Disney Dreamlight Valley Players Are Split on Pocahontas

Summary

Fans are divided on adding Pocahontas to Disney Dreamlight Valley, as some find the character disrespectful and culturally insensitive.
Others say that Pocahontas is a good role model, and point out that the film is nostalgic for many players.
It's unclear whether the character will be added in a future update.

Disney Dreamlight Valley players are showing a sharp divide over whether publisher and developer Gameloft should introduce the version of Pocahontas featured in the 1995 Disney film of the same name. Disney Dreamlight Valley unites heroes and villains from two dozen different Disney and Pixar properties, and while some would like to see the prominent Powhatan figure join the game's roster, others would find it blatantly disrespectful.

Launched in early access in September 2022 before its full release near the end of 2023, the life simulator and adventure game hybrid allows players to build a bustling community filled with classic Disney characters. After a very busy 2024 filled with numerous paid and free content expansions, 2025 has already seen characters from Aladdin and Alice in Wonderland make their debuts through Disney Dreamlight Valley's Tales of Agrabah Update in February and its Wonderland Whimsy Update in April.

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By Charming Holiday

With the developers already dipping into one classic movie from the '90s this year, some fans are anticipating the eventual arrival of Pocahontas and her friends as recruitable Disney Dreamlight Valley characters. However, despite the nostalgia generated by the original film, which spawned a 1998 sequel and multiple Disney theme park attractions, others posting on Reddit would see such a move as culturally insensitive to indigenous Americans. Unlike the leading characters of many other films in the Disney Animated Classics collection, Pocahontas is the nickname of an actual historical figure, Matoaka, and the filmmakers took several liberties with her. These include the problematic aging up of the film character from around ten to young adult age, which allowed for a romantic connection with English explorer John Smith.

Dreamlight Valley Fans Argue Over Pocahontas

The debate over nostalgia versus racial sensitivity is divisive even among those identifying themselves as coming from a Native American background. Some, while acknowledging problematic elements of the film, still seem to appreciate the representation it grants and view the film version of Pocahontas as a great character and positive role model who stood against cultural divides. Conversely, others perceive the film's handling of colonization of the Americas as a whitewashed retelling of history, with one saying "the social harm it does outweighs any one individual's fond memories." Others have pointed out that while Peter Pan is coming to Disney Dreamlight Valley this summer, they don't expect to see Princess Tiger Lily added for similar reasons.

There has also been mention of trauma associated with the character and the movie. One fan pointed out the support for excluding Tangled's Mother Gothel from the game because her abusive parenting style may be triggering for those who have suffered similar traumatic experiences, suggesting that characters from Pocahontas could induce similar negative feelings.

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