Song of the South
Plot
The Controversy
There are plenty of examples of pernicious racism in Song of the South that are right there on the surface: the minstrelsy of the animated characters, particularly Br’er Fox; the slang in the dialogue; a wandering chorus singing traditional black songs; and, most notoriously of all, a fable where Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear use a tar baby to fool and ensnare Br’er Rabbit. (That part didn’t make Splash Mountain.) Yet the subtle low point of the film comes in Remus’s narration just before Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, when he reminiscences about how things were “a long time ago,,” when “every day was mighty satisfactual”. “If you’ll excuse me for saying so,” he adds, “’twas better all around.”[1]
Release
“Song of the South” has never received a home video release in the United States. Disney CEO Bob Iger said “it wouldn’t be in the best interest of our shareholders to bring it back, even though there would be some financial gain.” A VHS and LaserDisc release, however, exist overseas.[2]
After a release for the film’s 40th anniversary in 1986, Song of the South was locked away in a vault. Asked if the movie would ever get a DVD release, Disney CEO Bob Iger called it “antiquated” and “fairly offensive.” Although Disneyland’s Splash Mountain is entirely dedicated to the forgotten feature, Song of the South is rarely spoken about in any other context than it being a racist misstep for the studio.[3]
External Link
Song of the South at IMDb
Song of the South at Rotten Tomatoes
References
- ↑ Scott Tobias. Song of the South: the difficult legacy of Disney's most shocking movie, theguardian.com, 19 November 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Ryan Lattanzio. ‘Song of the South’: 10 Fast Facts About Disney’s Most Controversial Movie, indiewire.com, 3 November 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ↑ Tom Chapman. 15 Classic Cartoons That Would Definitely Be Censored Today", cbr.com, 27 November 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
