Alley's Holodeck

Lost but not forgotten: Song of the South and Uncle Remus

In 1946 Disney produced a film that was in essence a technological and movie break through. It was in this year that Song of the South was produced. It featured a live action cast put side by side with animated characters. The live action characters were Uncle Remus a slave, Johnny the owner’s son, and a little girl whom Uncle Remus tells them about old fables which featured the likes of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear. The song which many people know but may not know it’s origin won an Academy Award that year. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah. James Baskett who protrayed Uncle Remus in the film is both the first live action actor and first african american hired by the Disney for a film. He also won an academy award in 1946 for his protrayl in Song of the South. Also in this movie is the first african american woman to win an academy award, Hattie McDaniel.

The first of the Uncle Remus books were published in 1880 by Joel Chandler Harris. Joel Chandler Harris wrote them and he claimed that he collected them directly from the source. (slaves). When he originally wrote it he wrote it in a southern African American dialect. So for many people it was hard to read and understand. It was a story meant to be read aloud or told not read silently.

Most recently an author by the name of Julius Lester rewrote the stories of Uncle Remus. This time the stories were written so that kids could easily read them. Some say that in this way it is homogenized and that it’s not true to the original stories. But if kids are learning about different cultures, without all of the hang ups with stereo-typed dialects than the better it is for them. The Uncle Remus stories are wonderful fables, much like Aesops, they are more witty and feature some more applicable(current) error of manners.

I was very saddened when I did a presentation about the multi-cultural merits of the Uncle Remus stories in my Literary Criticism class. The first thing I did was I asked the class if any of them knew about the Uncle Remus stories/Song of the South and only two students and dr. Arnzen had. It is lost to our generation and as well as the following generations.

In 1987 Disney decided because of the backlash that the Song of the South had recieved during it's 1986 movie re-release that it would be for the best if they did not re-release to the public in america again. They stepped away from their baby. Walt Disney himself thought that this was his finest work. The Uncle Remus stories were the first stories that he had ever read when he was a child growing up.

The idea for Splash Mountain was originally conceived by Imagineer Tony Baxter in 1983 during his morning commute in rush-hour traffic on Interstate 5.However at the same time Disney decided to step away from the idea of re-releasing the video to the public, the Disney imagineers at Disneyland,Tokyo Disney and Walt Disney World resort worked furiously to make a new ride centered around the characters in the movie and stories. This ride was called Splash Mountain. Splash Mountain was first opened over in Disneyland in July 1989 .On October 1 and 2nd Splash mountain in Tokyo and Disney World were opened. . Bringing the count of mountains in Disneyland to four, and Disney world to 3.

With the advent of the internet people can get together and discuss Song of the South with hopes of changing Disney's mind in re-releasing the movie. Also there are bootleg copies abound. So in the end because of the many supporters of the movie are in fact shooting themselves in the foot to get this movie re-released. Disney has to open their eyes and see that it would just be best if they did re-release it.

Other sites that would be of interest. Compare and contrast of Song of the South Lyrics vs. Splash Mountain.

How do you do? SOTS SM
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah SOTS/ SM

Everybody's got a laughing Place SOTS / SM

Posted by AllisonWhitcomb at April 21, 2004 1:54 PM