Pocahontas/Characters

Pocahontas
"Voiced by: Irene Bedard (speaking), Judy Kuhn (singing)"




 * Action Girl: Sort of.
 * And Zoidberg: Because of her being in Braids Beads and Buckskins, she sort of has a hard time blending in well with the other princesses with their pimped out dresses. As such she is almost always the one who gets cut out of merchandise.
 * The sequel does give her a reasonably pimped out dress when she first arrives in England, this is almost always the outfit used in accessories.
 * Beauty Is Never Tarnished
 * The Chiefs Daughter
 * Daddys Girl
 * Dating What Daddy Hates
 * Does Not Like Shoes
 * Dramatic Wind: With her army of leaves at the ready.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending: She was the only one who could prevent the plot from going into a bloody massacre.
 * Friend to All Living Things: She's shown communing with several different types of animals, but her animal sidekicks are Flit, the hummingbird, and Meeko, the raccoon. Later Percy, the pug, is added.
 * Generation Xerox: According to her father, she takes after her mother.
 * Indian Maiden
 * Inexplicably Awesome: Her shamanic powers go unnoticed for most of the characters, but she actually accomplishes quite the feats with them; she talks to trees, summons up spirits, leaps over ravines through neigh levitating, survives crashing down in the water from a cliff, and.. learns English within three seconds.
 * I Want Song: "Just Around The Riverbend".
 * Missing Mom: DVD commentary states that the wind that travels around her is meant to be the spirit of her mother.
 * Ms. Fanservice
 * Official Couple: With John Smith.
 * She did in fact get together with John Rolfe at the end of the DTV sequel, but Disney merchandising (as well as a disproportionate amount of the fans) keeps her with Smith.
 * Rebellious Princess: She laughs at her father's assumption that the river is steady.
 * Shiny Midnight Black
 * Star Crossed Lovers: With John Smith, until she marries John Rolfe.
 * Statuesque Stunner: And how. Definitely (alongside Aurora of Sleeping Beauty), the tallest of the Disney Princesses.
 * Tall Dark and Bishoujo
 * The Power of Love: Utilizes it to stop a genocidal war.
 * Tempting Fate: "Should I choose the smoothest course?"
 * Took a Level In Badass: Under the guidance of Grandmother Willow, she goes from whining about her problems and sitting around, to taking action and defying her (very!) authorative father.
 * Tragic Keepsake: Her deceased mother's necklace.
 * Wise Beyond Their Years: The only person in the entire movie, besides Grandmother Willow, to understand that war is not a plausible option, as it will leave both sides devastated and even farther away from a peaceful resolve. Her father comes close to saying this trope word for word describing her. "My daughter speaks with wisdom beyond her years."
 * Unexpected Successor: It's implied that she is taking Kocoum's place as her father's successor, especially in the closing scene.
 * Younger Than She Looks: Many fans indicate her age as 25 years old, enabling her romance with Smith (close to his thirties in this adaption) furthermore. In actuality, the fact that she was still unmarried makes her 17-19 years old at best.
 * Ironically, the real life figure she was based on was 9-11 years old at the time this story (allegedly) took place.

John Smith
"Voiced by: Mel Gibson"



"Pocahontas: Savages?
 * Badass
 * Blue Eyes
 * Break the Haughty: It's not done negatively, but he is forced to see the negative implications of his original behavior.
 * Character Development: Goes from pointing his gun at Pocahontas to trying his hardest not to kill Kocoum, a very strong warrior, who attacked him.
 * Closer to Earth: Especially next to Ratcliffe, he is a far more competent, wise and benevolent leader. He pales in comparison to Pocahontas, however, who tries very hard to put him off his self-righteous attitude. It works.
 * Dumb Blonde: When he's trying not to be insensitive to Pocahontas, but still describing her as a savage.

John Smith: No, not you..

Pocahontas: Just my people."

"John Smith: I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you."
 * Establishing Character Moment: Saving Thomas while others were willing to consider him lost.
 * Gentleman Adventurer: He's more interested in exploring than mining for gold.
 * Heel Face Turn: Somewhat. While not a bad guy at heart, his intentions to steal the Virginian land and "civilize" the "savages" are midly villainous at worst and thorougly short-sighted and inconsiderate at best. Pocahontas turns him around to make him realize the natives are fine on their own, and the land is not, in fact, under British ownership.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Thomas.
 * Hidden Depths: "I've never really belonged anywhere." Which gives a whole new meaning to the entire exploring obsession he has.
 * Historical Hero Upgrade: To the point where critics agree this is the version of John Smith the actual Smith would have wanted history to see him as.
 * In reality, John Smith was much more of a Jerkass, with one of his well-documented actions being taking a Native leader captive so that the leader's tribe would provide him with plentiful resources.
 * I Come in Peace: Incredibly subverted, and not even in We Come in Peace Shoot To Kill terms. One is left to wonder just what he might've done if Pocahontas hadn't been a girl..
 * Nice Guy: It takes some time to come to the surface, but at heart he is quite understanding, friendly and interested in other cultures. Grandmother Willow cunningly remarks that he has a good heart.
 * Official Couple: With oh guess who.
 * Due to this, it is deemed very unsafe to mention to Pocahontas fans. Thankfully, Disney itself affirms the Official Couple status of Pocahontas and John Smith on their merchandise.
 * Small Name Big Ego
 * Star Crossed Lovers: With Pocahontas.
 * Taking the Bullet:
 * Tall, Blond and Handsome
 * White Mans Burden: Initially. After talking to Pocahontas, he realizes that the natives don't really need their help.
 * You Are Worth Hell: The premise of If I Never Knew You.

