Despite controversy, Disney could unlock 'Song of the South'

[daveypoo]

Just read this in the Orlando Sentinel...

Travis Reed | The Associated Press
Posted March 24, 2007

Walt Disney Co.'s 1946 film "Song of the South" was historic. It was Disney's first big live-action picture and produced one of the company's most famous songs -- the Oscar-winning "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah." It also carries the story line of the Splash Mountain rides at its theme parks.

But the movie remains hidden in the Disney archives -- never released on video in the United States and criticized as racist for its depiction of Southern plantation blacks. The film's 60th anniversary passed last year without a whisper of official rerelease, which is unusual for Disney, but President and CEO Bob Iger recently said the company was reconsidering.

The film's reissue would surely spark debate, but it could also sell big. Nearly 115,000 people have signed an online petition urging Disney to make the movie available, and out-of-print international copies routinely sell online for $50-$90, some even more than $100.

Iger was answering a shareholder's inquiry about the movie for the second year in a row at Disney's annual meeting in New Orleans. This month the Disney chief made a rerelease sound more possible.

"The question of 'Song of the South' comes up periodically, in fact it was raised at last year's annual meeting ..." Iger said. "And since that time, we've decided to take a look at it again because we've had numerous requests about bringing it out. Our concern was that a film that was made so many decades ago being brought out today perhaps could be either misinterpreted or that it would be somewhat challenging in terms of providing the appropriate context."

"Song of the South" was re-shown in theaters in 1956, 1972 and 1986. Both animated and live-action, it tells the story of a young white boy, Johnny, who goes to live on his grandparents' Georgia plantation when his parents split up. Johnny is charmed by Uncle Remus -- a popular black servant -- and his fables of Brer Rabbit, Brer Bear and Brer Fox, which are actual black folk tales.

Remus' stories include the famous "tar baby," a phrase Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney were recently criticized for using to describe difficult situations. In "Song of the South," it was a trick Brer Fox and Brer Bear used to catch the rabbit -- dressing a lump of hot tar as a person to ensnare their prey. To some, it is now a derogatory term for blacks, regardless of context.

The movie doesn't reveal whether it takes place before or after the Civil War, and never refers to blacks on the plantation as slaves. It makes clear they work for the family, living down dirt roads in wood shacks while the white characters stay in a mansion. Remus and other black characters' dialogue is full of "ain't nevers," "ain't nobodys," "you tells," and "dem days's."

"In today's environment, 'Song of the South' probably doesn't have a lot of meaning, especially to the younger audiences," said James Pappas, associate professor of African-American Studies at the University of New York at Buffalo. "Older audiences probably would have more of a connection with the stereotypes, which were considered harmless at the time."

Pappas said it's not clear that the movie is intentionally racist, but it inappropriately projects Remus as a happy, laughing storyteller even though he's a plantation worker.

"Gone with the Wind," produced seven years earlier, endured the same criticism and even shares a common actress (Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for "Gone" for playing the house slave "Mammy").

However, Pappas said he thinks the movie should be rereleased because of its historical significance. He said it should be prefaced, and closed, with present-day statements.

"I think it's important that these images are shown today so that especially young people can understand this historical context for some of the blatant stereotyping that's done today," Pappas said.

From a financial standpoint, Iger acknowledged last year that Disney stood to gain from rereleasing "Song." The company's movies are popular with collectors, and Disney has kept sales strong by tightly controlling when they're available.

Christian Willis, a 26-year-old IT administrator in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., started a "Song" fan site in 1999 to showcase memorabilia. He soon expanded it into a clearinghouse for information on the movie that now averages more than 800 hits a day and manages the online petition.

Willis said he doesn't think the movie is racist, just from a different time.

"Stereotypes did exist on the screen," he said. "But if you look at other films of that time period, I think 'Song of the South' was really quite tame in that regard. I think Disney did make an effort to show African Americans in a more positive light."

Though Willis is hopeful, there's still no telling when -- or if -- the movie could come out (beyond its copyright lapsing decades from now).

