Steady As The Beating Drum

As an incredibly indecisive person, I struggled to choose only one movie to name as my favorite, so after brainstorming a list, I watched several trailers. One quickly stood out as the most uplifting one –one that brought me back to my childhood days and made me want to sit down and watch it again instead of doing any homework. I decided to choose Pocahontas, an old classic and a movie I have loved since childhood. While I love other movies for a few months or maybe a year or two, Pocahontas remains a rare movie I can honestly watch again and again over the years and never grow tired of. While brainstorming ideas for my blog, my younger brother began voicing his opinions about my choices, ranting about the historical inaccuracies in Pocahontas. Although many have criticized the film’s portrayal of Pocahontas, as a child I simply embraced the animal friends and talking trees. I will admit I felt (still feel) slightly jealous of her animal companions, a raccoon and hummingbird, and how she races down rivers and waterfalls in a canoe. Who does not feel uplifted as they watch Pocahontas and John Smith race through the woods singing songs like “Colors of the Wind?” I love the drama in the story, well as much drama as one can expect from Disney, as the two go against their families and everything they know to continue their relationship. Perhaps the most heart wrenching moment occurs when they fear the Native Americans will kill John and he tells her, “I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you.” Honestly, who does not secretly want to hear that? In the midst of the drama, the story still manages to create humor with the curious raccoon, Meeko, and the governor’s dog, Percy, antagonizing each other. However, in the end, when John must return to England due to a gunshot wound, their parting pulls at the heart as you wonder if he will return. The only consolation comes from hoping they will one day reunite. For this reason, though, I feel obligated to warn everyone to avoid the sequel. For some reason, the writers decided to become more historically accurate and destroy the relationship between Pocahontas and John Smith. As long as people avoid the horrendous sequel, they can fully enjoy the heartwarming classic, a movie that consistently brings joy to everyone no matter how many times they watch it.