Where are all the waterfalls? I don't see any waterfalls around here...

Rating: Null/10 (18 March 2002)

I've lived here practically my entire life and I'm STILL looking for the waterfalls. And the steep cliffs. And the bears and racoons. And the talking trees.
Take it from a person who lives two minutes away from the original Jamestown Fort. Take it from an obsessive history buff who worked at Jamestown for a year. While I watched this movie, I picked up 73 historical inaccuracies- and that was only when I was 11. Seven years later, after going through extensive history courses...I'm sure I could pick up hundreds. Some of the disneyfied innacuracies are understandable.... John Smith was quite unnattractive in actual portraits (red hair and a beard), and I must say the Fabio-esque cartoon was much nicer to look at. Pocahontas would have had a shaved head, and had tattoos all over her body- but parents don't want ALL their daughters looking like Joan Jett. Pocahontas' real husband, John Rolfe, brought Tobacco to Virginia- Phillip Morris would have been pleased if Disney included that tidbit, but most folks would not. However, some of the innacuracies are inexcusable. For one thing (Attention ALL tourists)- THERE ARE NO MOUNTAINS, WATERFALLS, CLIFFS, HILLS, SUNFLOWERS, ETC. IN WILLIAMSBURG! BIG topographical mistake- I think the animators might have read the directions to Williamsburg incorrectly and wound up in Charlottesville instead. Pocahontas was 11 years old in 1607- having a platonic relationship w/John Smith, yet having the girl foster a temporary peace would have made for a cute, feel-good, and powerful movie. But of course, we need romance. I need not bore you with more details about the inaccuracies... Finally, I would like to apologize on behalf of Native Americans. According to the Spokeane poet Sherman Alexie, he claimed that if Native Americans aren't depicted as John-Wayne savages, they're tree-hugging environmentalists. Not that it's bad, but the film totally stereotypes them. I think they should have gone into deeper character analysis, especially with the two main characters. I'm not saying to NOT watch this film- in my opinion, it's alot better than those stupid films "Shrek" and "Monsters Inc." After all, it might impel the brighter younguns to learn more about the REAL Pocahontas and maybe explore *gasp* HISTORY a little bit. But of course, as a former Jamestown employee, that was MY job, wasn't it? =0)