Disney films are famous for their adorable creatures, sappy romances, and happy endings. Disney's first film based on a Native American heroine was churned out like all the others: it overlooks as many bad things as possible to create a happy, romantic, love-filled story. The film Pocahontas is loosely inspired by the arrival of English settlers who created the colony of Jamestown in 1307. While there are some correct depictions of the story, the film is chock-full of historical inaccuracies. Disney may have made a film that's fun to watch, but it's historically lacking. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Movie "Pocahontas": Summary of Main Themes and MotifsOne of the most glaring inaccuracies is actually the main plot of the entire film, the love story between Pocahontas and John Smith. Pocahontas was only about 10 years old when Smith, 27, arrived in the New World. In the film, Pocahontas is portrayed as an adult woman who is the same age as John. Pocahontas and John Smith were never romantically involved. Indeed, at around age 14, evidence suggests that Pocahontas married a lower-ranking man named Kocoum for love, although in the film her father appears to try to force her into the marriage. Disney obviously chose to overlook these things to create its usual enchanting love at first sight story. Not only was Disney's depiction of John and Pocahontas' relationship wildly out of tone, but Disney also completely altered the circumstances in which the two met. While in the film Pocahontas meets Smith almost immediately after landing in the "new world", in reality her tribe did not encounter any Englishmen until John Smith was captured by his uncle (the Powhatan's brother) and taken to the Powhatan's home. This meeting leads to the film's next inaccuracy: the so-called "saving" of John Smith's life. According to John Smith's personal account, right before his head was smashed in, Pocahontas threw herself on top of him and begged the Powhatan for mercy. This is also what we see in the photo in the film. Many historians question whether this event actually happened. As reported in the oral and contemporary history of the Mattaponi tribe, the Powhatans had grown to appreciate John Smith, and the ceremony in which Smith stated that he was about to be killed was actually intended to honor him and accept him into a position of leadership. There was no reason for anyone to kill a man honored by the chief. Another reason why Pocahontas probably did not save Smith's life is that if he had actually been present at a ceremony, children would not have been allowed to participate in such important events, meaning that young Pocahontas could not have been there to save him. dangerous idea that after a short war the English see their wrongdoings and both sides make friends and live happily ever after. The truth is, even though the Mattaponi tribe helped the Jamestown colony survive by bringing in food, there was still hostility from the settlers. In fact, most of the conflict between the two cultures was created and provoked by the colonists. Although it was not shown in the film, over 80% of the indigenous population was wiped out due to mass genocide and infectious diseases contracted by the colonizers. Pocahontas herself did not receive the peaceful ending depicted in the film. When she was about 16, she was kidnapped and taught English customs and religion. While in captivity, Mattaponi's oral history says she was raped. He converted to Christianity and, by all English accounts, married.