Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World is a 1998 direct-to-video sequel to the 1995 Disney film Pocahontas. The film is inspired by true events in the life of Pocahontas which took place years after her encounter with John Smith and the founders of Jamestown. While the original film dealt with her romance with John Smith, this film deals with her romance with the Englishman she would later marry in real life, John Rolfe. It was more faithful to the real events of Pocahontas unlike the prequel.
Plot[]
Several years later in London after the first film, John Smith is ambushed by a troupe of soldiers with a warrant for his arrest and presumed dead in the ensuing confrontation; Ratcliffe has manipulated King James (being a personal friend of the King) and framed Smith as the traitor in a plot to declare war against the Powhatan tribe and get ahold of the gold he still believes them to possess, all while avoiding punishment for his own crimes. In order to prevent this, James sent a young diplomat, John Rolfe, to bring Chief Powhatan to England for negotiations. In Virginia, Pocahontas mourns Smith's death but is eventually able to move on. Rolfe soon arrives, greeted by English civilians (who by now have settled in Jamestown) and a curious Pocahontas. Rolfe speaks with Powhatan, but he refuses to accompany him to England, so Pocahontas goes in her father's stead, believing that she can bring about peace between the two nations. Powhatan sends a bodyguard, Uttamatomakkin (Uti) to accompany Pocahontas. Rolfe and Pocahontas have a rocky start, but gradually warm up to each other.
In England, Rolfe leaves Pocahontas at his mansion and meets with King James and Queen Anne, but James unwilling to meet with Pocahontas despite Rolfe's pleas. Instead, per Ratcliffe's suggestion, James invites both Rolfe and Pocahontas to an upcoming ball and promises that if Pocahontas impresses him by acting "civilized," he will prevent the armada from sailing to Jamestown, but if she does not, he will declare war. Knowing that Ratcliffe deliberately manipulated the King, Rolfe and his maid, Mrs. Jenkins, educate Pocahontas in the ways of British etiquette to prepare her. At the ball, Pocahontas wins over the King and Queen with flattery and almost manages to prevent war, but a bear-baiting arranged by Ratcliffe and greatly enjoyed by the snobbish nobility infuriates Pocahontas and she openly accuses the King of savage behavior. With Ratcliffe whispering in his ear, James angrily orders Pocahontas and Uti imprisoned in the Tower of London, and declares war on the Powhatan tribe.
At his home, a despondent Rolfe is approached by a hooded stranger who helps him break Pocahontas and Uti out of the tower and take them to an inn, where the man reveals himself to be John Smith, alive. Smith implores Pocahontas to stay hidden with him, but she instead takes Rolfe's advice and decides to try and stop the war one last time. She openly confronts James in the palace and reveals Smith, thus proving that Ratcliffe had been lying the entire time. Realizing Ratcliffe's treachery, James sends a battalion (among them Pocahontas, Smith, Rolfe, Uti, and their animal friends) to stop the armada and detain Ratcliffe. They are successful in stopping the ships before they can set sail, but Ratcliffe refuses to give up and tries to kill Pocahontas. Smith appears and fights Ratcliffe one-on-one until Ratcliffe draws a gun, before he can fire; Rolfe hits him overboard with the ship's mast. Ratcliffe makes it back to the port, where he is arrested by the King.
Smith receives a royal pardon and his own ship from the King as a sign of apology. Pocahontas and Rolfe, meanwhile, appear on the verge of admitting that they love each other. Before they can, Smith appears and implores Pocahontas to accompany him on his new journeys around the world. Pocahontas choose otherwise, and she and Smith part ways as friends. As Pocahontas later prepares to return to Jamestown, she finds Rolfe waiting for her on the ship, having chosen to go and live with her in Jamestown (with Uti remaining in London in his stead). They kiss as the ship sails into the sunset.
Characters[]
| Voice | Role |
|---|---|
| Irene Bedard | Pocahontas |
| Donal Gibson | John Smith |
| Jim Cummings | King James |
| Linda Hunt | Grandmother Willow |
| David Ogden Stiers | Ratcliffe |
| Judy Kuhn | Pocahontas (singing voice) |
| Russell Means | Powhatan |
| Jean Stapleton | Mrs. Jenkins |
| Billy Zane | John Rolfe |
International Versions[]
Danish[]
- Pocahontas: Susanne Elmark
- John Smith: Kristian Boland
- Ratcliffe: Guido Paevatalu
- John Rolfe: Jesper Mayland
- Fru. Jenkins: Merete Hjortsø
- Kong James I: Ulf Pilgaard
- Dronning Anne: Jette Sievertsen
- Høvding Powhatan: Baard Owe
- Bedstemor Piletræ: Ghita Nørby
- Nakoma: Grete Tulinius
Additional Voices[]
- Henrik Koefoed
- Søren Ulrichs
- Henrik Jandorf
- Niels Weyde
- Pauline Rehné
Historical Facts[]
Pocahontas did travel to England in 1612, but as part of a hostage situation; the Powhatan Nation was holding some English settlers hostage and hoped to make an exchange. While in England, Pocahontas (rechristened Rebecca Rolfe) was baptized and married to John Rolfe and bore a son named Thomas Rolfe the first child to a Virginian Native American woman and an English man becoming a symbol of peace between the Powhatans and the English settlements. Pocahontas died in 1617 as she and John Rolfe were on their way back to Virginia.
In real life, Ratcliffe wanted to do a trade with the Powhatans, but was betrayed then flayed and burned to death.
Sequel[]
Ironically, in the end, when Pocahontas and John Rolfe get on the boat together back to America, it coincides with real life perfectly. The ironic part is that in real life, she dies on this boat ride. This greatly decreases the chance of a Pocahontas III.