DISNEY’S SQUANTO MOVIE REVIEW

(This post contains affiliate links) I had never watched Disney’s Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale before, and I was presently surprised. This movie was released on October 28, 1994, and carries a PG rating. Most critics scored this movie very low. Surprisingly it has a 60% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now I generally wouldn’t watch a movie with a 60% unless it is recommended by a friend. My Disney’s Squanto Movie Review will give you an outline of the movie, and then I will be briefly comparing Disney’s Squanto to his real-life counterpart. At the end of the page, I also share a link to my free homeschooling curriculum which uses movies to teach.

Disney’s Squanto: Synopsis of the Movie

Walt Disney’s Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale is a tale based on the real-life Native American, Squanto. The movie begins before the founding of Plymouth. Squanto is played by Adam Beach. Beach is a Canadian actor with First Nations (Native American) ancestry. As the movie begins, he is marrying Nakooma played by Irene Bedard. Bedard also provided the voice of Disney’s Pocahontas. However, Bedard is an American actress. Much of the cast of Squanto is Native American.

Shortly after the ceremony, ships arrive bearing gifts. Squanto trusts the foreigners. He goes with them to their ship in the hopes of receiving even more gifts, and he is kidnapped. The ship returns to England with Squanto and Epenow (Eric Schweig), and they are put on display.

Amazingly, Squanto escapes and stumbles upon a monastery. Daniel (Mandy Patinkin) is a monk and takes Squanto under his wing. Daniel teaches him English, and the two form a deep bond.

However, poor Epenow is held prisoner, and Sir Gorges will stop at nothing to find “his property.” When the search party gets close to finding Squanto, all the monks protect him even though their library is destroyed.

Squanto’s only wish is to return to his country and be reunited with his wife. When he learns of a ship sailing to North American, he will stop at nothing to be on that ship. Daniel helps him escape Sir Gorges once again.

Eventually, Squanto arrives along the shores of North America and finds his entire village is gone. Everyone Squanto knows has been killed by diseases brought by the foreigners. While another tribe wants to kill the new ship of foreigners, Squanto wants peace. And eventually, we have the first Thanksgiving.

Disney’s Squanto: Differences Between the Real-life Squanto and the Movie

While there are similarities between the real Squanto and the movie, there are also many differences. The story and movie both are about a young Native American man from the region we now call Plymouth, Massachusetts. He was from the Patuxet tribe, and he did indeed teach the Pilgrims how to survive. However, much of Squanto’s life is a mystery. Disney managed to take the essence of Squanto’s life and compact it into a movie that loosely resembles Squanto.

Squanto’s real name was Tisquantum, and he was captured, was sold into slavery several times. Sources offer conflicting information regarding Squanto being married, but he was captured for the first time at age 24. Most likely he would have married and had children.

There are some differences between history and the movie, Disney’s Squanto. Disney has taken the parts of the Squanto story and merged them together to form a movie. The real story of Squanto would take several movies to explain. Kidnapped several times, acting as a liaison between Englishmen and Native Americans, living with the monks, and returning to America and eventually negotiating a peace treaty and teaching the Pilgrims how to live in this strange land. Squanto had a busy life and died at the age of 42. Indian culture was passed down verbally, so there is little written about Squanto’s life outside the lens of the Englishman.

DISNEY’S SQUANTO MOVIE REVIEW

Walt Disney’s Squanto was released on October 28, 1994, as a full-length live-action movie. The rating on this movie is PG. In fact, there are some traumatic elements of this movie. The Englishmen savagely capture Squanto and Epenow. It is a very emotional scene with Squanto’s new bride trying frantically to get to him. Squanto and Epenow are treated poorly by the Englishmen. In one scene, Squanto is thrown into a ring with a bear while the English watch for sport.

While much of the movie is speculation, Disney does a wonderful job of giving us the essence of the time period and the fact that there were good and evil men on both sides of the Atlantic. In fact, history, for a period of time, wanted to make us think the “white men” were all good, and the “Indians” were all savages. Disney’s movie is an excellent portrayal of good and bad on both sides.

Another consideration is that there are subtitles in this movie when the Indians are talking. This may be difficult for some children.

My Recommendation for viewing Disney’s Squanto

Disney’s Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale is not considered a Disney classic, but it is a fine movie to introduce Squanto to your children. However, be warned some young children may have problems with the nature of the film. My children are not bothered by this movie. But there are several graphic scenes that might frighten some children. This includes the kidnapping scene which is exceptionally bothersome. Squanto’s wife is frantic and screaming, the Native Americans are trying to get to the ship to rescue Squanto and Epenow, and the Englishmen are firing cannons at the Native Americans.

Disney’s movie is an excellent introduction (along with historically accurate books and learning activities) to the history of the Squanto, the first Thanksgiving, and Native Americans in the United States.