Maps of Movies

Pocahontas (1995)

Where Pocahontas says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

An animated film with no filming locations: the only real places are London and Jamestown, and the rest of the map is invented.

Scenes and places

The Susan Constant leaves London (1607)

Captain John Smith joins the Virginia Company's crew, and the men around him sing of the gold waiting in the New World. The voyage sets up everything that follows: a ship of settlers who expect riches and a fight.

Set in London — The English port from which the Susan Constant sails for the New World in 1607. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The capital of England, the starting point of the voyage in the film's opening line of the story.

The storm at sea (1607)

A hurricane hits the Susan Constant, and a young soldier named Thomas is washed overboard. John Smith rappels off the ship to save him, and the two barely escape when the rope breaks. It shows Smith as brave and quick to act for his men.

Set in The Atlantic crossing — The ship is at sea on the way to Virginia, so the scene has no fixed place on land.

A months-long sea passage from England to the Virginia coast.

Pocahontas and the spinning arrow (1607)

Pocahontas, daughter of Chief Powhatan, learns her father wants her to marry the serious warrior Kocoum, who is not what she wants. She tells Grandmother Willow about a dream of a spinning arrow, and the tree says it points to her path.

Set in Grandmother Willow's grove (Powhatan lands, Virginia) — A willow tree in the forest near the Powhatan village, an invented place in the film.

An old talking willow that guides Pocahontas; the film names Virginia but gives no real site.

Jamestown goes up in the clearing (1607)

Governor Ratcliffe claims the land for King James, names the settlement Jamestown and sends the men digging for gold. He is sure there is no native threat in sight, while Smith warns that unseen does not mean absent.

Set in Jamestown, Virginia — The English settlement raised in a wooded clearing, where Ratcliffe has the crew dig for gold. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The first lasting English settlement in North America, founded in 1607 on the James River.

John meets Pocahontas (1607)

John slips away from the work party to explore and meets Pocahontas. She speaks Powhatan at first, but he gains her trust, and each is fascinated by the other's world. Her song asks him to see the land as alive rather than as something to dig up for gold.

Set in The forest near Jamestown (Powhatan lands, Virginia) — A wilderness clearing where John, exploring alone, first meets Pocahontas; the film gives no real site.

Wild forest land in the film's version of 1607 Virginia, shown as unspoiled by the settlers.

The ripples, the kiss, Kocoum (1607)

John and Pocahontas meet Grandmother Willow, who shows them how a small ripple grows, and they agree to bring both sides together. Spying warriors and settlers see them kiss, Kocoum attacks John, and Thomas shoots Kocoum dead. The killing turns the secret romance into a war.

Set in Grandmother Willow's grove (Powhatan lands, Virginia) — The talking willow again, where John and Pocahontas plan peace; the film gives no real site.

The same invented grove as before, now a meeting place for the two sides' secret plan.

John is taken, war is called (1607)

Powhatan, enraged by Kocoum's death, scolds Pocahontas for leaving the village and declares war on the English, starting with John's execution at dawn. John tells her he would rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing her. In Jamestown, Thomas warns the settlers, and Ratcliffe uses the news as his excuse to march on the tribe.

Set in The Powhatan village (Virginia) — The tribe's village in the film, where John is held after Kocoum's death.

A village of the Powhatan, with no real site named in the film.

The cliff at dawn (1607)

At dawn Powhatan and his tribe drag John to a cliff for his execution, while Ratcliffe leads the armed colonists out to fight the Powhatan warriors. Pocahontas has run out to stop it, and the whole conflict comes down to this one moment.

Set in The execution cliff (Powhatan lands, Virginia) — A cliff above the river where John is brought for his execution; the film gives no real site.

An invented cliff that sits at the centre of the film's climax.

Filmed at Jamestown Settlement, Virginia — Research trip, 1992 Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Pamunkey Indian Reservation, Virginia — Research trip, 1992 Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Old Dominion University, Norfolk — Research trip, 1992 Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Pocahontas — The free-spirited daughter of Chief Powhatan, who falls in love with Captain John Smith.
• John Smith — An English captain who is the only settler willing to befriend the Powhatan.
• Governor Ratcliffe — The greedy governor who leads the expedition to find gold.

Questions answered on the map

• Where was the animated Pocahontas filmed?