For this story, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Disney's distribution arm, issued a statement: "Song of the South is one of a handful of titles that has not seen a home distribution window. To this point, we have not discounted nor committed to any distribution window concerning this title."
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When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.
--Walt Disney

[aprildecember]

good news.

[onecutemoose]

Though this is a great movie and I HATE censorsip....I viewed the film recently....and it just wasnt' what I remembered. I think sometimes things are better in memory.

: )

[aprildecember]

i think that is often true, particularly when childhood memories are at issue. like, i'm sure i would be really disappointed by ATIS if i rode it again today.

but you know, i actually had the opposite reaction when i saw sots as an adult. i didn't have solid memories of the film, and like most people i've been totally inundated by glossy, updated splash mountain images in the ensuing years, so i was expecting to cringe my way through it when i saw it in 2000 (laserdisc, with japanese subtitles lmao). instead, though, i was impressed by what i saw and heard. great artwork, great music, great actors - i didn't even remember hattie mcdaniel - a BIG, academy-award-winning star - being in the movie. huge bonus.

[WDWFan]

I say bring it out...

Some people will object to anything. Others will not object at all. For some it will be offensive and for other it will not.

So many folks are worried about being PC that we are literally destroying ourselves. (But I can't say that or I might offend someone.)

[fireurgunz]

I feel Disney sometimes over reacts to things like this. Although its a smart business move, it still isn't such a controversial film. Gone with the Wind in my opinion shows much more of the negativity during that time then SOTS!

I don't know!
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Attention travelers, please remain seated. Your vechile will be rotating backwards. -Spaceship Earth

[Figmentathm]

SOTS has been released in other countries. And the DVD in US viewable format is available on the internet.
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[fireurgunz]

[ericpabear]

I tried to re-tell the story of Uncle Remus as best I could as my family and I walked thru Spash Mountain. The people around us had no idea what Splash Mountain was about either. So I brought a boot leg copy home I borrowed from a co-worker to show my children. The copy was real bad, but it was watchable. I had seen it as a child and didn't see anything wrong with it then and as an adult now, still don't. My children thought it made white people look stupid.

[Figmentathm]

If Disney does release this, you can bet Don Imus won't be asked to provide any commentary!
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[aprildecember]

hahah imus. seriously, with him around, sots looks like an naacp court brief.

"My children thought it made white people look stupid."

pretty much. actually, it makes the adults look short-sighted, and gives the children some ownership over morality and practicaly thinking.

and the the adults, black and white, are kind of all tribal elders. gramma and remus are pretty united front when it comes to questions of 'what are we gonna do to fix this situation?' for ex.

[me27821]

I wonder if Disney has ever considered a remake. Now I know Walt himself would be opposed to that idea, as he hated repeating himself. And as far as I know, Disney has not made any actual remakes, just restorations. For anyone who's seen the film, it's not entirely impressive by todays standards. Neither is the first Mickey Mouse cartoon. A remake could tell the same story, but possibly tie in Splash Mountain's story line a little more (for example, a reference to Chickapin Hill). This would also solve the problem of anything offensive being released. And mixing animation with live action these days is seamless, and almost routine. I think it would make more money for the company than a re-release would (if money is still the company's top priority). By the time it's released for the home, Blue Ray, or HD-DVD will be commonplace, leaving room for many extra features, which the original movie in it's entirety could be included with.

[me27821]

I wonder if I've convinced the world that I'm a moron. I just read this post I left months ago. In the movie, there is a reference to chickapin hill, several of them. Infact, it's shown as much as the briar patch, and probly as much as uncle remuses house. An Brear Rabbit does get tossed off of it. Also, Disney has made remakes. I guess 101 Dalmations couls count, even though it was live action. There was also the Love Bug. Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking on that last post.

[ericpabear]

Did you guys know that "Song of the south" was taken from the writings of a man named Joel Chandler Harris. If you are interested here is a link http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-525