‘Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale’

This 1994 Disney release is a stirring epic of survival and self-discovery that culminates in the very first Thanksgiving. It is an exceptionally intelligent family film with action-filled strokes to enthrall youngsters yet enough complexity to be appreciated by adults. Legend has it that there actually was a young 17th-Century Massachusetts Indian named Squanto who was captured by English slave traders and taken to England but somehow made it back to America. Written by Darlene Craviotto, it is a felicitous blend of research and imagination, and Director Xavier Koller brings to the film the storytelling gifts and the sense of an odyssey unfolding. Adam Beach (pictured) is the handsome and noble Squanto, who learns both how good and how evil the white man can be (Disney Sunday at 7 p.m.; Monday at 3:30 a.m.; Saturday at 9 p.m.)