To say that Disney’s Song of the South is controversial would be an understatement. The 1946 film, which features both live action and animated sequences, has been criticized for its racist depictions of Black people, and glossing over the pain that came in the wake of slavery’s demise. In fact, Song of the South was so controversial that Disney never released it to home viewers in the US. The only people who have actually seen Song of the South saw the film when it was re-released theatrically.
Song of the South centers around a seven-year-old boy named Johnny (Bobby Driscoll, who also provided the voice of Peter Pan in the 1953 Disney movie.) Johnny is sent to his grandmother’s plantation in Georgia during the Reconstruction Era of American History, which involved rebuilding the US and especially the South after slavery was abolished. Along the way, Johnny meets an old Black worker named Uncle Remus (James Baskett), who tells him stories about Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear. While Song of the South is littered with racism, its background and legacy make the Disney movie even more problematic.
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Splash Mountain Was Song Of The South-Themed Until 2023
It Has Since Been Remodeled As A Princess And The Frog Attraction
Splash Mountain, a log flume ride at DisneyWorld in Orlando, Florida and at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, was themed after Song of the South until 2024. Specifically, the ride was based upon the animated sequences in the film, which feature Br’er Rabbit, Fox, and Bear. The attraction first opened in 1989, long after Song of the South entered the cultural zeitgeist and was not given a home video release. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020, Disney announced that they were re-theming Splash Mountain after their underrated hit The Princess and the Frog.
The ride was closed in 2023 and re-opened under the name Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in June 2024. In a post on the Disney Parks Blog, Michael Ramirez, the public relations director at Disneyland, discussed the company’s approach to transforming Splash Mountain into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure:
“The approach to retheming or ‘plussing’ attractions (as Walt Disney referred to it) begins with Imagineers asking the question, how can we build upon or elevate the experience and tell a fresh, relevant story? It’s a continuous process that Imagineers are deeply passionate about. And with this longstanding history of updating attractions and adding new magic, the retheming of Splash Mountain is of particular importance today. The new concept is inclusive – one that all of our guests can connect with and be inspired by, and it speaks to the diversity of the millions of people who visit our parks each year.”
However, the Splash Mountain ride at Tokyo Disneyland is still Song of the South-themed to this day.
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Song Of The South Won An Oscar For Best Original Song
The Song Remains A Classic
The song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” is likely the only aspect of Song of the South that many people remember today. The song is still featured on Disney soundtracks and is available to stream on Spotify. Sung by Uncle Remus in the movie, “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1947. Yes, the song is certainly catchy, and its lyrics don’t mention race or slavery. However, the fact that “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” was honored with an Oscar is indicative of Hollywood’s (and especially the Academy’s) problematic values.
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But the celebration of “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” didn’t end in 1947. The song is featured on the American Film Institute’s 2007 list of best movie songs called 100 Years…100 Songs, ranking at #47. Song of the South was also nominated for the AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movie Musicals, but did not make the final list. In 2022, Disney removed the song “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” from its theme parks and parades (via Indiewire).
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Uncle Remus Actor James Baskett Won An Honorary Oscar For The Film
He Died Shortly After Winning The Award
James Baskett won an honorary Oscar in 1948 for his performance as Uncle Remus in the film. At the time, he was the first and only Black man to win an Oscar. Interestingly, Baskett’s Song of the South co-star Hattie McDaniel was the first Black woman to win an Oscar, winning Best Supporting Actress in 1940 for her performance as Mammy in Gone with the Wind. According to the Oscars’ official website, an Honorary Oscar is usually “Given for extraordinary lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the motion picture arts and sciences of any discipline, or outstanding service to the Academy.“
However, Baskett was only in his early 40s when he played the role, and wasn’t an established presence in Hollywood like the people who are usually given an honorary Oscar. It’s likely that Baskett wasn’t awarded a regular Oscar because of his skin color and because, at the time of the film’s release, America was embroiled in Jim Crow era race relations. Sadly, Baskett passed away in July 1948, less than a year after he won his award.
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Hattie McDaniel Was A Source Of Controversy During The Film’s Release
The Leader Of The NAACP Was Behind It
Hattie McDaniel, who played Aunt Tempy, was also a point of controversy for Song of the South. According to Valarie Stewart, the daughter of Nick Stewart, who voiced Br’er Bear, NAACP executive secretary Walter Francis White didn’t like that McDaniel appeared in the film. Specifically, Valerie claims in a YouTube interview with WDW Pro that White, who was a light-skinned, blond-haired Black man, did not like how dark-skinned McDaniel was. As a result, Stewart claims White launched a number of campaigns against McDaniel’s films. Stewart alleges that Song of the South was targeted by the NAACP because of McDaniel.
