
In Pocahontas, both the people and events are very much real.
@@easternlights3155 So Anastasia deserves a pass when literally every single facet of it is a twisting of a truly horrific story too?
Double standard.
@@blissinchains Mostly because it wasn’t known if Anastasia survived or not then.
Did you know the animals were going to talk even having a wisecracking rooster both were dropped
Yep. John Candy recorded some lines as a turkey called Redfeather but they dropped that to make the film more serious.
Thank you so much for this vid!❤
You know before Pocahontas Disney has released 4 box office hits including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King
So then how would this movie have gone if it was a flat out alternate history of Jamestown in Edo jidai Japan with John Smith instead having romance with a local Yamato Nadeshiko called Sakura instead?
I don't think Simba is white-coded. Straight, possibly yes. But, not white! The movie takes place in East Africa and is based on African tribal relationships. The Broadway version of the character is always played by a little black boy. Hell, in the game Twisted Wonderland, which features humanized versions of The Lion King characters, the Simba analog, Cheka, is a little boy with brown skin and red hair. Since the game is licenced by Disney, I think that is the closest thing we'll ever get to an official animated humanized Simba and proves that Simba is intended to be seen as black.
However, I agree that Simba is allowed to be more flawed thanks to being a guy and not human. Disney movies like this and Princess and the Frog have a HUGE problem of not allowing the bipoc characters to have flaws. I'm half Mexican. Trust me. I'm super flawed. The same can be said for all other bipoc people. Bipoc characters need to have flaws in order to come off as well rounded and to endear us to them just like their white counterparts.
To be flawed is to be... well, human. Nobody is perfect and that should be the point. It's frustrating and unrealistic to watch Tiana have to walk on eggshells and seem two-dimensional compared to other heroines when she might have a bad temper, or have said or done something she regrets, or have a bad habit, anything. Maybe resent her best friend a little for all the wealth she has--etc. I think characters in general need to be three dimensional for true immersion in the story to be achieved. Otherwise, how are any characters believable as people if they're not well rounded?
I was told her story by an Indigenous woman making a video about why her costume making channel wont do a video on a Pocahontas costume. Until then I didn't know she was real. She said she was kidnapped very young & ripped from her husband & new baby. Her life was held over her father as leverage. She was brainwashed, r*ped, & married off to a settler who took her back to England. The English were considering leaving the colonies. She was made to tell them that they shouldn't leave bc they "fixed" her or "civilized" her or some such white supremacist nonesense. She was taken against her will & forced to be a tool used against all the people she loved & was stolen from. They made her say they were wrong & needed white people to help them. This is the story I was told. Not a love story, a horror story of Stockholm syndrome & white supremacist violence. Using her at all, again, after all they did to her already, after using her to create a white supremacist narrative that killed millions, sickens me. It feels like the moral of the story is that colonialism wasn't all bad if even she could find something to love. I dont know the historical accuracy of the truce portrayed in the movie, but I know many such peace treaties like it were made. The story portrays this as good, vurtious, & the morally right choice. It fails to mention what happened next. Given that context, don't you think it's a little rich to act like fighting back would have been wrong? Doesn't it feel disgusting that they portrayed the man meant to represent her kidnapper & r*pist as her love interest who she wanted to leave her would-be husband for when reality she was taken from him & I think they killed him in the process if I remember correctly. I'm sorry, but the historical info you provided doesn't match with what I was told.
Thank you!!
hey dude, I read you're coment on Briana's video and glad you enjoy the video
which video is that sorry? memory like a goldfish lol
lol, is the video of the girl Who is Aerith in FF7R
@@juliomaldonado7979 ah yes now I remember. she has a great voice, can't wait to see/hear her in action :) I'm a VO myself (trying to be)
Glad you enjoy it and she will play FF7R on her channel
@@juliomaldonado7979 that's an awesome thing to happen. I love it when the voice actors are fans themselves.
Do you know if theres any news for a Live Action remake ?
I doubt they'd do one. The film isn't beloved in the same way as Aladdin or Beauty & the Beast, and I don't know how they'd go about trying to make it more 'woke' the way they've done with the others. I wouldn't mind seeing them try however.
I doubt it would go well
@@rosapayne5660 Senator from Massachusetts can reprise her role if she's up for it...🤷🏾♂️
@@BetterWithBob I think Pocahontas dodged a bullet. Who even needs these live action remakes?
@@jeffreygao3956 No one except Cinderella. That one was the only good one, and they should have quit while they were ahead lol.
I think you’re being a little harsh on the First Nation people who didn’t like the film before they even saw it and were protective of making sure it was historically accurate. Sure the Russians were okay with Anastasia, they had loads of other movies and other in country made media about the real history of Anastasia and the Romanovs. They can afford a fantasy version. But the First Nations don’t, they hardly have anything. And nothing from the native’s point of view. So they very intelligently surmised that this movie was going to influence an entire generation’s view of natives and they wanted to make sure it was done right. They didn’t feel they could afford a fantasy version.
This movie’s got plenty of good moments but I’m not fond of it. I just can’t ever buy Matoaka/Pocahontas and John Smith as a romantic couple and lots of the themes were done better in Princess Mononoke.
1:44 - 1:54 **Fake Native American senator from Massachusetts has left the chat**
My main problem is not with the historical inaccuracies, thought that is a problem in its own right. My main problem with it is that we've heard this story many times before and many times since. Every character is a cut-and-paste archetype of the stereotypical "Who is the real savage" story. You could have made this movie be about the first Thanksgiving and little would change.
Funny you say that because Thomas Hunt was a colleague of John Smith and Hunt abducted Tisquantum. Tisquantum was also living in Britain when Matoaka was and it's likely they met.
20:04
I only have one word to describe the movie: Yikes
Not only did it not age well at all, but it made many egregiously inaccuracies that misrepresented the torment the Native Americans suffered at the hands of the colonists. Pocahontas's real story was actually rather dark and depressing, with her meeting a rather tragic end. Disney proved that they are still stuck in their bigoted ideas, regardless of how much they are willing to pander to modern society.
At least the motives of the English aren't whitewashed since several of them DO insist on conquest and they have a whole song about taking the land for God, Gold, and Glory.
I love your reviews, but this one just ain’t it 😕
You still lovely as hell tho
What parts do you disagree with? Do you hate it?
Pocahontas sucks thats it 😡🙃
Not all of it sucks!
Thank you so much, not enough people praise this movie and I gotta say always have and always will say that this is my favorite movie EVER. Not enough words can describe how I feel. But the last sentence you said that some people get their magic from Simba's pride, but I too get it from Pocahontas❤ 😭🥲🥲
Princess Mononoke will probably be up your alley then.