Chief Powhatan
"Voiced by: Russell Means (speaking), Jim Cummings (singing)"




 * Berserk Button:
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Under his genuinely nice and peaceful demeanor, he is revealed to be quite an effective leader. In fact, his opening scene has him coming back from winning a war.
 * Calling the Old Man Out: Pocahontas does it to him, criticizing his "path of hatred".
 * Children Raise You: Gets taught a valuable lesson by his own daughter.
 * Disappointed in You: "Because of your foolishness, !"
 * Fantasy Forbidding Father: Well, he doesn't outright forbid Pocahontas' dreams.. but he doesn't like her rejection of Kocoum.
 * Historical Hero Upgrade: The real-life Powhatan was nothing short of a genuine Jerkass - despite naming Pocahontas his favorite daughter, he did not try to save her once she was kidnapped by the English. As John Rolfe, she berated him greatly for this decision and it made her decide to stay with the British.
 * Meddling Parents: Did he really give Pocahontas a choice on marrying Kocoum?
 * Russell Means cited this as being against the Native American tradition of always listening to your children, but stated the film redeemed itself in the scene where Pocahontas talks her father down, saying it was very realistic that a Native American dad would drop everything and seriously consider their children's words.
 * Open Minded Parent: After he realizes John Smith really was a good guy, he has no problems with Pocahontas kissing him.. right in front of him.
 * Papa Wolf: Among the more powerful Disney dads, including Mufasa and King Triton. Especially in the 90s, Disney fathers were prone to being small, bumbling or old and invalid.
 * Reasonable Authority Figure: At least until the death of, after which his xenophobia overtakes his wise side.
 * You Are Grounded: When he tells Pocahontas she should have stayed in the village.
 * What the Hell Hero: Pocahontas does it to him in her speech.

Nakoma
"Voiced by: Michelle St. John"




 * Abhorrent Admirer: Of Kocoum.
 * Brutal Honesty
 * Break the Haughty
 * Easily Forgiven: Sending Kocoum after Pocahontas, who was seeing John Smith, was a very inconsiderate move she knew was dangerous to all parties. But Pocahontas seems to have graciously excused her, along with Powhatan.
 * Hot Amazon
 * I Warned You
 * Jerkass With a Heart of Gold: She cares about Pocahontas, but very often berates the latter for her behavior.
 * Not So Above It All: She does eventually give in and laugh at Pocahontas toppling her canoo over.
 * Little Miss Snarker
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man: A lot more interested in guys than Pocahontas.
 * The Smart Guy: A lot more level-headed than Pocahontas.
 * Stop Having Fun Guy: "Don't you think we're a little old for this?"
 * Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Sending Kocoum after Pocahontas wasn't a great decision.

Kocoum
"Voiced by: James Apaumat Fall"



"Kocoum: Honorable Powhatan, I will lead our troops to the river! We will defeat them just like we did the Massawomecks!
 * Chick Magnet: Both in-universe and out. A sizable bout of the Pocahontas fandom prefers him over John Smith.
 * Clingy Jealous Guy: Probably. From his point of view, one of the white invaders that shot his friend in the leg was defiling his fiancée.
 * The Comically Serious
 * Designated Villain: While actually, for the bits of his character we do get to see, he seems to be an allright, nice guy.
 * Dogged Nice Guy: While a tad less xenophobic than John Smith, a whole lot more responsible and caring than the latter. For one, he actually wants to settle down.
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: And he is called out for it.
 * Proud Warrior Race Guy: And he is called out for it.

Powhatan: Kocoum, in that battle we knew how to fight our enemy."


 * Serious Business: Everything.
 * Screaming Warrior: Giving kids nightmares since 1995. Deconstructed here.
 * So Unfunny Its Funny
 * The Stoic
 * Straight Man
 * The Native Rival: Only briefly.
 * What Could Have Been: A deleted scene reveals he was supposed to be a Gaston-like, overprotective guy who was forcing Pocahontas to comply to him.
 * What Could Have Been: A deleted scene reveals he was supposed to be a Gaston-like, overprotective guy who was forcing Pocahontas to comply to him.

