Where In The World Is "Song of the South"?

by Kelly K. | More from this Blogger

21 Mar 2006 10:31 PM

There are very few movies that have caused me to spring forth tears like a fountain in the middle of Epcot Center. However, those few are there and they range all over the gamut of genres.

One such film was Song of the South. My Mom took me to see this film when I was probably 7 or 8, just as she took me to see most Disney re-releases: fresh in the theatre. As a child, I fell in love with the character of Uncle Remus. I wanted to talk to him and hear his stories for myself. When little Johnny ran under the fence of that bullpen and headlong into the brunt of a bull just to follow Uncle Remus, my heart broke and I cried only as children can.

It's been years since I've seen the film, however. The reason that this film is nowhere to be found is that, according to Disney, the film held too many racial stereotypes and was shelved from being rereleased on DVD. Whereas studios such as Warner Home Video have not stopped production on films such as Gone With the Wind, an aged film full of racial and Southern stereotypes, Disney decided that they would cave under the pressure of activist groups and ban the film from public consumption.

The odd thing about the entire conundrum surrounding Song of the South is that one of Disneyland and Walt Disney World's major attractions, Splash Mountain, is built around the story of Brer Rabbit and the Briar Patch, the pinnacle tale of Uncle Remus in the film.

Making the entire story even more odd is that Universal is picking up the slack and producing an entirely new film based on the tales that birthed Disney's Song of the South. In a video release titled, The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, Universal will, unfortunately, be able to pick up the business of would-be park guests that are interested in knowing the genesis of the Splash Mountain attraction. With new voice talent such as Danny Glover, Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughly, and Disney Alumni, Wayne Brady, film fans will finally be able to bring home a little piece of Brer Rabbit, though I dare say it won't be same.

Rumors have circulated across the internet about a possible 2006 DVD release, but according to a recent stockholder's meeting, Disney CEO Bob Igers has stamped a "void" on that rumor saying that no such plans will be carried out by the Disney company.

For fans of the film, you'll be happy to know that not all hope is lost. Fan produced DVDs can be found around the internet. Though the production isn't quite Disney, the dvds do contain the film in its entirety.

In the meantime, fans continue to petition Disney for a release, but to no avail. We can only hope that in the future, Disney will cease censorship of the production and let viewers decide for themselves.

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workingdad (2084) 22 Mar 2006 09:22 PM

Very complicated issue. GWTW has such an iconic status in American culture that it remains celebrated despite the stereotyping. It's hard to find many of the racist cartoon stereotypes from the thirties from many of the studios, except as bootlegs.

Disney does not want to be controversial because they fear reprisals from all sides. The left opposes something like ths film, and the right was offended when Ellen came out.

Rather than petition Disney to release the video, how about hitting them where it REALLY hurts: petition your government to repeal all these ridiculous copyright extension laws that will give big corporations like Disney the right to their works into the 22nd century! By all rights, the Mickey Mouse image and the early Mickey short cartoons -- created almost EIGHTY YEARS AGO -- should be public domain, but Disney got the gov't to let them hold on to it. This is unfair beyond my ability to explain in so few words. Imagine the thought of losing half their catalogue at the stroke of the President's pen and Congress's approval -- that might make them reconsider their market more carefully!

Kelly K. (2277) 22 Mar 2006 11:54 PM

Very good point! I'm fascinated by copyright law and public domain status because it is so insane! Just look at archive.org. All those moving images are public domain because the owners never refiled their copyright years ago. Even "Night of the Living Dead" stands in the public domain at this point.

I understand why many would be offended by the racist stereotyping of these earlier works, but I don't think the answer is censorship. I think in order to know how far we've come, we have to know from where we've come. What's actually odd about SOTS is that, unlike GWTW, Uncle Remus was portrayed as a loved one of small Johnny, unlike Mammy in GWTW who was seen more as a maid, but the difference in the two remains in the studios handling the films.

Great comment, T.B. I really enjoyed reading it.

SongOfTheSouth (5) 06 Oct 2008 03:32 PM

I found it, yes, I found this wonderful movie, Song Of The South, on dvd AND at a price I can afford! Now I can watch it with my wife AND my grandchildren! http://www.songofthesouth4me.net/