I watched Pocahontas again recently after a long time, just to discover that it still has that much power over my heartstrings. By the end credits I was wibbling as usual.

The reason I'm actually sitting down and typing this right at this moment is because among my circle of close friends, I'm the only one who really likes Pocahontas. My friends and I agree that The Little Mermaid was wonderful and Beauty and the Beast was perfect, but I'm the only one one who thinks Pocahontas is beautiful.

This little page is an attempt to explain why I feel for this movie the way I do.

In no way are my opinions meant to reflect anyone else's, because even when we're watching the same thing, we can see it differently. This just happens to be my own point of view.
 

This is the first topic that pops up the moment Disney's Pocahontas is mentioned, so I suppose it ought to be the first thing I talk about.

The feud between the natives and the invading settlers is a blood stain on American history, yes. It's a heavy topic, and one that I can't even begin to start on. However, what I believe that Disney's Pocahontas was trying to do was to present history in a different way, through a different point of view. Not one that's trying to lighten the seriousness of the events, but one that's trying to explain it in a way that the younger generation can understand.

Disney's Pocahontas is a romanticized version of history, which countless of other movies are also guilty of. I know, I know... Just because dozens of other movies have twisted history that doesn't make it an excuse for Disney. But there's this: not at any point of the movie does Disney's Pocahontas excuse the English for their actions. For all the changes made in the adaptation, Disney remained respectful to the Native Americans, and were honest about the intentions of the English settlers.

If you're touchy about historical accuracies in movies, then you won't like Pocahontas no matter what. In my mind, this is merely a fictional representation of actual events, and was never meant to be taken literally at all.
 

Pocahontas is Native American, John Smith is English. Two very different people from two very different worlds, but the one thing they have in common is that they're searching for their paths in life. I am an absolute sucker for these type of culture-clash love stories, even those built upon such hostile history.

My own country was once taken over by European settlers (including the English) some centuries ago. We did claim independence in the aftermath of World War 2, but the touch of the Europeans never fully went away. Call it morbid curiosity if you will, but I've always been fascinated with the arrogant pale visitors who dared stake claim to land that was never theirs. I mean just look at the English... They're from this tiny island right, and they somehow managed to create this giant empire out of sheer cunning. (Erm, I'm talking about the English of centuries ago, which has little to do with the English of today.)

I'm not admiring the actions of the English empire, mind. What I'm fascinated with is the possibility that maybe -- just maybe -- a few of them stopped seeing the natives as uncivilised heathens. Maybe they started to talk to the natives. Maybe they tried to learn the language. Maybe they even decided to stay. Maybe they even fell in love with and married a local.

I come from a country where culture clashes are normal. So the idea of two people overcoming that difference by finding a common ground, even if it's just love, appeals to me greatly.
 

Many would argue that Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame marked the beginning of the end for Disney. I would gladly agree with them, but not for the obvious reasons.

I don't think it was a mistake for Disney to try taking on more adult stories. Disney needed to change in order to survive, even if the risk of it backfiring was so great. Sad thing is, it did backfire. Disney never quite regained the status they had during their Renaissance years, though I don't think it's solely because they decided to become more serious.

Pixar's making some intense films (like Finding Nemo and The Incredibles) that address some pretty serious issues. How come Pixar can do it but Disney can't? I say it's because the storytelling magic just got... deviated. There's a long backstory on the internal politics of the company, but meh.

Whatever the case, I still fell in love with Pocahontas, though I full admit that it doesn't quite have the sparkle that their previous movies had. Then why do I like it? Because it came at the right time for me personally.

Yes, Disney had grown up. But the thing is, so had I. I was ready for a more serious Disney. This brings me to the next part...
 

Watching Pocahontas again, it struck me how grown-up the story was. Not just the parts with the fighting between the Natives and the English, because that was... Well, that was dealt with more maturity than many cartoons that came before it.

I'm specifically talking about the love story. Before Pocahontas, all the couples were fairytale couples, so it was pretty standard: their eyes met, they fell in love, they kissed, they danced off into the sunset. The most physical contact they ever had was maybe a hug or the holding of hands. The most they ever expressed their love was with song, tears, or a signature across the bottom of a parchment. All the previous love stories were tame idealised fairytales.

Pocahontas, however, is no fairytale. Pocahontas and John Smith are very much adults, and it shows in everything they do. They are mature, their world is larger than that of their own problems, they don't idly dream for things -- they go out and actively look for it. When they find each other there's no awkwardness or stumbling for words. Their love doesn't make them dance on air in their own happiness; their love makes them want to confront their own demons and change the way they look their world.

This maturity is reflected in the way that Pocahontas and John Smith act around each other. Previously, the Disney couples sat together, maybe danced politely together, glanced shyly at each other, and would then maybe lean forward slowly for that tentative kiss. Pocahontas and John Smith do no such thing.

I know some people would find it a bit of a sensitive issue, but I think it's cool how Pocahontas and John Smith are so comfortable within each other's personal space. Pocahontas, in particular, has lived in a close-knit community her whole life and doesn't think much of it. So there they are, Pocahontas and John Smith, constantly holding each other and looking at each other with all the comfortable understanding of adults who see love for what it is. And that first kiss? Twenty-one seconds, an animated couple record.

Also, Pocahontas and John Smith never say "I love you" to each other, because they don't need to. They just know. I think it's awesome.
 

The ending of Pocahontas broke my heart, and it still does everytime I think about it. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. It was the perfect unconventional ending for an unconventional movie.

These type of movies with open-book endings tend to stay with me more than those with closed-book endings. (Examples of my fav movies with open-book endings: The Sound of Music, Labyrinth, Monsters Inc.) It leaves just enough thread for your imagination to jump on, and if you're like me and have an overactive imagination, then you're trapped hook, line and sinker.

Pocahontas and John Smith don't need a happy ending for their love to be perfect. Whoever made the rule that true love must have a happy ending, anyway?