Pocahontas
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.
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- Pocahontas Trivia
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The first Disney animated film to be based on fact, it was soon followed by Mulan.
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The on-screen death of a human protagonist (Kocoum) in a Disney film for the first time. There have, however, been off-screen deaths of human antagonists in the past; as well as on-screen deaths since.
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The film's premiere occurred in Central Park in New York City. Over 100,000 people were in attendance; it holds the record for the largest movie premiere ever.
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Numerous attempts have been made to turn Pocahontas into a live-action Disney musical, akin to The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. However, it has been difficult to logistically transfer the film to the stage because of potential technical problems. A stage is limited by size, and several scenes such as "Colors of the Wind" and the final scene where Pocahontas runs after the English ship, would have to be reconceived entirely, which would likely diminish their crucial power on the story.
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The character "Grandmother Willow" is portrayed as a large, talking weeping willow tree, but weeping willows are native to Eurasia and were not grown in North America until the late 1700s, over 100 years after the events surrounding Pocahontas.
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The battle scenes between the Natives and the English are dramatised in the hugely popular night time show at the Disney-MGM Studios, Fantasmic!. The relationships between Pocahontas and the Earth, and Pocahontas and John Smith tie into the show's theme of good triumphing over evil. The segment featuring Pocahontas replaced the corresponding segment in the original version of the show performed at Disneyland featuring Peter Pan.
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Pocahontas is not included in any of the "Kingdom Hearts" games despite being an official Disney Princess. This may be due to complaints from Native Americans that calling Pocahantas a "princess" is an example of caucasian ethnocentricity in where those of European descent apply European concepts (such as nobel titles like "king" and "princess") onto Native Americans. See: Berdache.
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- Although the speaking voice of Pocahontas was performed by Irene Bedard, a Native-American, the singing voice was performed by notable Broadway singer Judy Kuhn.