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Pocahontas
Directed by	Mike Gabriel Eric Goldberg
Produced by	James Pentecost
Written by	Carl Binder Susannah Grant Philip LaZebnik
Starring	Irene Bedard Mel Gibson David Ogden Stiers John Kassir Russell Means Frank Welker Christian Bale Linda Hunt
Music by	Alan Menken
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s)	June 16, 1995 (selected cities) June 23, 1995 (general)
Running time	81 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$55,000,000 (estimated)
Gross revenue	$347,179,773
Followed by	Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

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 meant to tell of the encounter between the colonists of Jamestown, Virginia and its native Powhatan tribe. In particular, it presents a highly emotionally charged and dramatic account of the meeting between Pocahontas and John Smith. Pocahontas is one of the very few Disney films to feature an interracial romance; also, although the actual story of Pocahontas does say that she travels with John Smith to England to meet its royalty, this film version has John Smith leaving and Pocahontas staying behind.

A musical with songs by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, Pocahontas' theme song, "Colors of the Wind", won the Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Song. The film's score, also by Menken, won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. A video game based on the film was released across various platforms shortly after the film's theatrical release, and the film itself was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World, in 1998.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Release 3 Home video 4 Critical reception 5 Crew 6 Annie Awards 7 Soundtrack 7.1 Changes 8 Credits 8.1 Voice cast 8.2 Singing voices 9 Video game 10 References 11 See also 12 External links

In 1607, a ship carrying British settlers sails for North America in search of gold and other material riches, prepared for months of stay and with weapons to fight inhabitants that might impede their project. On board is handsome Captain John Smith and the greedy Governor Ratcliffe. A storm erupts, and John saves the life of a young settler named Thomas when Thomas falls overboard.

Meanwhile, the Powhatan tribe has just won a battle, led by warrior Kocoum. Pocahontas, Chief Powhatan's beautiful daughter, learns that her father wants her to marry Kocoum. She is not enthusiastic about this. Pocahontas travels to an enchanted glade to ask advice from the talking tree Grandmother Willow. Grandmother Willow tells Pocahontas to listen with her heart.

The settlers land in Virginia and Pocahontas observes from the bushes, unseen.

The settlers dig for gold under Ratcliffe's orders, as John explores the territory; Pocahontas follows him. He spots her and she begins to flee, but she remembers the advice to listen with her heart, and tells him her name. The warriors are also observing the settlers, but when they are seen, a battle ensues. The warriors retreat, and Powhatan declares that the white men are dangerous and that no one should go near them.

John Smith and Pocahontas get into a bit of a misunderstanding when John refers to Pocahontas' people as "savages." She sings "Colors of the Wind" to convince him that her people have a different kind of wisdom, but their time together is cut short when Pocahontas hears distant drumming, and she quickly leaves.

A few days later, John decides to revisit Pocahontas. He locates her with her friend Nakoma. Pocahontas asks Nakoma not to say anything. Pocahontas and John sneak off to the enchanted glade where John meets Grandmother Willow and learns that there is no gold. John and Pocahontas agree to meet again that night, despite the danger.

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 talk instead of fight. Smith arrives back at the fort, and tells Ratcliffe that a native told him there is no gold. Ratcliffe believes this is a lie. That night, Nakoma catches Pocahontas sneaking off and begs her not to go. Pocahontas says she must. Worried, Nakoma tells Kocoum. Meanwhile, Ratcliffe orders Thomas to follow Smith.

John and Pocahontas meet in the enchanted glade. Grandmother Willow convinces John that he can help bring peace. Pocahontas and John kiss; Thomas and Kocoum both watch from the shadows, astonished. Kocoum attacks John; Thomas fatally shoots Kocoum. Hearing voices approaching, John tells Thomas to run. A group of natives arrive, take John prisoner, and carry off Kocoum's body. Powhatan announces that John will be killed at sunrise. Pocahontas visits John and says it would have been better had they never met, but John says he would rather die than not know her.

Back at the fort, Thomas announces John's capture. Ratcliffe sees this as an opportunity to attack the natives, hoping to gain their gold, and declares that they will attack at dawn. The settlers arrive as John is about to be killed. Pocahontas throws herself over John, telling her father that if he kills John, he will have to kill her too, and that this is where hatred leads. Powhatan is persuaded, and John is freed. However, Ratcliffe orders the settlers to fire anyway. Seeing that John's release is an act of peace, they refuse, so Ratcliffe fires at Powhatan himself. John pushes the chief aside and is shot instead. The settlers now see Ratcliffe for what he really is, and turn on him, and he is apprehended.

