Disney's Bob Iger confirms that Walt Disney, Song of the South took place in the American south during the Reconstruction era which followed the end of the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. The narrative focused on Johnny, a seven year-old visiting his grandmother’s plantation. Johnny befriends one of the workers on the plantation, named Uncle Remus, (James Baskett) during his stay and learns from the stories that Uncle Remus shares with him.
Song of the South has remained the subject of controversy and derision in the decades since its release. The film, which blended live-action with animation, has been described as racist and offensive in its depiction of African Americans. In particular, Song of the South has faced resilient scrutiny for shying away from the topic of slavery and portraying the plantation as idyllic and warm, which was viewed by many as a dangerous distortion of reality. This comes across most notably when Uncle Remus shares his belief, just before singing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah”, that things were better a long time ago. Many have taken this quote to be a microcosm of everything that’s wrong with Song of the South.
The cartoon characters from the film have appeared in other media, including books and comics. The famous subscribers to Disney+ won’t have access to Song of the South either. According to THR, outgoing Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed this at Disney’s annual shareholders meeting and explained his reasoning for it.
Iger elaborated that even with a disclaimer, which Disney+ has included for several films, Song of the South still wouldn’t be appropriate for the streaming platform. The defense of pointing out that a feature is being offered as originally created wouldn’t be enough. Iger has made similar remarks in the past, going back to 2011.
The debate about Song of the South, and other pop culture artifacts like it, will rage on. Some believe, with good reason, that it’s important to preserve the uglier parts of history. Disney has done this with many of its other titles, even those that are similarly racist and offensive. In the case of Song of the South however, it’s taken a different approach. Given the film’s specific problems of appearing to make light of slavery, it might be for the best.
Source: THR
