Disney confirms 'Frozen' makeover coming to Epcot's Norway Pavilion

[AEfx]

Just for discussion, but it's a point I agree with however. I am just saying that if pixar creates the dia de los muertos film and it is popular I could easily see the characters taking over the grand fiesta tour indefinitely.

I wasn't aware of the Pixar film - interesting. I sort of have a hard time seeing Disney putting that into a theme park ride (thematically) but then again, I'm actually surprised at the lack of updates to at least the video portions of the Mexico ride at this point which are so dated as to be comical (almost to the point it could be perceived as offensive).

 

[BrerJon]

That's really interesting - I'm a bit surprised they show it on TV anywhere, especially on the Disney Channel (though I knew about the international home video releases). In the US it's a whole different story - it hasn't been shown theatrically in 30 years, and it has never been out on video in it's entirety.

Didn't it even get a VHS release in the 80s and 90s in the USA? I know pretty much every other country did. Even nowadays you can still find copies of the video in Europe in second hand and charity shops.

I love Song of the South (hence my username!), I think it's a sweet charming tale and has some of the most masterful animation and cleverest 'business' Eric Larson ever worked on. It really does deserve to be seen by more people, even if they just edited together the animated portions.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I understand nothing requires it but you keep missing my point here. Again when your film is literally centered around a real cultural event it's almost impossible to not have that be in the experience. Frozen was "inspired" by norway and it's traditions. But if the Dia de los muertos film has that event as the setting then viewers are going to learn something about a real tradition. So if an attraction was built about a film that is literally centered around the day of the dead It's going to have something very real and relevant to Mexico's real traditions be apart of the experience. I would give you this if the story was "An upcoming Pixar film about a princess who lives in aldania (inspired by mexico and it's traditions) learns of a scary secret that sends her to the underworld!" but that is not what's happening. We have a film that was going to be called Dia de Los Muertos, not to much they can do to take the culture out of that.

Or they could just have the characters running around after each other. If Disney wanted to highlight culture they would do it now.

Warner Brothers released all their old WWII propaganda cartoons in a dvd set with intros discussing the history and context that lead to their creation. I'd be thrilled if Disney did something similar with all the shorts and movies they've swept under the rug.

There was a Disney Treasures release of the World War II cartoons.

 

[Sped2424]

I wasn't aware of the Pixar film - interesting. I sort of have a hard time seeing Disney putting that into a theme park ride (thematically) but then again, I'm actually surprised at the lack of updates to at least the video portions of the Mexico ride at this point which are so dated as to be comical (almost to the point it could be perceived as offensive).

I could see them using that film easy if it makes any money!

 

[lazyboy97o]

Didn't it even get a VHS release in the 80s and 90s when every other country did? Even nowadays you can still find copies of the video in Europe in second hand and charity shops.

I love Song of the South (hence my username!), I think it's a sweet charming tale and has some of the most masterful animation and cleverest 'business' Eric Larson ever worked on. It really does deserve to be seen by more people, even if they just edited together the animated portions.

The first of the Disney SingAlong Songs videos was "Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dag" and it basically shared the Song of the South box art. That's the closest there has been to an official U.S. home release.

 

[BrerJon]

Warner Brothers released all their old WWII propaganda cartoons in a dvd set with intros discussing the history and context that lead to their creation. I'd be thrilled if Disney did something similar with all the shorts and movies they've swept under the rug.

Disney has released their WW2 stuff - I've got the Walt Disney Treasures DVD 'On The Front Lines' they released a few years back with all their propaganda films, 'Der Fuerer's Face' etc., so at one point there was an interest in getting obscure material out.

 

[Sped2424]

Or they could just have the characters running around after each other. If Disney wanted to highlight culture they would do it now.


There was a Disney Treasures release of the World War II cartoons.

Running around after each other during an actual Dia de los muertos event where the finale would take place in a at a cemetery or the town meeting place where family members are meeting to honor the dead would be miles ahead of what is there now. Keep trying to spin this but as I keep saying if Dia de los muertos is integral to the plot it's hard to ditch everything about it into an experience.