Luckily, John is only wounded, but because the wound is unfamiliar to the Powhatans, he must return to England if he is to survive. Pocahontas and her people arrive at the settlement carrying baskets of corn. Pocahontas promises John, "No matter what happens, I will always be with you. Forever." Knowing that they will never see each other again, Pocahontas runs to a high cliff to watch as John's ship sails away. The wind blows through her hair and then through his, signifying that, even though they are apart, they will always be connected by the wind.

Many at Disney had high hopes for the movie upon initial release. Then-studio head Jeffrey Katzenberg regarded Pocahontas as a more prestigious project than The Lion King, and even believed that it had a chance of earning an Academy Award nomination for "Best Picture," following in the steps of 1991's Beauty and the Beast. However, the movie was less successful commercially than was hoped. Because the film dealt with more adult themes and tones, the film did not appeal to younger children as well as earlier Disney hits. Though the stellar box office performance that The Lion King had previously enjoyed was expected for Pocahontas, it never materialized. Nevertheless, the film was still a box-office success, earning $141,579,773 in the United States and $347,179,773 worldwide. It also has the second highest opening theater weekend average and the second highest of all time for an animated feature[1].

Pocahontas was released on VHS in 1996 as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. February 1996 prototype copies of the VHS release used the 1989 Walt Disney Classics logo, while copies produced from March onwards used the standard Masterpiece logo. The film first appeared on DVD in 2000 as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection; Pocahontas II was released on DVD at the same time. In 2005, a 10th Anniversary 2-disc Special Edition DVD set was released, which featured a new digital transfer of the film and numerous bonus features.

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

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.^{[citation needed]} Upon release, however, Pocahontas was criticized by many for presenting stereotypical images of Native Americans. Some felt, for example, that Pocahontas looked more like the black model Naomi Campbell^{[citation needed]} than a Native American (although Disney claims she was modelled on the voice actor Irene Bedard, who is of Native ethnicity). The film was also criticized for its distortion of history, as John Smith was an explorer and never disposed to staying in one place for an extended period of time. Furthermore, historically Pocahantas was prepubescent when John Smith encountered the Powhatan tribe, and a romantic relationship between the two would have been highly unlikely and irregular. Additionally, the historical John Smith was a short, bearded man who in no way resembled the ruggedly handsome animated version. He was also said to be a coward, and on one occasion, used a Native American guide as a human shield during battle.

Among many changes are the fanciful topography of Jamestown, which is located in flat terrain but in the film possesses massive cliffs and high ridges. Another criticism came in the form of Kocoum's mistreatment of his wife-to-be, Pocahontas. Her father wanted her to marry him, but Pocahontas did not want to marry him because of his stern face and serious attitude, though her father says that he will make a "fine" husband: he is loyal, strong, would build her a good house with sturdy walls, and that she would be safe from harm with him around. This is an example of an arranged marriage in a Disney film. (see also: Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King). Finally, although Pocahontas was innovative for its time, the Disney canon had never seen a film where the two romantic leads did not end up together, thereby creating a distaste for viewers who preferred to hold onto tradition.

The film did receive critical praise for both the animation and art direction. The film utilizes very different colors than in previous Disney films, which resulted in a beautiful color palette from the Art Department at Disney. Colors that symbolized different emotions, such as red for anger/hate, blue for love, and pink and purple for nature were purposely used. The animators also decided to be unconventional when they decided to use the "mother spirit in the leaves" motif, which consisted of leaves floating in the wind during significant scenes in the movie that represented passion and beauty.

The film's soundtrack was very successful, reaching #1 in the week of July 22, 1995.^[1] It ended up with a triple platinum certification.^[2]

The musical score written by Alan Menken received two Academy Awards, including one for the song "Colors of the Wind". The movie's score is widely regarded as one of the most emotional and eloquent scores in an animated feature ever. Several recurring musical themes were written, such as "Colors of the Wind", "Listen with Your Heart", and "If I Never Knew You". Its successor, the darker, more adult The Hunchback of Notre Dame did not surpass the ticket takings for Pocahontas, but it was also controversial.

