Is Avatar just Pocahontas in CG?
POSTED BY: Mangolo
UPDATED: Wednesday, June 17, 2026 06:19
VIEWED: 18305
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As the story of Avatar emerges I can't help but start to see the striking similarities between the two movies.
John Smith (J.S.) volunteers to lead a rag-tag band to the New World to plunder its riches for England. Meanwhile, in this "New World," Chief Powhatan has pledged his daughter,the Indian Princess Pocahontas, to be married to the village's greatest warrior. Pocahontas, however, has other ideas. J.S. falls in love with the Princess and then J.S. and the Princess have a difficult time preventing all-out war, and saving their love for each other.
In the future, a small group of humans encroach on Pandora in search of valuable minerals. A Marine named Jake Sully (J.S.) volunteers to exist as an Avatar on Pandora. J.S. falls in love with a Na'vi Princess and then J.S. and the Princess have a difficult time preventing all-out war, and saving their love for each other.
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No, no, no! This is as different, as.... as different as.... cavemen and astronauts! 
The T.Rex they call JANE!
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BTW James Cameron wrote the treatment for Avatar 14 years ago. ( http://showhype.com/story/james_cameron_s_3_d_avatar_wows_comic_con/)
Pocahontas came out in 1995.
Different era....no...wait.....let me do the math:
2009
-14= 1995.
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Not just that, it's also Dances With Wolves (the title character), Black Robe (the priest), The Last Samurai (Tom Cruise's character), The Road to El Dorado (the spanish rogues), Lion King 2 (Kovu), Heart of Darkness (Kurtz), a few episodes of Beast Wars (Tigatron on Earth, Dinobot among the Maximals), Stargate SG-1 (Teal'c among the Tau'ri), Star Trek Voyager (Seven), Deep Space Nine (Odo), Enterprise (T'Pol), Firefly (Simon), and about half the "stranger in a strange land" movies ever made.
Congratulations, you just identified a trope.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GoingNative
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The one that everyone is comparing it too (that I compare it to) is Dances With Wolves. Its even going to be 3 hours long (Dances was).
I didn't even see the Pocahontas similarities until now, but whoa.... yeah it's Pocahontas/Dances With Wolves in space.
It will still be pretty awesome.
Your Indian Pirate Lord,
Ash
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I looked this film up on Wikipedia and the creator does acknowledge Pocahontas for some inspiration. The scenes, in the trailer, did not give me enough to judge the film. If any of my friends want to see it, then I will probably go along.
http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler
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Well, considering the Pocahontas story has been around for ages Mangolo, I'm sure that it was some sort of inspiration. Avatar is a 'discovering a new world' film, and so drawing inspiration from Pocahontas isn't a bad thing. This isn't going to be exactly the same as the Disney film, or the hundreds of other versions there have been.
People have also been comparing this film to Delgo, which it does look similar to, and yet who cares, the films are going to be extremely different, I'd think.
Sure, parts of the film are similar to parts of other films, that could be said about all films, but the sum of these parts looks to be something new, so how about we wait until the film comes out before we judge it. Or at least wait for a trailer that isn't a teaser trailer.
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Please, as I've written before, no singing Ewoks.
The general consensus is that there are no new stories. I do agree with that, but there are so many ways of telling a story. Personally, I like a story that undermines my expectations- that;s why I loved and still love Firefly.
You're right about the similarities to Delgo, but it seems even more similar to Battle for Terra, but I wanted to highlight its relation to a story that is well known.
BTW The Pocahontas story that has been around for ages is one of a tobacco farmer John Rolfe (not John Smith nor Jake Sully) among other tobacco farmers (not people looking for the El Dorado or gold or mineral wealth). Natives and Colonists trading frequently and amicably for a few years. Pocahontas actually did marry a Powhatan warrior in 1610. It was actually the kidnapping of Pocahontas by the Colonists while John Rolfe was back in England that led to an actual battle (not averted by any love). Eventually the Powhatans and colonists mended ways. Joh Rolfe played no part in the peace except for maybe his converting Pocahontas and some other Powhatans to Christianity. Within a couple years after this they were married.
Disney is actually the first incarnation of this story where the love of this native girl for this white dude averts the war. They inserted the story structure and moral elements of Romeo and Juliet without the mortal consequences.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=86085840444
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its as different as cowboys and spacemen...oh wait
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Pocahontas, Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai.....
As Shakespeare said, there are only so many stories - just variations on them.
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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