History Fridge / Pocahontas

%%** The same thought on "How can there be so much you don't know/You don't know" was repetition...then the thought hits.

* Look at where Pocahontas was when Kocoum got shot. She was trying to pull him off John. It's a good thing John helped Thomas improve his aim; he could have shot Pocahontas instead by mistake! Imagine how much worse things would have gone if he'd accidentally murdered the chief's daughter.

* In the beginning of the "Savages" song, amerindians are called "red-skinned devils" by the english, and the english themselves are called "pale-faced demons" by the amerindians. If you take attention during the song, you can notice an interesting contrast: all english people have red outlines or have their traits and skin colored bright red, lightened by the surrounding fires, whereas the amerindians are colored blue under the dim moonlight, making them look rather pale, and this despite the big campfire in the middle of the village. Through images, it is shown that despite calling eachother names based on the color of their skins, they are NotSoDifferent: they all belong to the same race and, depending on perception, are the very same demons and devils they claim the other to be.

* Very broadly, "Colors of the Wind" is essentially a poetic description of an actual type of religion many Native Americans practiced, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animism Animism]].

* In the song "Mine, Mine, Mine", the word "mine" is a pun on "mine" (as in, "this is mine") and "mine" (as in, mining for gold).
** Pay attention to the lyrics. Ratcliffe is very smoothly transitioning from each meaning of the word as he moves through the camp, depending on whether he's talking to himself or the settlers.

* During Kekata's prophecy, after the images of the settlers transform into wolves, one of them circles Kokoum, and is later stopped by Powhatan. In terms of story, the wolf represents John and the events that happen when he is near the two warriors. First Kokoum dies in a skirmsh with John at the hands of Thomas, and then he [[TakingTheBullet took the bullet]] meant for Powhatan.
* The sequel starts in winter. Not only does this give Pocahontas an excuse to sing a bittersweet song about how all things must change, but it insures that when John Rolfe first saw her, she's wearing her winter outfit. That way, he's properly shocked when he sees her wearing only (Jacobean era) underwear.
* Thomas says that the Indians "headed North" when they took John Smith away. And Pocahontas later finds John's compass. Where does the arrow on a compass point to? The compass was pointing her to the place the execution was being held.
* Coupled with AlternateCharacterInterpretation. Ratcliffe says that this trip is his last chance for glory in the English court. Which explains why he's so ''desperate'' to find gold. And leading the battle on the tribe...perhaps he felt that he could get away with not bringing gold home if he could brag about slaughtering a tribe. Or was he hoping to die 'heroically' in battle rather than go back to England empty handed and be disgraced?

* Pocahontas suddenly being able to understand English. And the language barrier being apparently forgotten? Only Pocahontas is ever shown speaking and understanding English. When she speaks to him in front of Nakoma, it's never stated if Nakoma can ''understand'' what they're saying. However her reaction could be either a) the tone Pocahontas is using - she's speaking casually to one of the white men, or b) the fact that Pocahontas is speaking another language. Pocahontas gives no indication that she also understands Thomas at the end. She can tell he's trying to be sympathetic. The English also don't claim to have understood what Powhatan ''said'' at the execution - they know he called it off because he undid John's bonds and he and Pocahontas just hugged. ''In fact'', Ratcliffe's paranoia that it's a trick might stem from the fact that he ''didn't'' understand what Powhatan said. John also gives no indication that he understood Powhatan at the end.
* Pocahontas appears to be the only one who gets guidance from Grandmother Willow. Grandmother Willow teaches Aesops about doing the right thing and seeing the other person's point of view. So that is why Pocahontas is the only one to attempt to reason with the settlers.
* The first impressions the different Powhatans have to the settlers are what shape their viewpoints. Kocoum and his men's first impression was the settlers digging up their land, and then attacking them with guns. Pocahontas's meanwhile was John choosing to play with Meeko instead of attacking him. So that's why she was willing to get to know the settlers before judging them.