 

[BrerJon]

In case anyone hasn't seen Song of the South and wants to watch it, it's not hard to find on YouTube.

 

[AEfx]

Disney has released their WW2 stuff - I've got the Walt Disney Treasures DVD 'On The Front Lines' they released a few years back with all their propaganda films, 'Der Fuerer's Face' etc., so at one point there was an interest in getting obscure material out.

I think it's less of a willingness of Disney to get the obscure stuff out but that they are afraid of the reaction. As much as I disagree with the folks that would campaign against it, I completely understand (edit: Disney's postion) and believe it would be a crapshow of incredible proportions. Especially today. They might have gotten away with it say 15 years ago, but today when all it takes to get on the news and picked up by the AP is a bunch of "LIKES" on FB for a complaint, or one "viral" video, people would fly out of the woodwork to scream and shout.

 

[BrerJon]

I think it's less of a willingness of Disney to get the obscure stuff out but that they are afraid of the reaction. As much as I disagree with the folks that would campaign against it, I completely understand and believe it would be a crapshow of incredible proportions. Especially today. They might have gotten away with it say 15 years ago, but today when all it takes to get on the news and picked up by the AP is a bunch of "LIKES" on FB for a complaint, or one "viral" video, people would fly out of the woodwork to scream and shout.

I can see them not putting it on iTunes any time soon, but I think they could get away with a DVD release as an extra on another title without many people kicking up a fuss.

The DVD of 'Walt and El Grupo' has the complete 'Saludos Amigos' (with Goofy smoking scene!) as an extra, not even mentioned on the cover... if they did a set of old shorts, a 'Nine Old Men' collection or something, you could do the same with Song of the South.

Add a contextual intro, stick it on disc 2 as an extra, make the whole thing an Amazon exclusive or something, and those keen to get a clean copy could seek it out, but because you wouldn't be able to get it in Wal-Mart or wherever, it wouldn't be a big retail controversy.

 

[FigmentJedi]

Because of Splash Mountain. Approximately no one alive today has seen the film. Imagine if Br'er Fox turned Br'er Rabbit into a "tar baby" on the ride instead of dousing him in honey...I have, unfortunately seen the film. Obvious issues aside, I just didn't find it compelling and the cute toons don't actually make up much of the film.

Song of the South's last theatrical release was in 1987. Between that and the long time presence the characters had in comics and storybooks back in the day, that's what lead them to think Splash Mountain was still a viable idea.

 

[TalkingHead]

Warner Brothers released all their old WWII propaganda cartoons in a dvd set with intros discussing the history and context that lead to their creation. I'd be thrilled if Disney did something similar with all the shorts and movies they've swept under the rug.

I'd be happy if Disney would release some sets of animated shorts in HD, never mind the propaganda stuff. Put out a set with Silly Symphonies, a set with Goofy, etc. If Betty Boop can warrant multiple Blu-Ray releases, why don't the Disney shorts?

Speaking of Disney and HD, are we ever going to get 20K Leagues on Blu-Ray? (I'm sure it's too much to ask for the more obscure live action films.)

 

[BrerJon]

Song of the South's last theatrical release was in 1987. Between that and the long time presence the characters had in comics and storybooks back in the day, that's what lead them to think Splash Mountain was still a viable idea.

Despite ISTCNavigator claiming nobody alive has seen the film, plenty of kids saw the 1987 re-release which if they were, say 7 years old, they'd now be about 35.

So unless we live in Logan's Run or something I'm sure there's plenty of people who saw it who *are* still alive (unless the zombie infestation is worse than feared!), which means it's presence in the public consciousness comes from way more than Splash Mountain.

 

[Lord_Vader]

That's really interesting - I'm a bit surprised they show it on TV anywhere, especially on the Disney Channel (though I knew about the international home video releases). In the US it's a whole different story - it hasn't been shown theatrically in 30 years, and it has never been out on video in it's entirety.

As much as I don't think there should be a problem with releasing it for historical purposes, it would be such a crapshow in the US - particularly in this "click to protest" Internet age. People that don't even know what it is, or have any idea what it's actually about, or any historical perspective, won't care - they'd see "Disney Racist!" headline and "click click click/send".

