is a story that appealed to us because it was basically a story about people getting along together, which is particularly applicable to lots of places in the world today."
Edgerton and Jackson also presented without comment this statement by Disney publicists: "in every aspect of storytelling, the filmmakers tried to treat Pocahontas with the respect she deserved and present a balanced and informed view of Native American culture." There are a number of ways in which this film could be criticized as racist. One of the most obvious involves the use of language. In the film, terms such as "savages," "heathens," "pagans," "devils," "primitive," and "civilized" are used repeatedly and are not considered respectful in the context of this film. The use of these terms conveys a value judgment about white superiority and Native American inferiority.
This film appears to be anything but a balanced and informed view of Native American culture. For example, one critic commented that the character Pocahontas was a:
"strapping, high cheek boned update of the usual Disney
Princess - she's an her oversized Native American
superbabe with a long, muscular brown legs, regal shoulder
blades, and silky black hair falling down to her waist.
With her vacuous Asian doll eyes, she looks ready to host
the Pocahontas' House of Style."
The fact that the Disney hired Native Americans to work on the film and to act as consultants does not mean that this was an accurate depi
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