Ah, Pocahontas. This Disney classic was the film of our childhoods as we’d imagine all the colors of the wind. After years of not watching our once favorite movie, could it be just as good as we remember? Or perhaps there are loopholes that have us questioning what once made this film so great…
The age difference
If we’re going by history, Pocahontas is meant to be 11 or 12 years old when she first runs into the British. This makes it disturbing to know that John Smith and Pocahontas fall in love. So why did Disney decide to make such a monstrous story? Well, the editors have reported that in order to sell the movie they had to create a romantic storyline. Yikes – that’s one way to sell a movie!
That American accent
So John Smith traveled across the ocean from England… so how does he speak with an American accent? As a kid, we never picked up on the fact that John is missing something so essential as a British accent, but as an adult, we can’t avoid the difference. This might not be so bad if all the other men on the crew didn’t have strong British accents. However, there is no missing Mel Gibson’s voice that sticks out like a sore thumb.
Jerk-like behavior
If you’ve rewatched Pocahontas have you ever realized something? That John Smith isn’t the brave hero we remember him to be! In fact, when you think about it, he is the complete opposite of Kocoum. Although this is what makes Pocahontas fall for John, it’s what has us shouting at the TV. John eventually starts treating Pocahontas equally, but there is something inside him that always looks down on her tribe. After all, we can’t forget the reason John turned up in the first place…
Language barrier
As John Smith is from England and it’s still the 17th century, it’s no surprise that the pair have somewhat of a language barrier. But how can John be surprised that Pocahontas doesn’t know a lick of English? Things get even weirder. When Pocahontas listens to her heart in order to communicate with John, he isn’t even a touch surprised that she now has an understanding of an entirely new langue. Who would? It’s not like she learned her new tongue in less than a minute. Oh, wait…
Talking tree reaction
Either John is a master at poker, or he sees talking trees on a regular basis. When John Smith meets Mother Willow you would think that there would be some kind of reaction. However, we are the ones that in shock when John actually does not react at all to his new discovery. After spending so much of the film being close-minded, it looks as though John turned over a new leaf when he met his new friend. We don’t mean to pick on John Smith, but if the shoe fits.
England travels
John Smith ends the film severely wounded and forced to make his returns to England. But why? If something were to happen now we could understand the need to travel across the ocean to find healthcare. However, back in the 17th century traveling across the ocean could be one of the worst choices. Sometimes even healthy people got ill on the journeys, so it seemed unlikely that someone in John’s position would make the trip. Sorry John, but we don’t hold out high hopes for your future!
We’re sorry to get you questioning this great movie, but someone had to do it. That doesn’t mean we have to stop pretending we’d look that good cliff diving, it just means we get to enjoy the film through adult eyes instead.
