Is Disney being a Dumbo when it comes to "Song of the South"?.....

[WDWmazprty]

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Is Disney being a Dumbo when it comes to "Song of the South" ?

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Jim Hill
29 Mar 2011 11:57 PM

• Comments 21

You know what I find bizarre? A week ago today at the annual meeting of shareholders, Bob Iger reaffirmed his commitment to keep "Song of the South" in the Disney Vault. Saying flat-out that it wouldn't be in the best interests of the Company's shareholders to make this Academy Award-winning film available for purchase on Blu-ray and DVD because " ... it was made at a different time."

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

And - yet - when I popped "Tangled" into my computer yesterday, what did I see? A sneak preview for the 70<SUP>th</SUP> anniversary edition of "Dumbo."

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved​

So let me see if I understand this? A live-action feature from 1946 featuring kindly old Uncle Remus gets shoved to the back of the Disney Vault, while a feature-length cartoon from 1941 which features a character called (I kid you not) Jim Crow ...

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

... gets fully restored and released in high definition? Doesn't that seem a trifle hypocritical to you?
Okay. I get it. The 1930s & 1940s were a far less politically correct time. Which is why the artists at Disney Studios felt it was perfectly fine back then to dress the Big Bad Wolf as a stereotypical Jewish peddler in the original version of "The Three Little Pigs

."

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved​

Or why - back when Disney was initially developing an animated version of "Peter Pan" back in the late 1930s - the Studio's storymen thought it would be a scream if Captain Hook have a Chinese cook working for him that had big buck teeth, squinty eyes and a long pigtail.

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

To give the artists & animators at Disney some credit, when the Studio finally released its animated version of "Peter Pan" to theaters in February of 1953, that Chinese Cook character was nowhere to be seen. On the other hand, Native Americans still get steamed whenever they see this film's "What Makes the Red Man Red?" sequence.

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved​

And as the 1950s gave way to the 1960s, Disney did become somewhat more enlightened when it came to issues of race and stereotyping. Which is why the Studio began doing things like trimming "Fantasia" 's Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony sequence. So that that pair of Nubian Zebra girls ...

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

... who attended to Bacchus wouldn't be quite so obvious ...

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

... while poor little Sunflower, the servant centaurette who attended to all of the other "ladies" in her herd, wound up being cut out of this motion picture entirely.

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved​

Mind you, one might argue that - these days - the pendulum has swung too far in the opposite direction. I can remember talking with Disney animators back in the early 1990s while they were working on "Pocahontas" ...

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

... And these guys complained to me about all of the notes that they were getting from Studio execs about how the Native Americans in this movie had to be depicted as being good & kind & noble & handsome. With the end result being that these executives' good intentions basically sucked any sense of spontaneous fun & humor out of this animated feature.
But at least there were Native Americans in "Pocahontas." Contrast that with Disney's "Tarzan" ..

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved​

... where you get to see Tarzan, Jane, the great white hunter Clayton, kindly old Professor Porter, gorillas, elephants, baboons, birds and jaguars ... But not a single member of Africa's indigenous people.
Okay. I know. The easiest way to avoid offending someone is by doing nothing. Or - in the case of long-ago offenses - by just pretending that something potentially offensive or controversial never actually happened. Like - say -- that handful of early Mickey Mouse cartoons where Disney's corporate symbol performed in blackface.

Image courtesy of Profiles in History
& Van Eaton Galleries​

But then the question becomes where do you draw the line? Do you do what Disney did in the 1940s (which is actually go back in and reanimate the Jewish peddler scene in "The Three Little Pigs" so that this scene in that short is no longer so offensive) ...

Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved​

... every time the Studio gets an angry letter from someone who's upset about the way their particular religious or ethnic group was depicted in a Disney movie, short or TV show? If that were really the case, the Italian American Anti-Defamation League would have had Stromboli ...

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

... removed from "Pinocchio" decades ago?
But how do you folks feel about what Walt Disney Studios is up to these days? Does it bother you that Bre'er Rabbit remains tied up in the Disney Vault ...

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

... while Jim Crow and his feathered friends from "Dumbo" continue to fly free?

Image courtesy of Profiles in History & Van Eaton Galleries​

If you do have an issue with this somewhat hypocritical situation, what would you like Disney to do differently with its library of films?
FYI: Many of the pieces of animation art that were used to illustrate today's article are actually items that will be up for bid in the auction that Profiles in History and Van Eaton Galleries will be holding in May. To learn more about this once-in-a-lifetime event, please click on this link.

Image courtesy of Profiles in History
& Van Eaton Galleries​

Your thoughts?

 

[imagineer boy]

Its so rediculous, SotS is not racist at all. The PC wimps at Disney need to go away.

 

[britdaw]

I think they need to quit worrying about being so damn PC all the time and just release it. Obviously there is a fanbase who wants to see it, and Disney is just so worried about offending people that they can't see past that. Bluh.

 

[WDWmazprty]

Its so rediculous, SotS is not racist at all. The PC wimps at Disney need to go away.

I think they need to quit worrying about being so damn PC all the time and just release it. Obviously there is a fanbase who wants to see it, and Disney is just so worried about offending people that they can't see past that. Bluh.

Agreed! And like the article says, there are so many other films that Disney released that could've been viewed as offensive for other reasons, but was not. Crazy!

 

[Malvito]

I'm going to post what will be an unpopular opinion on this thread: I don't think that the rationale behind this particular decision is a "Dumbo" rationale.

