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Nightmare Fuel / Pocahontas

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For as much flak as Pocahontas receives for its rose-tinted depiction of colonial North America, it still has its share of dark and terrifying moments.


  • The scene where Pocahontas and John Smith kiss and Kocoum notices. With a terrifying shriek of rage, he charges at John, and tries to straight up murder him.
    • His death is hardly any better: after Thomas shoots him the music utterly stops as he slowly falls over, a look of shock permanently etched on his face
    • Pocahontas' reaction to Kocoum's death counts here too. Seeing the usually serene and dignified chief's daughter staring daggers at Thomas for what he had just done is downright scary. And then she lunges at the man as if she's about to tear him limb from limb.
  • The premise of the "Mine, Mine, Mine" song is fairly creepy as Ratcliffe subtly convinces the settlers to destroy the land in search of nonexistant gold for himself with promises of shared riches and wealth for them all. He makes it clear he only cares for himself and flashes a Nightmare Face to demonstrate his malice as he greedily destroys everything while the song continues with a jaunty tone.
    • The original ending to the "Mine, Mine, Mine" song features all the settlers proudly mining and examine their handiwork....which includes the entire forest burnt down to ash. It's surprisingly creepy in a sense.
  • The scene at the waterfall where Pocahontas is following John Smith, who has suddenly appeared to have left. However, as she begins leaping across the rocks, we cut to a shot of John hiding inside of the waterfall with his gun, before he leaps out, aiming it at her. Imagine what would have happened if he had shot her before the mist cleared.
  • He may not be one of Disney's biggest villains, but Ratcliffe is one of Disney's most purely spiteful villains. His incredibly passionate racism, mad desire to get his beloved gold, absolute delusion/refusal to listen to reason and in the sequel, high status which makes him virtually untouchable, make him a dangerous and frightening villain nonetheless, and also being based on a real-life person as well.
  • When Ratcliffe shows a map of the Spanish Empire's various conquests of the New World, various figures of people from the Incan and Aztec Empire are shown groveling surrounded by the dead bodies of their allies and begging for mercy with their homes on fire in the pictures as the Spanish Conquistadors demand their treasures at gunpoint. Pretty horrible considering Ratcliffe planned to inflict the same horrors upon Pocahantas and her people.
  • Savages is the song sung by both sides of the inevitable conflict between the natives and the colonists. Each one prepares for war while singing about how the other side are evil and must be utterly destroyed. It's about as close to a perfect song about racism and genocide as Disney could've done at the time, and between the haunting thunderous music and the striking visuals of the scene, it's chilling how full of hate it is.
    Their skins are hellish red, they're only good when dead, they're vermin as I said and worse!
    Beneath that milky hide, there's emptiness inside. I wonder if they even bleed!
    • What makes it even worse is seeing the sympathetic characters get swept up in the fervor and hatred. One of these is the main character's own father, a person who has been established as a wise and good ruler wanting only what was best for his people. And even he was unable to keep from getting swept up. Indeed, he's the one who starts the song on the Native end.
    • Towards the end of the song, we're treated to a brief shot of Ratcliffe screaming "KILL THEM!" as his pupils glow red with bloodlust.
    • The Powhatan warriors drag Smith to his place of execution with a rope around his neck—and he's fighting them with everything he has, but he is ultimately completely powerless against them, and badly outnumbered even if he could get free.
    • As the song reaches its climax, Chief Powhatan raises a war club to bash in Smith's skull. The brief close-up of his rage-filled eyes is sure to stop your heart for a few beats. Right in front of horrified Englishmen coming to rescue John Smith, including Governor Ratcliffe.


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