Movies in MO

Song of the South – November 12, 1946

What’s It About

Based on the Uncle Remus stories about the ingenious bunny Brer Rabbit using live action and animation. Following the separation of his parents, a young boy goes to live in the American South. There he meets Uncle Remus, who gives the boy valuable insights into his problems via the stories he tells about Brer Rabbit.

Why It’s Gone

From the time it was shown in 1946, it has been banned and unfortunately for Disney, not forgotten. The memory lives on mainly because of the great animated sequence, Uncle Remus’ storytelling, and the ever-popular Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah. The song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” won the 1948 Academy Award for Best Original Song and Baskett received an Academy Honorary Award for his performance as Uncle Remus. The opening tiles say “Out of the humble cabin,” they continue. “out of the singing heart of the Old South have come the tales of Uncle Remus, rich in simple truths, forever fresh and new.” What the hell was Disney thinking. Most people knew Walt Disney was a racist and if he could find a way to profit from you, he would waste no time in doing so. Disney films have always had some sort of racist tone “hidden” within their movies. Although, some of them have blatantly racist scenes like the crows in Dumbo or the Siamese cats in The Aristocats. But Song of the South took racism to the next level. Did Disney think it would be a good idea to produce a film about happy slaves on a plantation? There isn’t a disclaimer long enough to prepare most people for a film like this. Others argue that it’s hiding history or preventing people from making their own judgments by not releasing this. Those arguments always include the song or the animated portion of the film. They further set the tone of “Don’t leave the plantation, don’t try to better yourself. Just go with the flow.” So unless you are a racist, who gets any type of enjoyment out of watching subservient Black people?

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