It is, in fact, highly entertaining, especially to children. Also, it is not without its merits, as the story is sympathetic to American Indians, the environment, and teaches tolerance towards those different than us. The story is certainly "cute," and entertaining. However, Pocahontas herself, with her barbie-like figure, huge pouty lips and long flowing black hair looks nothing like the real Pocahontas would have, especially at the time of her first encounter with John Smith.
The real Pocahontas was about ten years old when English colonists landed in Virginia and started the colony of Jamestown. She was an Indian princess, the daughter of the Alqonquin chief Powhatan. Powhatan supposedly had as many as 100 wives, with a child by each, Pocahontas being his favorite. Native American lore tells us that her parents called her "Amonte" and her secret clan name was Matoaca. Pocahontas was a nickname which meant "playful one" or "little wanton." Her father controlled a confederacy of Algonquin tribes controlling the Chesapeake Bay and its tributary rivers (Pocahontas Descendants, Sep. 14, 2000).
The friendship between John Smith and Pocahontas, which was so extremely romanticized in the cartoon, began when Smith was captured by her father in 1607. Smith recalls in his journals the incident, where they first feasted and celebrated, then he was tied to the ground and supposedly going to be clubbed to death, when a little girl (Pocahontas) rushed forward and cradled his head against hers in order to save him. This "rescue" may actually have been entirely misinterpreted by Smith. It was probably part of a traditional adoption ceremony, and Smith's life was never really in danger (Vaughan, Sep. 14, 2000).
Pocahontas continued to be a great help to the colonists and a promoter of peace throughout the rest of her short life. After Smith's "rescue," relations worsened between the colonists and the tribes.