- “...and he came so highly recommended.”
- ―Governor Ratcliffe about Wiggins[src]
Wiggins is a supporting character of Disney's 1995 animated feature film, Pocahontas. He was Governor Ratcliffe's manservant.
Background[]
Personality[]
Despite being the manservant to Governor Ratcliffe, Wiggins isn't bad or evil, merely clueless, and giddily ditzy. But despite his foolishness, he does have moments of brilliance. He displays great skill in that art, as shown when he makes topiary animals out of the bushes, makes a head decoration out of an arrow he found, and correctly answers why the Indians attacked the settlers. Wiggins also seems to possess a certain Decorator's Aesthetic. Through most of the movie, Wiggins is seen following Ratcliffe's banal orders, which range from disposing of food to bathing Percy to dressing Ratcliffe in his armor.
Appearances[]
Pocahontas[]
Wiggins is first seen with Ratcliffe when the governor is boarding the ship and is responsible for carrying Percy on board. During the voyage, Wiggins is seen holding an umbrella over Ratcliffe after Thomas is rescued from drowning by John Smith and giving Thomas a genuinely concerned look as if he wants to ask for himself if Thomas is really okay, but stays silent. He follows Ratcliffe as he is giving an inspirational speech to the sailors. He praises the governor saying it was "a stirring oration."
When the ship arrives in the New World, Ratcliffe speaks with Wiggins about the gold he hopes they find. When Wiggins asks what they intend to do about any savages, Ratcliffe responds that they will give the savages a proper English greeting. In response, Wiggins holds up gift baskets, which causes Ratcliffe to complain about Wiggins being highly recommended.
After John Smith is ordered to take a crew ashore, Ratcliffe explains that he is jealous of Smith's popularity among the men. Ratcliffe notes that he is not a popular man in London (though Wiggins insists that he likes Ratcliffe). When Ratcliffe goes ashore to oversee the colony building, Wiggins is shown to be making certain that Percy bathes as well as complimenting Ratcliffe's speech through a porthole.
As the colonists are tasked with digging gold, Wiggins is seen doing a variety of jobs. He is seen pushing a wheelbarrow for the dirt to go in, and later brings a portrait of King James I from the ship. He is then seen trimming bushes into a topiary and is ordered by Ratcliffe to dispose of his half-eaten chicken leg, which he attempts to feed to Percy but the annoyed pug ignores it. When a group of Indians attacks, Wiggins fearfully hides behind a bush.
Later on, during a rainy night, Wiggins comes into Ratcliffe's tent having apparently been shot through the head with an arrow. Ratcliffe is shocked, but Wiggins happily notes it to be a joke, having made the contraption himself using a broken arrow. Ratcliffe furiously derides the thing as silly, but it gives him an idea about why they haven't found any gold. Ratcliffe angrily asks Wiggins why the Indians attacked them earlier. Wiggins answers correctly, "Because we invaded their land and cut down their trees and dug up their earth?" but Ratcliffe dismisses this. Ratcliffe explains his belief that the Indians are hiding the gold, and begins forming a plan to take it from them.
Later, John Smith returns from an apparent scouting mission, only to learn that Ratcliffe is planning an attack on the Indians. John reveals that he has met one of the Native Americans and that they can help the struggling settlers. As proof, he shows them an ear of corn, saying that it is better than hardtack and gruel. Wiggins pops in and says that he enjoys gruel, but is pushed out of the way by Ratcliffe.
After John is captured by Powhatan's warriors, the settlers decide to mount a rescue mission. Wiggins overhears the talking and goes to Ratcliffe's tent where the greedy governor pulls him in and reveals his plan to use the rescue as an attempt to kill all the Indians and take the gold he believes that they are hiding. As the settlers prepare for battle, Wiggins helps get Ratcliffe into a suit of armor, and then he passes out guns to the settlers. Afterward, Wiggins is not seen until the end of the film. As the traitorous Ratcliffe is being loaded into the ship to go back to England, Wiggins is shown to be disappointed, noting that Ratcliffe had been highly recommended (ironically the same words that Ratcliffe stated about him when expressing his disdain for him).
Wiggins does not return for the sequel, but it is likely that he now resides in Jamestown helping to carry out the settlement in his own way after building the Inn built in the book Keep an Eye on Meeko, as he is never seen attending Ratcliffe.
House of Mouse[]
Wiggins makes a cameo appearance in the episode "Humphrey in the House".
Although he does not appear in Mickey's House of Villains, it is believed that he took part in the takeover.
Pocahontas: Six New Adventures[]
Wiggins makes an appearance in two of the storybooks included in this collection, "Keep an Eye on Meeko" and "On the High Seas".
In Keep an Eye on Meeko it is revealed that Wiggins still misses Governor Ratcliffe and is at a loss for his purpose in life. He eventually settles on becoming the Jamestown innkeeper and dedicates the inn to his mother.
In On the High Seas, Wiggins attends to his job as Ratcliffe's manservant. When the men are planning their mutiny against Ratcliffe, Wiggins was found to be spying on them and a chase ensues. Ben then threatens to hurt Percy if Wiggins tells on them which, until John Smith intervenes, he's quite ready to agree to any terms with them to prevent harm to Percy since letting Percy be harmed would get him in big trouble. After John manages to resolve the conflict and sends the men back to bed, he sternly tells Wiggins, "You will keep quiet about this or answer to me." To which Wiggins nodded his understanding.
Trivia[]
- Ironically, Wiggins shares his voice actor, the late David Ogden Stiers, with his boss, Governor Ratcliffe. This time, Stiers voices Wiggins, with a high, squeaky tone (like Cogsworth from Beauty and the Beast), compared to Ratcliffe, with a lower, more mature tone (like Jumba Jookiba from Lilo & Stitch).
- Unlike Ratcliffe and other Englishmen in the film, this character is totally fictional and not based on an actual historical person.
- In Keep an Eye on Meeko, Wiggins is shown to be a skilled painter, has an interest in poetry and a talent in hospitality.
- In original sketches, Wiggins was supposed to be comical but a bit less ditzy and more stuck-up like Ratcliffe.
Gallery[]
Deleted Scene[]
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