Pocahontas (franchise)
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''Pocahontas'' is a
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...
that commenced in 1995 with the theatrical release of ''
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
''. The franchise is based on the real-life early 17th-century
indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
woman,
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
.


Films


''Pocahontas''

''Pocahontas'' is a 1995 American animated musical romance-drama film. It was produced by
Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...
and had a limited release to theaters on June 23, 1995, by
Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...
.


''Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World''

''Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World'' is a 1998 straight-to-video sequel to the 1995 Disney film ''
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
''. The film focuses on
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
' journey to London, England with
John Rolfe John Rolfe (1585 – March 1622) was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia in 1611. Biography John Rolfe is believed ...
to negotiate for peace between the two nations.


Video games


''Disney's Pocahontas''

''Disney's Pocahontas'' is a video game based on the 1995 film of the same name, was released on the Sega Genesis in 1996. The Sega title was developed by Funcom on contract with Disney. It was followed by a later release for the Game Boy and PlayStation on June 10, 1996, nearly a year after the film's premiere. A Super NES version of the game was under development around the same time as the Genesis version, but was canceled due to development being too far behind to coincide with the Genesis release.


''Disney's Animated Storybook: Pocahontas''

'' Disney's Animated Storybook: Pocahontas'' is a part of the ''Disney's Animated Storybook'' game series.


''Disney Magic Kingdoms''

''
Disney Magic Kingdoms ''Disney Magic Kingdoms'' is a 2016 city building game developed and published by Gameloft for iOS, Android, and Windows. It is themed off the Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. The game was officially launched on March 17, 2016. Storyline The game ...
'' includes a ''Pocahontas'' storyline with Pocahontas, Meeko and Percy as playable characters. Grandmother Willow appears as a non-player character being an attraction, with Flit (also a non-player character) flying around her.


Theme park attractions


The Spirit of Pocahontas

''The Spirit of Pocahontas'' was a stage show. It was performed in the
Fantasyland Theater Fantasyland Theatre, formerly Videopolis, is the name of a outdoor amphitheater at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Located in Fantasyland, it functions as a venue for various shows. In 1995, the location was renamed to Fantasyland Theater. I ...
at
Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
in
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and on the backlot theater that was originally constructed for the ''
Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve, Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' ( ...
'' stage show at
Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. It is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division. Based on a concept by Ma ...
. It opened at Fantasyland on June 23, 1995, and ran through September 4, 1997. It opened on June 23, 1995, at Disney's Hollywood Studios and closed after eight months in February 1996. The show ran for half an hour with special effects and a score and songs by
Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''A ...
and
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin'' (1972), and ''Wicked'' (20 ...
. The show played five times each day. The musical told the story of
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
through the perspective of her Native American tribe. Storyteller, Werowance, and the
Powhatan The Powhatan people (; also spelled Powatan) may refer to any of the indigenous Algonquian people that are traditionally from eastern Virginia. All of the Powhatan groups descend from the Powhatan Confederacy. In some instances, The Powhatan ...
tribe tell the story of Pocahontas as they remember it. When Pocahontas is summoned, Werowance takes on the role of her father, Chief Powhatan. To represent the English settlers, members of the tribe don silver ceremonial masks. English adventurer, John Smith, materializes from a burning campfire. The puppet face of Grandmother Willow appears on a huge willow tree to offer guidance to Pocahontas and John Smith.


Pocahontas le Spectacle

''Pocahontas le Spectacle'' was a stage show that opened on May 12, 1996 in the Chaparral Theater in the Frontierland section of
Disneyland Paris Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origin ...
. It dealt with much of the same story as ''The Spirit of Pocahontas''. Audience members were given the opportunity to watch the "filming" of the movie ''
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
'', and some volunteers were asked to take the stage as extras in the production. The entire show was done in a combination of English and French. The show’s run ended on August 29, 1999. Like ''The Spirit of Pocahontas'', the show retells the story of the
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film version of Pocahontas from the perspective of the storyteller, Werowance, and the Powhatan tribe.


Pocahontas Indian Village

Pocahontas Indian Village is a part of the Frontierland section of
Disneyland Park Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
in Paris, France. Pocahontas Indian Village: Just Around the River Bend is a playground based on a traditional Native American settlement.


Pocahontas and her Forest Friends

''Pocahontas and her Forest Friends'' was a live stage show at
Disney's Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the l ...
at
Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
in
Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. It took place at the Camp Minnie-Mickey land at Grandmother Willow’s Grove, which is a 350-seat outdoor theater built for ''Pocahontas and her Forest Friends''. The show opened on April 22, 1998 and closed in 2008. It was a 12-minute show. The show was about
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
from the 1995
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film of the same name. In the show, Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow, along with a new young tree character named Sprig and a host of live animals, teach the audience about the beauty of nature and how to live with Mother Nature in peace and harmony.