Even without this controversy, the film was still at the forefront of outrage from the Black press. When Song of the South was released in 1947, protesters stood outside the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California with signs reading: “We want films on Democracy not Slavery” and “Don’t prejudice children’s minds with films like this”. The protest in Oakland was not unique, as Song of the South’s release prompted protests all over the US (via Who’s Afraid of Song of the South? and Other Forbidden Disney Stories by Jim Korkis).
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James Baskett Did Not Attend The Film’s Premiere In Atlanta
His Absence Was Due To Jim Crow Laws
The world premiere of Song of the South took place in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 12th, 1946. James Baskett was conspicuously absent, despite portraying a major character in the film, but not because he chose not to go — Baskett was not permitted to attend the premiere because of his race. At the time, America was subject to Jim Crow laws, which enforced racial segregation in the country until the 1960s.
At the time, the National Jewish Post blasted the fact that Baskett was barred from attending. This fact is made all the more upsetting considering that Walt Disney, who produced the film, has been accused of being antisemitic throughout his career. However, many of the antisemitic claims against Disney have been unsubstantiated (via AP).
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Br’er Bear, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Rabbit And Other Song of the South Characters Continued To Appear In Disney Media
They Appeared As Recently As 2011
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The animated characters featured in Song of the South continued to appear in Disney properties and media for years following the film’s release. This includes the Tar-Baby, a character whose name is derived from a racial slur for Black people and sports an incredibly racist design.
Br’er Bear, the Tar-Baby, the hummingbirds and the moles from the “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” sequence in Song of the South, appear in the 1988 Robert Zemeckis film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? More recently, Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear appeared in the 2011 video game Kinect: Disneyland Adventures, marking the first time the characters were depicted through computer-generated animation.
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Song Of The South Has Never Been Released On Home Video Or Streaming
And It Won’t Be Anytime Soon
It’s no secret that Song of the South is certainly better known for its controversy than its merits as a film. In the 1980s, Disney moved away from re-releasing its films in theaters to selling hard copies of the films on VHS or other home media formats. Notably, Song of the South was never released on VHS, DVD, or any other home media format in the United States.
Disney did release Song of the South on VHS and LaserDisc in various European and Asian countries.
In terms of streaming, Song of the South is not available on Disney+. When the streaming platform was launched in 2019, the company decided Song of the South would not be a part of its streaming catalog, not even with a content advisory warning like some other controversial Disney films. Deadline confirmed that during a Disney shareholder meeting in 2019, Disney executive chairman Bob Iger said Song of the South is “not appropriate in today’s world”, and reaffirmed that the film will not be available on the streaming service.
Song of the South is another Disney property slated to enter the public domain,as of 2041, so viewers unfortunately might be able to see the film once it’s out of Disney’s hands.
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There’s A Fan Website Devoted To The Film And Its Potential Release On Home Media
Some People Still Want To See The Film
Despite all the controversy Song of the South has inspired since its release, some people still love the film and continue to yearn for its re-release. In fact, there’s a whole website devoted to one fan’s love for the film. Christian Willis created a website called www.songofthesouth.net. On the site, he details how he has collected various promotional material from Song of the South over the years. He also explains his interpretation of the film and its controversies. Willis advocates for the film to be released to a new audience.
Willis doesn’t seem to be the only one who wants Song of the outh to be accessible at home. Multiple petitions have demanded that Disney release the film on home media or through streaming. The most recent petition was generated in February 2025 (via change.org).
However, Song of the South’s potential home release aside, the racist depictions of Black people, slavery, and the American South cannot be ignored. The film glosses over the harrowing nature of slavery and the grueling task of reconstructing the South and America as a whole after slavery was abolished. There’s no amount of cute animated animals and snappy musical numbers that can clean up Song of the South’s tarnished legacy.
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song of the south
Release Date
November 20, 1946
Runtime
94 minutes
Director
Harve Foster, Wilfred Jackson
Cast
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Ruth Warrick
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Bobby Driscoll
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James Baskett
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Luana Patten
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Source: https://dinhtienhoang.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment