Pocahontas

**Pocahontas** is the titular protagonist of Disney's 1995 animated feature film of the same name. She is the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the leader of a Native American tribe in Virginia. With a willfully bold spirit, she formed a forbidden friendship with an English settler named John Smith, with whom she would fall in love. Unfortunately, a difference in values sparks a war between the natives and settlers, endangering her home. Inspired by her love for Smith, she is driven to bring peace and unity to the two worlds before a battle can unfold.

## Appearance

Pocahontas is a young woman with tan skin, long, raven-black hair, and twinkling, dark brown eyes. She has a tall, slender, statuesque figure with broad shoulders and narrow hips and goes around barefoot in the first film, whereas in the sequel, she wears flat moccasins. Unlike the other "modern" Disney Princesses of the period, such as Ariel, Belle, and Jasmine, as well as the others created after the Disney Renaissance such as Rapunzel, Anna, Elsa, and Moana, Pocahontas is drawn with her eyes and face less rounded and more angular and refined, as well as drawn with a head more similar to an adult's in proportion to her body similar to that of the first three original Disney Princesses, such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora, giving her an appearance of maturity which Pocahontas represented.

She normally wears her iconic turquoise necklace, which belonged to her mother. It is removed twice in the two films. The first occasion occurs when a fatally wounded Kocoum grabs at it as he falls, shattering it. In the sequel, she herself removes it and replaces it with a gold chain, stating, "It doesn't belong here."

The animation of her is also different from other Disney Princesses; owing to the flatter, angular, and more geometric art style of her debut film, similar to those of *Sleeping Beauty* and *One Hundred and One Dalmatians*.

## Personality

Pocahontas is displayed as a noble, free-spirited, and highly spiritual young woman. She expresses wisdom beyond her years and offers kindness and guidance to those around her. She loves her homeland, adventure, and nature. In the film, she appears to have shamanic powers since she was able to commune with nature, talk to spirits, empathize with animals, and understand unknown languages.

Pocahontas believes that her mother's spirit surrounds her, where she enjoys fleeing a breeze as if she feels her deceased mother's presence. Pocahontas also shows a very playful side where she tips her best friend, Nakoma, off her boat and proceeds to splash her with water.

When English settlers came to her homeland, Pocahontas was curiously drawn to them and unlike her people, she was able to see that the settlers were not dangerous as John Smithtreated her raccoon friend, Meeko, with kindness. Her curiosity also drew her to Smith, allowing her to bond with over their different customs, where the two eventually started a romantic relationship.

In the sequel, Pocahontas seems to have grown after hearing of John Smith's assumed death. She keeps her independent spirit and playfulness, but is much more mature and self-assured than she was in the first film. When she meets John Rolfe, she does not appreciate and sometimes bickers with him at first, but as time goes on, she develops romantic feelings for him. During her stay in England, she nearly loses herself in the hustle and bustle of this new world and is turned into someone she's not. But in the end, she bravely intends to sacrifice herself for her people's safety and returns to her homeland, finding herself, and romantic love, once again.

## Background

Pocahontas' mother had died when she was young, but she had inherited her strong will and free spirit. She is the only member of her tribe who is not xenophobic toward the white settlers, instead forming a romantic relationship with John Smith. By the time of the second film, she is respected enough that she is sent as an ambassador to England on behalf of her people.