* Raccoons and hummingbirds are native to North America while pug dogs were bred in China. Meeko and Flit represent animals the Europeans would never have seen before, and Percy represents an animal that the Native Americans would never have seen before.

* Before the sequel came out, it went something like this. At the end of the film, [[spoiler: Ratcliffe]] is taken back to England [[spoiler: to await punishment for high treason]]. The punishment for high treason at the time in England was [[CruelAndUnusualDeath Hanging, drawing and quartering.]]

** Actually a good few of them stayed behind. Notice how Thomas and the other guy say "God speed, lad" as John is rowed out onto the ship. The majority stayed behind to populate Jamestown while those who went back only did so to transport Ratcliffe and John.
* It's not enough that the movie totally didn't not do the research on the real story in a LOT of areas, but the fact remains that Pocahontas died a rather miserable death by small pox at a rather young age, far away from home after the events of ''Pocahontas II'', and also that the situation of the indigenous Americans [[FromBadToWorse didn't get any better]].
** It gets worse once you realize that life for the settlers in Jamestown was awful. Jamestown sat on an island that had been ''abandoned'' by the indigenous population because it was so bad. The hunting was bad, the soil marshy, and there was a shortage of clean drinking water. The settlers arrived too late in the year to plant anything. Many died quickly from disease and starvation; the winter of 1609-1610 was known as "Starving Time" that left only 60 of the original ''500'' settlers alive. The whole situation for the first colonists got as bad as it did because they almost to a man acted greedier than this movie's villain. It took some rather inflexible leadership afterwards to keep Jamestown from becoming a historical footnote. Even then, Jamestown was gradually abandoned after the capital of Virginia was moved to Williamsburg in 1699. Jamestown fell into disrepair and the site was furthered damaged during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. Today, the site exists as a living history museum and archaeological site.

* Earlier in the film when the settlers were boarding the Susan Constant, a rat sneaks aboard. Rats carry the plague which would have wiped some natives out.
* Why must John be torn away from the love of his life and taken on a four-month voyage across the Atlantic in a rickety wooden ship? To be put into the hands of 17th century medicine, which thought disease was caused by humoral imbalances and leeches were the cure to everything.
* Look at where Pocahontas was when Kocoum got shot. She was trying to pull him off John. It's a good thing John helped Thomas improve his aim; he could have shot Pocahontas instead by mistake! Imagine how much worse things would have gone if he'd accidentally murdered the chief's daughter.

[[AC:FridgeLogic]]
* In ''Pocahontas II'', [[NewsTravelsFast news of John Smith's apparent death beats John Rolfe's ship across the Atlantic]], despite happening ''after'' he left. Apparently the writers forgot the part where news could only travel across oceans by ship in those days.
** Perhaps it was the spirits of the Earth?
** Alternately there's a TimeSkip between Ratcliffe telling James his story and John Rolfe actually arriving. The Queen simply says they have to wait for John Rolfe to return. He could either be about to leave or only just left. There could also have been another ship sent out, this one with maybe just people to populate Jamestown. John Rolfe's ship only was there to transport himself and Chief Powhatan. John Smith's "death" could have been common gossip for weeks before Ratcliffe went to James to tell the story personally.
** There's clearly a TimeSkip between the two movies. John Smith is shown running around on house roofs fighting off mooks etc in the sequel, which he wouldn't be able to do if the film took place just weeks after his injury. Also Jamestown is shown to have evolved into a proper settlement from a fortified camp, with women and children among the population, eventhough the settlers shown in the first film were all adult men.

** In their defense, the Powhatan (and other Amerindians) did this too, though usually for different reasons and with less waste. NecessaryEvil perhaps?

* Raccoons and hummingbirds are native to North America while pug dogs were breed in China. Meeko and Flit represent animals the Europeans would never have seen before, and Percy represents an animal that the Native Americans would never have seen before.