At this point, we are lucky that they haven't gotten rid of "Gone With The Wind" and "My Fair Lady", too.

But where this is Disney, it wouldn't matter what disclaimers, warnings, etc. they used - just making it available would make enough people complain (still relatively a small amount, but loud trumps numerous) that it would be a PR nightmare for Disney. Even folks like me, who understand how to put it in it's historical place, would be in the minority of the minority because most people just wouldn't want to touch the topic with a ten-foot-pole, even if they agree with it being available, for fear of being labeled racist.

In the end, it's just not the greatest film to begin with, which also hurts the case against it (which is something GWTW and MFL at least have going for them).

I have a copy of 'Song of the South' in my DVD collection that I ripped years ago but do agree this movie should not be released anytime soon, there is enough racial tension as it is.

It is a cute film for the time but many people wouldn't be able to understand the time and place it was produced in or the fact that the smartest/saviest character is also a slave.

I have second edition of the 'Uncle Remus Tales' book that was to be destroyed by a public school librarian years ago that my wife was able to save, it was on the shelves in a local elementary school and had been since the late fifties.

 

[Matt_Black]

It is a cute film for the time but many people wouldn't be able to understand the time and place it was produced in or the fact that the smartest/saviest character is also a slave.

He's not a slave! It's set during Reconstruction!

 

[AEfx]

He's not a slave! It's set during Reconstruction!

Although they don't specify it if I recall, the implication is that he is a former slave.

It's simply not an era that anyone wants to talk about at the moment, much less have a Disney movie released about - which is what I think the point is.

It would be one thing if the film made some big statement or had an "important message" about racism - but it doesn't, even just the lighting of the thing would be considered objectionable imagery.

As Oprah explained to middle America, you light a darker skinned person much differently than a lighter skinned person - which is why white folks often looked so bad on Oprah's show. The lighting darkens the darker skin further and makes it stand out as particularly shiny, and makes the eyes/teeth way overly bright, which is considered a racist caricature. See below: the white kids look like they just stepped out of a Normal Rockwell, but note the cartoony look of the others.

With today's HD, it would be even more pronounced.

I personally, again, wouldn't have a problem with it being released - but I totally see why they don't because it would not be received well, at all, today - particularly from the Disney company of all people.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Despite ISTCNavigator claiming nobody alive has seen the film, plenty of kids saw the 1987 re-release which if they were, say 7 years old, they'd now be about 35.

So unless we live in Logan's Run or something I'm sure there's plenty of people who saw it who *are* still alive (unless the zombie infestation is worse than feared!), which means it's presence in the public consciousness comes from way more than Splash Mountain.

We will have to agree to disagree here. The point was Splash doesn't belong in Frontierland. And the REAL point was that Disney has been putting thematic breaks into its parks for a long time. Frozen isn't the first case of this. But, we forgive poorly placed good rides.

I feel bad for derailing this conversation.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

We will have to agree to disagree here. The point was Splash doesn't belong in Frontierland. And the REAL point was that Disney has been putting thematic breaks into its parks for a long time. Frozen isn't the first case of this. But, we forgive poorly placed good rides.

I feel bad for derailing this conversation.

Not really. I believe the fact Splash is in the wrong spot has been debated ad nauseum. As has Crtter Country in DL. But they are old and so is that arguement.

We will get tired of this argument sometime around 2022. At that point we will all be arguing about how they screwed up Star Wars Land.

 

[Pirate665]

Let's please get this back on track please and get off Song of the South...

 

[Cesar R M]

I wasn't aware of the Pixar film - interesting. I sort of have a hard time seeing Disney putting that into a theme park ride (thematically) but then again, I'm actually surprised at the lack of updates to at least the video portions of the Mexico ride at this point which are so dated as to be comical (almost to the point it could be perceived as offensive).

I wonder if that movie was abandoned. The rumors I heard that Disney/Pixar tried to "copyright" the name and the designs.. made me furious.
Yeah right, good luck trying to copyright a national holiday.