Meet and greets

Pocahontas is a popular
meetable character A costumed performer or suit performer wears a costume that usually, (but not always) covers the performer's face, typically to represent a non-human character such as a mascot or cartoon character. These range from theme park "walk-around" or "m ...
at the
Disney Parks and Resorts Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, Inc., formerly Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and informally known as Disney Parks, is one of The Walt Disney Company's five major business segments and a subsidiary. It was founded on Apri ...
, and is located in
Frontierland Frontierland is one of the "themed lands" at the many Disneyland-style parks run by Disney around the world. Themed to the American Frontier of the 19th century, Frontierlands are home to cowboys and pioneers, saloons, red rock buttes and gol ...
, and at
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park is a zoological theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. Owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks, Experiences and Products division, it is the l ...
. She is often accompanied by Meeko, and occasionally John Smith.


Music


''Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack''

''Pocahontas: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack'' is the soundtrack to the 1995 Disney animated film, ''
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
''. It contains songs from the film written by
Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''A ...
and
Stephen Schwartz Stephen Lawrence Schwartz (born March 6, 1948) is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over five decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as ''Godspell'' (1971), ''Pippin'' (1972), and ''Wicked'' (20 ...
, conducted by David Friedman, and performed by
Judy Kuhn Judy Kuhn (born May 20, 1958) is an American actress and singer, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film ''Pocahontas'', including her re ...
,
Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor, film director, and producer. He is best known for his action hero roles, particularly his breakout role as Max Rockatansky in the first three films of the post-apocaly ...
,
Linda Hunt Lydia Susanna "Linda" Hunt (born April 2, 1945) is an American actress of stage and screen. She made her film debut playing Mrs. Oxheart in ''Popeye'' (1980). Hunt portrayed the male character Billy Kwan in '' The Year of Living Dangerously'' ...
,
Jim Cummings James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as th ...
and
David Ogden Stiers David Allen Ogden Stiers ( ; October 31, 1942 – March 3, 2018) was an American actor and conductor. He appeared in numerous productions on Broadway, and originated the role of Feldman in ''The Magic Show'', in which he appeared for four ...
among others, and singles by
Jon Secada Juan Francisco Secada Ramírez (born October 4, 1961), better known as Jon Secada, is a Cuban-born American singer. He has won two Grammy Awards and sold 15 million records, making him one of the best-selling Latin music artists. His music fus ...
and
Shanice Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and dancer. Shanice had the ''Billboard'' hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. ...
, and
Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resigne ...
, along with the film's score composed by
Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for ''The Little Mermaid'' (1989), ''Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ''A ...
. It was released by Walt Disney Records on May 23, 1995 on CD and audio cassette. * " The Virginia Company" * "Steady as the Beating Drum" * "
Just Around the Riverbend "Just Around the Riverbend" is a song from the 1995 Disney animated film ''Pocahontas''. Synopsis In the film, "Just Around the Riverbend" serves as Pocahontas' "I want" song, where she decides if she will follow tradition and the safe choice, or ...
" * "
Listen with Your Heart "Listen with Your Heart" is a song written by Diane Warren, and recorded by CeCe Winans for her second album ''Everlasting Love'' (1998). Casey Donovan version In 2004, the song was chosen to be released as the winner's single of the second ser ...
" * " Mine, Mine, Mine" * "
Colors of the Wind "Colors of the Wind" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz for Walt Disney Pictures' 33rd animated feature film, ''Pocahontas'' (1995). The film's theme song, "Colors of the Wind" was originally recorded by Amer ...
" * "
If I Never Knew You "If I Never Knew You" is a song by American singers Jon Secada and Shanice, from Disney's 1995 animated feature film, ''Pocahontas''. The song was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and originally recorded by American ...
" * " Savages"


''Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World'' soundtrack

'' Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (Music from the Motion Picture)'' is the soundtrack EP from the 1998
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
film, '' Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World''.


Other


Disney on Ice Disney on Ice, originally Walt Disney's World on Ice, is a series of touring ice shows produced by Feld Entertainment's Ice Follies And Holiday on Ice, Inc. under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows fea ...
: Forever Love featuring Pocahontas

''Disney on Ice: Forever Love featuring Pocahontas'' was a Disney on Ice show, which made its debut in 1996, a year after the release of Disney's ''
Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
''. The ice show toured the United States and the world until 2000. Mickey and friends presented many Disney animated films on ice, but the main attraction of this show was Disney's newest animated film, ''Pocahontas''. All of the stories presented in the show are about one major theme: a love that lasts forever. Pocahontas's love is presented to the audience as she and her true love, John Smith, paint with all of the "colors of the wind," as they do in the film.


Controversy

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, known as Matoaka, 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman, belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of ...
is the most well-known example of a Native American woman in mainstream media, and the reception of the 1995 film she stars in has been controversial. Despite Disney's claims that the ''Pocahontas'' franchise was meant to counter prejudice and create cooperation, critics have argued that the storyline contains unacceptable historical inaccuracies. Critics say the franchise contains harmful stereotypes, overlooks real history, and overshadows the opportunity for real Native American women to be represented in a fair way.


Cast and characters

*


References

{{Disney franchises Walt Disney Studios (division) franchises