SONG OF THE SOUTH ~ GeekSexy

The song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah has been synonymous with Disney for decades. But unlike songs like 'A Whole New World', 'Hakuna Matahta' and 'The Bare Necessities' which people instantly relate to their respective movies, this classic is usually thought of as the 'Disney theme'. Most people have no idea that it comes from the 1946 classic Song of the South. Heck, I would put money that most young people have never even heard of it or any of the Br'er characters that reside within (HINT: It's the entire theme of 'Splash Mountain', kids). Since it's original release in 1946, the movie has been protested by the NAACP, the National Negro Congress, the National Urban League, as well as many other special interest groups for what they consider 'racial stereotyping'. Set during the Reconstruction Period immediately following the Civil War, Song of the South is an interpretation of the 1881 work of author Joel Chandler Harris and his Uncle Remus series of books made up of stories from the African-American folklore of the deep South. Disney's version focuses specifically on Br'er Rabbit and his attempts to out-maneuver and out-think the evil Br'er Fox and dim-witted Br'er Bear as told by Uncle Remus to the local children. Though the stories are very entertaining, Harris told his stories using the dialect of African-Americans of the deep South at the time and Disney made the film to reflect the same era, but sixty years later using the original dialect was not quite as accepted (even though Hattie McDaniel had just became the first African-American to win an Oscar for a similar portrayal as 'Mammy' in the classic and still distributed, I might add, Gone With the Wind in 1939). Song of the South was re-released in 1956, "permanently retired" in 1970, released again in 1972, 1981, and 1986 (the 40th anniversary). The movie brought home two Oscars, one for 'Best Song' (Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah) and the other went to James Baskett for his portrayal of Uncle Remus, making him the first African-American male to receive an Oscar (coincidentally enough, the film co-starred Hattie McDaniel, fresh off of her own Oscar win). Baskett was also the first male Disney ever used in a live-action/animation piece. I loved this movie as a child. The Br'er characters were some of my favorite of all time and still are. I was thrilled when Disney announced that they would be releasing a 60th Anniversary Platinum Edition on DVD in 2006, but once again the company was met with protest and the release was shelved, much to my disappointment. Song of the South is actually available worldwide, just not in the U.S. and even though I've snagged a copy for myself now, maybe we can still look forward to a 75th Anniversary Edition while the other Disney classics make it through their 3rd and 4th releases on DVD/Blu-Ray. What follows are the complete animated stories from Song of the South. Enjoy.

If you'd like a copy of Song of the South for yourself, visit one of these websites:
www.songofthesouthdvdremastered.com
www.songofthesouth4me.net
Both sites use direct transfers from the U.S. Laserdisc version of the movie and include all of the bonus features.