I hate This Movie

Pocahontas (1995)

Based on the real life Powhatan teenager known for saving a settler from execution, Disney's Pocahontas was both a financial failure and a critical success, earning it an Oscar for best original song. 

Nevertheless, I have multiple reasons for hating this film. I am aware that many people hate it because they don't like it's portrayal of the Powhatan and the English. Well, those people were right, even if it is for the wrong reasons. Today, in the Pasture of Knowledge, I will explain to you why I hate this movie. 

1: It's insulting to the real Pocahontas 

Making a fantasy musical about a real person is very low, even for the Walt Disney Company. They could have made a movie about any imaginary person if they wanted to, but no; they insisted on writing fan-fiction about a woman who had been dead for centuries.

What would she feel if she were to see this movie? Did Disney thought her descendants would approve of this?

After the event with John Smith, Pocahontas was held hostage by the settlers. The woman travelled to Britain, were she died of an unknown disease before 23. Her story is quite harsh, turning it into a stupid princess cartoon with tree people is insulting. 

2: The Pocahontas + Smith Relationship is Creepy 

As if this wasn't offensive enough, there is a detail that is pretty gross. You see, when Pocahontas met John Smith, she was a teenager. Disney literally shipped together two real life people who were never in a relationship. And if they were, that's creepy and scary. 

3: The Powhatan are literally Orange 

Disney Executives like patting themselves in the back for having multiple races of princesses. However, what is the point of painting Powhatan people with orange skin? 

They're literally Orange. 

It's ridiculous. Living in Mexico I see "copper skinned" people all the time and they are not orange. Their color varies between dark copper, light coffee and in-between,  but that color is not orange. 

I feel they wanted the Powhatan to look more white, which is stupid and contradicts the way this movie portrays whites. If you can't tolerate the looks of other people, why make a movie about them in the first place? 

Pocahontas isn't divisive because of modern wokeness. Pocahontas is divisive because it handles a serious story with the expectation of selling dolls and theme park rides. 

4: The whites are portrayed exclusively as greedy and blood thirsty. 

If you are going to speak about history, you should portray the virtues and crimes of each people as they happened, not as you wanted them to be. 

The whites in Pocahontas are generally portrayed as greedy, bloodthirsty, effeminate thumbtacks who need to be patronized by the Powhatan, who off course are portrayed as magical, nature loving orange elf people. 

As soon as they arrive to the new continent, they are desperate to kill "Injuns", as if a bunch of derelict Brits could successfully defend themselves against the entire Algonquin nation. 

Part of the conquest of America would never have happened if the colonizers didn't try to make alliances with the people they found. 

Many of the actions of the Anglo-Saxons through the conquest of America were greedy and bloodthirsty. There is nothing wrong with condemning the general crimes that the different ethnic groups have committed. 

But Pocahontas is just a cartoon and real history is portrayed with immaturity. The viewer is never made to consider that, under similar circumstances to those of the British colonizers, they too would be perfectly capable of acting similarly.

5: After demonizing whites, the movie then proceeds to condemn the Powhatan for wanting them out of their lands. 

At the mid point of the movie, Disney wants us to believe that suddenly, not wanting white people in your territory is bad. 

Why? You went out of your way to portray them as the true savages who have been corrupted by capitalism and can't wait to kill indians. 

At this point in the movie, the villain - Governor Ratcliffe - has killed a member of their community. They have a reason to be afraid. They have a reason to be angry. They have a reason to want to defend themselves. And yet, suddenly the movie wants to me believe their intolerance is bad? 

6: The Song "Savages" is Hideous 

Now, on a more personal note, "Savages" - the villain song of the movie - is absolutely hideous. It's anxiety inducing, it's rhythm has no rest, and melodically, it's the worst song Disney has ever made. 

I will reproduce some of the lyrics below, and add some comments. Those parts sung by the Powhatan are orange (because Disney has told us this is what Powhatan look like) and those sung by the British are pink.

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 / their vermin, as I said / and worse

Yay, let's have kids sing along to racist lyrics to prove that racism is bad 

Behind that milky white / there's emptiness inside / I wonder if they even bleed 

If they can't bleed, the Powhatan are done for.

They're not like you and me / Which means they must be evil

Again, it's merely black and white (or, should I say, orange and pink) in a movie about "dialogue" and "diversity". 

They different from us / Which means they can't be trusted

At this point, the movie Powhatan aren't mistrusting them because they're pale. They mistrust them because they shot one of them and started cutting down trees without even establishing contact with them. 

7: It has a Pug 

One of the (multiple) pets in the movie is a pug. Firstly, pugs weren't a thing back then. Secondly, pugs are an ugly, malformed breed who live with breathing problems - and yet, people think they're cute because of movies like this. 

Conclusion

I hate Pocahontas, and you should too 

It's a stupid film / It's ravening with filth 

And it will make a fool of you 

I hate Pocahontas, I like the hate it gets

Their Powhatan are orange / They're Hollywoodian cringe 

They're treated like the writer's pets 

I hate Pocahontas, it's just a dumb cartoon  

Their white men have no wits / They're just the bad on Brits 

We are supposed to hate this goons 

I hate Pocahontas, its riddled and insane 

The race we had to hate / Are just friends at the gate 

Superior elves are suddenly mundane 

I hate Pocahontas, in hatred I'll remain

She lived and saw the world / Now she's a plastic doll

The selling of a person's name