Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World 1998

In London, John Smith Donal Gibson is ambushed by a group of soldiers with a warrant for his arrest, and he is presumed dead after the violent confrontation that follows. Governor Ratcliffe David Ogden Stiers has misled King James Jim Cummings—a close friend of the King—and has framed Smith as the traitor from the earlier conflict, all part of a calculated scheme to spark war with the Powhatan Nation and seize what Ratcliffe believes to be gold, while deftly avoiding punishment for his own crimes. To prevent this looming bloodshed, the King sends a young diplomat, John Rolfe Billy Zane, to press for negotiation with Powhatan and to escort the chieftain to England if necessary.

Across the ocean in the New World, Pocahontas Irene Bedard, Powhatan’s daughter, mourns the loss of Smith but gradually finds a path toward resilience and purpose. Powhatan, with a wary eye on English ambitions, entrusts his loyal bodyguard Uttamatomakkin Brad Garrett to accompany Pocahontas and help safeguard her as she moves between worlds. Rolfe’s arrival among the English settlers is met with mixed curiosity by a people who have grown accustomed to the colonists’ presence in Jamestown, and Pocahontas herself is drawn to the new culture while still honoring her own heritage. The two foreigners begin with a tense, uncertain bond that slowly softens into mutual understanding and provisional trust.

In England, Rolfe leaves Pocahontas at his mansion and faces King James and Queen Anne, but the King refuses to meet with Pocahontas directly. Ratcliffe’s influence forces a test: at a grand ball the King promises to spare the armada if Pocahontas can present herself as “civilised,” yet a ruling class that gorges on snobbery ensures the stakes are never far away. Rolfe and Pocahontas—guided by Rolfe’s maid, Mrs. Jenkins Jean Stapleton—work to teach her the subtleties of British etiquette, hoping to impress a monarch who has grown suspicious of the Englishwoman’s motives. At the ball, Pocahontas wins favor through grace and charm, and for a brief moment it seems she might derail the war, but a cruel bear-baiting display, arranged by Ratcliffe and enjoyed by the nobles, exposes a different side of royal power and imperial appetite. Pocahontas openly condemns the King’s bear-baiting, accusing him of savagery—an accusation that triggers his anger and sets the stage for drastic consequences.

With Ratcliffe whispering in his ear, James orders Pocahontas and Uttamatomakkin imprisoned in the Tower of London and proclaims war against the Powhatan people. Back in London, a broken Rolfe is approached by a hooded stranger who assists him in breaking Pocahontas and Uti out of their imprisonment and guiding them to an inn, where the stranger reveals himself to be John Smith. Smith pleads with Pocahontas to stay hidden, but she chooses Rolfe’s counsel and resolves to attempt one last chance to avert the coming conflict. She confronts the King in his palace, unmasking Ratcliffe’s deceit and showing that the accusation against Smith was a sham engineered to justify conquest.

Realizing Ratcliffe’s treachery, James mobilizes a battalion that includes Pocahontas, Smith, Rolfe, and Uti, along with their animal friends, to halt the Armada and capture Ratcliffe. The mission succeeds in stopping the ships from leaving, though Ratcliffe refuses to surrender and makes a final, perilous bid to strike Pocahontas down. Smith confronts Ratcliffe in a personal struggle, and when Ratcliffe draws a gun, Rolfe intervenes with a decisive blow that dumps him overboard using the ship’s mast. Ratcliffe is rescued only long enough to be confronted and arrested by the King’s authorities ashore.

With the immediate danger dampened, Smith receives a royal pardon and his own ship as a formal apology from the Crown. The tension between Pocahontas and Rolfe eases as they seem to acknowledge growing feelings for one another, but the moment is interrupted when Smith appears once more to propose that Pocahontas join him on a journey around the world. Pocahontas, however, chooses a different future and parts ways with Smith as friends. As she prepares to return to Jamestown, Rolfe arrives aboard her ship, having chosen to accompany her there, with Uttamatomakkin remaining in London to continue guarding the ties between the two worlds. The two share a tender kiss as their voyage unfolds toward a sunset that hints at a fragile, hopeful peace.