I've mostly had an interest in Disney animation for as long as I've lived and have occasionally indulged in the classics, enjoying most of them. I further know that given the changes in cultural attitudes during the studio's existence, it would occur to the company's executives to make attempts to censor some of its media, including its classic cartoons, even without permission from the relatives of their deceased creators. I would eventually discover the existence of the classic Song of the South, which modern black "leaders" would prevent from receiving an official American release, although mercifully, I was able to purchase it via a foreign DVD to see what exactly made it "controversial."
The film occurs on a plantation in Georgia during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era, with seven-year-old Johnny happy to take what he thinks at first to be a vacation at his grandmother's plantation with his parents, Sally and John Sr. However, Johnny discovers that his parents will be temporarily living apart, and he decides to leave at night in pursuit, only to discover Uncle Remus telling folktales of Br'er Rabbit to other plantation sharecroppers. Remus discovers Johnny running away and takes him back to his cabin to begin telling him the tales based on racial reconciliation writer Joel Chandler Harris' stories of Br'er Rabbit and his adversaries Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear.
Akin to Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, Song of the South combines live-action and animated sequences, with the iconic "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" being among its musical numbers. The first of Uncle Remus' stories involves Br'er Rabbit trying to run away from home, only for him to change his mind after encountering Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear. As would be the case with most animated features of the time and the future, the film takes artistic liberties with some of the animal designs, for instance, with Br'er Rabbit having a button nose instead of a V-nostril like real-life rabbits actually have.
Uncle Remus takes Johnny back to his mother, after which he befriends a black boy named Toby and a poor white girl named Ginny Favers. I can see how a white boy being friends with a black boy would be "controversial" during Reconstruction and the time of the film's release, but why today? Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of a society where the son of slaves and the sons of slaveowners would be at peace, but then again, modern blacks and their "leaders" continue to desecrate his message and refuse to accept whites as equals, just as much as whites didn't when blacks were the subservient ones.
Song of the South immediately demonstrates afterward that even whites can be dickish, with Ginny's jerkish older brothers Joe and Jake threatening to drown a puppy that was the runt of its litter. Ginny gives the puppy to Johnny, although since his mother refuses to let him have a pet, he takes it to Uncle Remus, who tells him the story of Br'er Rabbit and the Tar-Baby, teaching the trick of reverse psychology. Johnny takes a hint from the tale and gets Ginny's brothers in trouble when they tell their mother about the dog, although Sally is ultimately informed, and she orders Remus not to tell any more stories.
When Johnny has a birthday party, he picks up Ginny, although her brothers push her into a mud puddle and ruin her dress, which triggers a fight among the boys that Uncle Remus breaks up. Remus tells about Br'er Rabbit and his "Laughing Place," which I found somewhat relatable in that everyone should find some sense of joy in their life. However, Sally scolds her son for not attending his own party and reprimands Remus for continuing to tell Johnny stories, which prompts him to begin leaving for Atlanta. Johnny gives chase, although a bull nearly kills him when he takes a shortcut through his pasture.
Johnny survives when he sees his father and Uncle Remus on what would have been his deathbed, and the film ends happily. Overall, while Song of the South definitely shows its age, I really enjoyed it, given the memorable soundtrack and the endearing animated sequences, not to mention the relatability of having an absentee father and toxic mother. Regarding the film's "controversial" nature, I really can't understand why blacks and whites being at peace in the film is somehow tabooer than the continued modern racial hostility in America. Regardless, even if it never receives a legal American release, you can buy a modern foreign DVD, but time will tell if it becomes official contraband.
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| The Bottom Line | |
| A true Disney classic that deserves a legal American release. | |
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