Avatar vs. Pocahontas – The Difference and Similarities Between

The phenomenal success of the latest James Cameron film can still be felt at the present. Let’s face…

The phenomenal success of the latest James Cameron film can still be felt at the present. Let’s face it. You have not been part of this century if you have not yet seen Avatar which was proclaimed to be the epitome of movies in our time. However, looking closely at the essence or plot of Avatar, you can discover evidences of affinity to another famous story Pocahontas.

Travelers come across a foreign land inhabited by natives? Both do not see eye to eye? True love blossoms between a boy and a girl from different sides? Indeed, Pocahontas and Avatar have an affinity when it comes to this aspect. Though the later movie released had a few modern twists to it, the basic plot is noticeably similar. Take a look at how both are identical and individual in their own sense at the same time.

 

In The Beginning

It is obvious that the animated film version of the story has the edge when it comes to seniority as it debuted in 1995 by Walt Disney Animated Pictures and quickly made its way from the theaters to the viewer’s heart as the story was actually inspired by real life happenings. In reality, Pocahontas had the same description as the cartoon character from her royal tribe status to her Native American roots but she actually ended up becoming a Christian. Because of this special quality, Pocahontas raked in a total of $141 million which was definitely something Mike Gabriel and Erik Goldberg, film directors, could be proud of.

Do not quickly dismiss Avatar though when it comes to gross blockbuster ranking. With almost double of the earnings from Pocahontas, the second record breaking film by James Cameron after Titanic made its way into news with $237 million overall.

 

The Unraveling Of The Story

Just because Pocahontas was inspired by the real life princess from an ethnic group, that does not mean that what you witnessed were the genuine events of her life and were not spun by film industry to make a story that sells. As for Avatar, it is clear that humanity is still light years away if not impossible in making a successful exploration to a far off space body like Pandora. Listen closely now as here is where you will see the similarities. Pocahontas comes from a tribe that is headed by her father while the Na’vis who are a different race from that of humans are led also by the father of the leading lady of the story, Neytiri. The next similarity is that of the man in the plot. John Smith, from the animation, and Jake, from the 3d film, both are foreign to the land which they have set off to and both fell for the princesses. In the end, John and Jake, turn against the greedy group of wealth seekers and pillagers to help the natives. Perhaps the major difference lies in the way the each of the tales ends as Pocahontas and John had to bid each other farewell while Jake and Neytiri were able to fulfill their romance as Jake became one of them through a ceremony.

 

The Fundamentals Of The Story

Aside from the previously stated similarities, you can definitely perceive more profound themes at which both Pocahontas and Avatar revolves on. Mankind’s greed creates the conflict on the two stories as it leads to infiltration of the territories of the tribes in order to take the valuable resources in their land. Fortunately, true love enters as it is proven of its existence despite the fact of great difference in origins. In addition to that, Pocahontas and Avatar are both enriched with other elements such as a love triangle as both princesses were supposedly part of a tradition for marrying men of their tribes who they had no deep affection for. The good prevails in the end and things are set back to normal for Pocahontas while Avatar displays a better realization of Jake and Neytiri’s story as they wound up together.

 

Summary Of Points

  • As it is an animated film by nature, Pocahontas is mainly a story to be enjoyed by the young viewers while Avatar features more complex situations that are aimed for adults.
  • In the two tales, there is a prominent feature of the class of two races that eventually leads to the victory of the other.
  • A prevalent theme in Pocahontas and Avatar is that of the aggression of one party towards the other in the attempt to take the treasure of their land at all cost.

 

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