Grandmother Willow
"Voiced by: Linda Hunt"



"Grandmother Willow: Sometimes, the right path is not the easiest one."
 * Big Good: Of this movie. Doubles with The Obi Wan as she does teach the main characters some really valuable lessons.
 * Breakout Character: Most often seen on Pocahontas merchandise and posters. She seems to be the one character that is generally liked regardless of people's opinions on the movie she is in.
 * Cool Old Lady: "Kocoum? But he's so serious!"
 * Dawson Casting: Reversed; Linda Hunt was playing an ages-old spirit tree at the age of 49.
 * Hyper Awareness: Probably comes with being a spirit of nature.
 * Morality Pet: She teaches John Smith a lesson about getting things done.


 * Nature Spirit: Either that, or the lingering spirit of an actual deceased member of the tribe, who has manifested herself in a tree.
 * Never Mess With Granny: Effectively disposes of Ben and Lon when they come looking for John.
 * Parental Substitute: For Pocahontas. She gives her the advice a mother would normally give her daughter.
 * Rear Window Witness: Technically, happened right in front of her. If she saw it is something else.
 * Shipper On Deck: For Pocahontas and John, instantly. She even agrees that Kocoum is so serious.
 * Spirit Advisor
 * When Trees Attack: For Ben and Lon. Their reaction was pretty logical.
 * Wise Tree
 * Women Are Wiser

Thomas
"Voiced by Christian Bale"


 * Big No: Standing up to Ratcliffe of all people was pretty epic on his part.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Didn't Think This Through: Apparently, never occurred to him.
 * Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Sort of subverted.. he is not a villain and he is ineffective for the most part, but the one instant he does become effective, he screws the plot over.
 * Teens Are Short: Notably much shorter than the statesque Pocahontas.
 * Unexpected Successor: Looks like it.
 * Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
 * Unwitting Pawn
 * Unwitting Pawn

Governor Ratcliffe
"Voiced by: David Ogden Stiers"



"Ratcliffe: Oh, and Thomas... you've been a slipshod sailor and a poor excuse for a soldier. Don't disappoint me again."
 * Authority in Name Only: Although he does command the mission, he isn't very highly regarded back in England. Not at all, actually..
 * Badass Cape: Part of his outfit in "Savages".
 * Bavarian Fire Drill: Waging war against the natives. Sure, Smith was in very real mortal peril (although there was no way Pocahontas was going to let him die) but Ratcliffe actually didn't give a rat's ass about Smith's life. In fact, he wanted to rid himself of Smith.
 * Also, he ordered for anyone who wouldn't shoot a native at sight to be hanged for treason. So by his own laws, Smith would have to be considered a bloody traitor.
 * Big Bad: But because of his weak showing in terms of villainy, he is overshadowed by the themes of hate and xenophobia, which become the overlapping Bigger Bad.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience: Wears purple, and later, dark red-shining black. Though the purple is at least a bit ironic, since that was the color for nobility and royalty.
 * Greed
 * Evil Counterpart: To Powhatan. Both are commanders of a group of warriors and both have someone prone to overshadowing them (Smith for Ratcliffe, Kocoum for Powhatan). What really sets Ratcliffe apart from Powhatan is his motivation; greed and expansion as opposed to preservation and protection.
 * Evil Is Petty: A xenophobic and horrifyingly racist, elitist bastard.. and also a bully to Thomas.
 * Evil Is Stylish
 * Faux Affably Evil: Oh, so much.
 * Failure Is the Only Option: Well, if your Get Rich Quick Scheme was to find gold in Virginia.. yeah.
 * Fat Bastard
 * Fat Idiot: He's kind of this too
 * Historical Villain Upgrade
 * If I Were a Rich Man: Combined with I Just Want to Be Special.
 * Implausible Deniability: Denies to himself that there is no gold, just to reassure himself he won't have to return to England having failed his last assignment.
 * Ironic Echo: "And he came so highly recommended." Ratcliffe says it of Wiggins after perceiving the latter to be inept; Wiggins utters the very same line tearfully after seeing Ratcliffe being taken away for his crimes.
 * Its All About Me: "This is MY land! I make the rules here!" ..Even though he did absolutely nothing besides shooting Nanutek.
 * Jerkass Woobie: Somewhat redeems himself with his worries about the Virginia Company being his last chance at fame and glory.
 * And then destroys it completely by still wanting to kill the Indians after it has been proven to him a hundred times that there is no gold.
 * Large and In Charge
 * Moral Event Horizon: Crosses it by, in-universe. For the audience, he could have crossed the line way earlier for his disregard of other cultures and their significance, but to be fair.. every single British person in the movie thought like that.
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: Ratcliffe. Ironically, his real-life counterpart did bear that name.
 * Politically Incorrect Villain
 * The Reason You Suck Speech: To Thomas.