Crew Position
Directed by	Mike Gabriel Eric Goldberg
Produced by	James Pentecost
Written by	Carl Binder Susannah Grant Philip LaZebnik
Songs by	Alan Menken Stephen Schwartz
Original Score by	Alan Menken
Associate Producer	Baker Bloodworth
Art Director	Michael Giaimo
Film Editor	H. Lee Peterson
Artistic Supervisors	Tom Sito (Story supervisor) Rasoul Azadani (Layout supervisor) Christy Maltese (Background supervisor) Renee Holt-Bird & Nancy Kniep (Clean-up supervisors) Don Paul (Effects supervisor) Steve Goldberg (Computer Graphics supervisor)
Artistic Coordinator	Dan Hansen
Supervising Animators	Glen Keane (Pocahontas) John Pomeroy (John Smith) Duncan Marjoribanks (Governor Ratcliffe) Nik Ranieri (Meeko) Ruben A. Aquino (Powhatan) David Pruiksma (Flit & Forest Animals) Chris Buck (Percy/Wiggins/Grandmother Willow) Ken Duncan (Thomas) T. Daniel Hofstedt (Ben/Lon) Anthony DeRosa (Nakoma) Michael Cedeno (Kocuum)
Production Manager	Traci Topman Mars

Result	Award	Winner/Nominee Recipient(s)
WON	Animated Theatrical Feature
WON	Individual Achievement in Production Design	Michael Giamo (Art Director)
NOMINATED	Individual Achievement in Production Design	Rasoul Azadani (Layout Supervisor)
NOMINATED	Individual Achievement in Character Animation	Chris Buck (Supervising Animator - Percy/Wiggins/Grandmother Willow)
NOMINATED	Individual Achievement in Character Animation	David Pruiksma (Supervising Animator - Flit & Forest Animals)
WON	Individual Achievement in Character Animation	Nik Ranieri (Supervising Animator - Meeko)
WON	Individual Achievement in Music	Alan Menken (Music) Stephen Schwartz (Lyrics)

Main article: Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack

• The first part of the song Savages received a slight change in lyrics before theatrical release. The original lyrics were:

What can you expect/ from filthy little heathens?/ Their whole disgusting race is like a curse!

After poor testing with the original highly inflammatory lyrics, they were changed to:

What can you expect/ from filthy little heathens?/ Here's what you get when the races are diverse!

As well as a line shouted by Ratcliffe, toward the end of the first portion of the song, originally being:

Let's go kill a few, men!

Was replaced with Ben exclaiming:

Let's go get a few men!

And yet another line at the end of the first chorus:

Dirty redskin devils, now we sound the drums of war!

Was changed to:

Dirty shrieking devils, now we sound the drums of war!

On Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic, this includes Colors of the Wind and Mine, Mine, Mine on the green disc, Just Around the Riverbend on the purple disc, and Steady as the Beating Drum on the orange disc. And on Disney's Greatest Hits, this also includes Just Around the Riverbend on the blue disc and Colors of the Wind on another green disc.

• The Laserdisc release of the film revealed new songs as deleted scenes, including a reprise of "Just Around the Riverbend" before the song "Savages (Part 2)," alternate versions of "Steady as the Beating Drum (Reprise)" and "Virginia Company (reprise)," and songs called "In the Middle of the River" (sung by Pocahontas and John Smith) and "Dancing to the Wedding Drum" (sung by the Native Americans to Pocahontas). On the 10th Anniversary DVD, "If I Never Knew You" as sung by Pocahontas and John Smith within the film's narrative, as well as a reprise, was fully animated and included in the film.

Actor	Role(s)
Irene Bedard	Pocahontas
Mel Gibson	Captain John Smith
David Ogden Stiers	Governor Ratcliffe Wiggins
John Kassir	Meeko
Russell Means	Chief Powhatan
Frank Welker	Flit
Christian Bale	Thomas
Linda Hunt	Grandmother Willow
Danny Mann	Percy
Michelle St. John	Nakoma
Billy Connolly	Ben
Joe Baker	Lon
James Apaumut Fall	Kocoum
Gordon Tootoosis	Kekata
Jim Cummings	Wise Man and additional voices

Singer	Role
Judy Kuhn	Pocahontas
Jim Cummings	Chief Powhatan

At least three actors in this film have been involved in other Pocahontas-related projects. Gordon Tootoosis, who voiced Kekata, acted as Chief Powhatan in Pocahontas: The Legend, which was released the same year as this film. Christian Bale, who voiced Thomas, would ten years later portray John Rolfe in The New World. Irene Bedard, who was the speaking voice of Pocahontas, portrayed Pocahontas' mother in a flashback sequence also in The New World.

A video game based on the movie with the same title, Pocahontas, was released on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive on January 1, 1996. The Sega title was developed by Funcom on contract with Disney. It was followed by a later release for the Nintendo Gameboy on June 10, 1996, nearly a year after the film's premiere.

In the game, the player plays as Pocahontas and Meeko, switching between the two frequently to overcome various obstacles, with the help of NPC Flit. Along the way, as Pocahontas, the player gains various new abilities from various animal spirits by helping them. The game, like most film-based games, follows the plot of the movie, but with many variations in situations and events.

This article does not cite any references or sources. (August 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

• List of Disney animated features
• The New World

• Pocahontas at the Internet Movie Database
• The Big Cartoon DataBase entry for Pocahontas
• The Real Pocahontas compares the historical Pocahontas to the Disney version
• Pocahontas: 10th Anniversary Edition DVD Review and Interview
• Many versions of Color of the Wind in many languages on YouTube
• The Pocahontas Myth - debunks the popular myth that arose from the film
• A Flash animation made on Newgrounds debunking the myth
• "Pocahontas" is a review by anthropologist Pauline Turner Strong
• "Animated Indians: Critique and Contradiction in Commodified Children's Culture" by anthropologist Pauline Turner Strong discusses Pocahontas and The Indian in the Cupboard (film)

v • d • e Disney theatrical animated features
Official canon	Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Pinocchio (1940) • Fantasia (1940) • Dumbo (1941) • Bambi (1942) • Saludos Amigos (1942) • The Three Caballeros (1944) • Make Mine Music (1946) • Fun and Fancy Free (1947) • Melody Time (1948) • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) • Cinderella (1950) • Alice in Wonderland (1951) • Peter Pan (1953) • Lady and the Tramp (1955) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) • The Sword in the Stone (1963) • The Jungle Book (1967) • The Aristocats (1970) • Robin Hood (1973) • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) • The Rescuers (1977) • The Fox and the Hound (1981) • The Black Cauldron (1985) • The Great Mouse Detective (1986) • Oliver & Company (1988) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • The Rescuers Down Under (1990) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • The Lion King (1994) • Pocahontas (1995) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) • Hercules (1997) • Mulan (1998) • Tarzan (1999) • Fantasia 2000 (1999) • The Emperor's New Groove (2000) • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) • Lilo & Stitch (2002) • Treasure Planet (2002) • Brother Bear (2003) • Home on the Range (2004) • Chicken Little (2005) • Meet the Robinsons (2007) • Bolt (2008) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Rapunzel (2010)
Live-action films with animation	The Reluctant Dragon (1941) • Victory Through Air Power (1943) • Song of the South (1946) • So Dear to My Heart (1949) • Mary Poppins (1964) • Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) • Pete's Dragon (1977) • Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) • Enchanted (2007)
DisneyToon features	DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990) • A Goofy Movie (1995) • Doug's 1st Movie (1999) • The Tigger Movie (2000) • Recess: School's Out (2001) • Return to Never Land (2002) • The Jungle Book 2 (2003) • Piglet's Big Movie (2003) • Teacher's Pet (2004) • Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005)
Other	The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) • James and the Giant Peach (1996) • Dinosaur (2000) • A Christmas Carol (2009)
See also	Pixar • Walt Disney Animation Studios

v • d • e Stephen Schwartz
Music and Lyrics	Godspell • Pippin • The Magic Show • The Baker's Wife • Working • Personals • The Trip • Children of Eden • Wicked • Thiruvasagam • Captain Louie
Lyrics	Mass • Rags
Recordings	Reluctant Pilgrim • Uncharted Territory
Films	Pocahontas (lyrics) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (lyrics) • The Prince of Egypt • Enchanted (lyrics)
Television	Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (lyrics) • Geppetto