 * Sissy Villain: "Remember when Disney used to make COOL villains?"
 * Smug Snake: Overconfident? Check. Sarcastic? Check. Not that much of a villain? Double check..
 * Talking to Himself: He and Wiggins were both voiced by David Ogden Stiers.
 * Villain Song: Mine, Mine, Mine and most of Savages.
 * Villain With Good Publicity: Doubles for a Zero Percent Approval Rating. While his men and underlings greatly trust and admire him, everyone in the palace, as Wiggins denotes, thinks of him as a pathetic social climber, whose last chance of glory is a semi-prestitious journey they actually deem doomed to fail. Ratcliffe even fantasizes about proving those "royal backstabbers" wrong by returning with eons of gold.
 * The Unfavourite: Of all Disney Renaissaince villains. It doesn't help that he's squeezed between two of the most evil villains Disney has ever created.

Wiggins
"Voiced by David Ogden Stiers"


 * Ambiguously Gay: Although you may just wanna drop the "ambiguous" part.
 * Brutal Honesty: "Oh yes, that you're a pathetic social climber.."
 * Bumbling Sidekick
 * Cloudcuckoolander
 * Comically Missing the Point: "Ooh, gift baskets!"
 * Designated Villain: Doesn't do anything villainous except being the Big Bad's manservant.
 * The Ditz
 * Dumbass Has a Point: "Because we invaded their land and dug up their earth and cut down their trees?"
 * The Dragon: More like the dragon wannabe for Ratcliffe.
 * Heel Face Turn: Of sorts.
 * Ho Yay: A common theory among fans is what Ratcliffe and Wiggins were up to crammed into the Captain's Hut on a ship for several months.
 * Man of Wealth and Taste
 * Nice Guy: Never personally hated the Natives.
 * Ironic Echo: "And he came so highly recommended."
 * Shoo Out the Clowns: Is briefly seen securing Ratcliffe's armor during the beginning notes of "Savages", before disappearing and only reappearing in the final scene to comment on Ratcliffe's betrayal.
 * Sissy Villain: Leave out the "villain" part.
 * Talking to Himself: Voiced by the same actor as Ratcliffe.
 * Unwitting Instigator of Doom: By means of making a joke, he inadvertedly inspires Ratcliffe's theory of the Natives harboring the gold for themselves.

Ben and Lon


"Ben (or Lon):"
 * Deadpan Snarkers: "Aye, your singing must have scared him off."
 * Did Not Do the Research: A Scotsman in the Virginia Company?
 * Gullible Lemmings: Like most of the settlers.
 * : Of sorts. They pick the other side in favor of Ratcliffe's.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: Of Ratcliffe, naturally. They call him on it.

"Ben: We shoot ourselves an Injun.. or maybe two or three!"
 * Politically Incorrect Villain: My god.


 * Screw This I'm Outta Here: "He's a big lad! He can take care of himself!"
 * Those Two Guys

Meeko
"John Smith: Is this bottomless pit a friend of yours?"
 * Big Eater:


 * Cartoony Tail
 * Chekhov's Gunman: Steals John Smith's compass early in the movie.
 * Easily Forgiven
 * Evil Gloating
 * Funny Animal
 * Kleptomaniac Hero
 * Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: Does this to Flit.
 * Is It Something You Eat: His reaction to anything John Smith hands him. If it's not to eat, he'll hoard it.
 * Rascally Raccoon
 * The Scrappy: YMMV, but a lot of Disney fans seem to dislike him.
 * Shipper On Deck: For John Smith and Pocahontas, because John feeds him cookies.
 * Troll: To Percy.

Flit
"Pocahontas: Flit doesn't like strangers."
 * Absolute Xenophobe: Despite what you might think.. this hummingbird is the most racist character in the movie.


 * Animal Reaction Shot: Has several.
 * Butt Monkey: Almost drowns within a minute of being introduced. John Smith later catches him in a cookie, which was virtually inescapable for him.
 * Jaw Drop: Alongside Meeko when Pocahontas learns English.
 * Satellite Character: Does not really have a function in the story apart from being funny.
 * The Scrappy: Just as well as Meeko.
 * Seldom Seen Species
 * The Straight Man: To Meeko.
 * With Friends Like These: How does he still tolerate hanging out with Meeko?

Percy

 * Designated Villain: Being Ratcliffe's pet made him one.
 * Empathy Pet: After becoming Pocahontas' pet.
 * Hair Trigger Temper
 * Heel Face Turn: Unsurprisingly, his loyalties shift to Pocahontas once Grandmother Willow shuts him up. He still doesn't quite like Meeko though.
 * Perpetual Frowner