That is not to say that I think the movie should remain banished to the vaults; I do believe that any release should be done carefully.

I have posted on this before, and will simply add a link, to avoid redundancy or inconsistancy.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=4508273&postcount=2

There was quite a bit of discussion as to the release on DVD of Dumbo, due to the crow characters, as well as of Peter Pan, due to the "Why Is The Red Man Red" song. Ultimately, it may have been decided (and please note that I write "...may have been;" this is pure conjecture) that the characters in question were subsidiary enough that there would be little backlash, especially given the age of the movies. Uncle Remus, though, is not, by any means, a subsidiary character, and the minstral-ish aspects of the movie are not confined to one particular portion.

I have disagreed with my wife about the Peter Pan Native Americans. The "Red Man" song, while focusing on stereotypes, is not derisive in its humour; the joke are pretty vaudeville. I've noted to my wife that the tribe in Peter Pan was the Borscht Belt tribe, whose territory centered around the Catskills and the Adirondacks.

Ultimately, yes, I do think that SOTS should be released, and have expressed (check the link) thoughts on how it could be done. It is a contoversial film, and the controversy would be better served by acknowledging and addressing it rather than dismissing it.

 

[flavious27]

:shrug:

The company renewed interest in the movie when they built splash mountain, and it has been released on different formats outside of the us.

The 70th anniversary is in 5 years, maybe they can release it then with the blessing of the naacp and other organizations. They could also have a new title screen that gives an explanation of what the movie is and or the history behind it.

 

[ChipmunkStar]

Here's my thought: It's BORING. If it never comes out of the "vault" I will not cry for the loss, as the last time I saw it (a friend brought it back with them from Japan) I fell asleep from boredom.

If it does end up rereleased, I think a lot of people will be disappointed as the hype surrounding it's PC or non-PC status has made the interest to see the film rather than the actual story itself. But, my thoughts only of course.

 

[Thrill Seeker]

Easy solution? Have it re-rated by the MPAA either PG or PG-13 and then release it to the public. A new title screen explaining the time of which this film was made would also be a good idea. I work at Splash Mountain and have never seen the film. I want to. It should be released.

 

[clarksfan95]

I agree with the poster above. This film is extremely boring. My father has it on Laserdisc, which was probably it's last wide release. I watched probably a year ago and will never watch it again. The live action parts are poorly done and though the animation is nice, it's not something that I'll ever put myself through again.

If you want to know the best parts of the movie, just ride the ride and forget about the movie.

Keep in mind that Disney tries to not offend anyone with their products. This film comes from a different time period when certain things were more the norm than they are now and in many cases, a lot of people see some of this content questionable. If you offend people, then you drive them away from your goods and services, which in the end, is not good for your dollars and cents business.

"If" they ever decide to release this film again, you will see the same film that was released way back when...you will see a version that is so edited that it will barely resemble the original. For an example, look at Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 DVD/Blu Rays that were just released....Disney erased entire segments of the movie to make it more politically correct because they didn't want to offend any of the possible customers that they may have or may have in the future.

I for one would rather them not release a movie at all then to see a version that does not resemble what I originally saw when I was a child. Just my opinion though.

I think a lot of people who have never seen this movie, would truly be dissapointed with it. I only remembered seeing the animated parts since my dad had them all on 8mm film. They are cute and all, but it context with the rest of the movie, I couldn't believe how dissapointed I was with it.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

For the record, anyone who really wants to see SotS should be able to find it online without having to buy a shady VHS from the Philippines. Someone here linked to a full streaming version a couple of years ago, and I watched it beginning to end.

 

[Bairstow]

Yep. Whole thing has been up on Youtube for years.
Easy to find, too.

 

[imagineer boy]

Maybe they should give it a "Walt Disney Treasures" type of release rather than a wide commercial release. A lot of the WDT releases have a lot of Disney's controversial cartoons like Der Fuer's Face.

 

[Malvito]

"If" they ever decide to release this film again, you will see the same film that was released way back when...you will see a version that is so edited that it will barely resemble the original. For an example, look at Fantasia/Fantasia 2000 DVD/Blu Rays that were just released....Disney erased entire segments of the movie to make it more politically correct because they didn't want to offend any of the possible customers that they may have or may have in the future.

The reframing of a few frames to delete a centaur version of a racial stereotype does not constitute "erasing entire segments." The character that was erased had no bearing on the story that was being told within the segment. And one hardly need look to the recent DVD/Blu Ray release of Fantasia to note the absence of the character; the erasure was present on the previous DVD and videotape releases.

I'm as completist as the next person on this forum, but exaggerating the scope and impact of the removal of one non-pivotal character is not helping your case.

 

[DisneyGigi]

For the record, anyone who really wants to see SotS should be able to find it online without having to buy a shady VHS from the Philippines. Someone here linked to a full streaming version a couple of years ago, and I watched it beginning to end.

There are dvd versions floating about as well! I love this movie it was one of the first Disney movies I ever saw and I don't see any difference in it & Gone with the Wind and other movies of that era. Think I may have to go watch it again after reading this thread!

 

[flavious27]

Yep. Whole thing has been up on Youtube for years.
Easy to find, too.

I may just rip it from youtube and burn it to a dvd.

 

[Malvito]

I may just rip it from youtube and burn it to a dvd.

That's one way. I will say that the bootleg I got from eBay contained chapter titles and extras. Not to say that every eBay bootleg will contain the same thing, but, if you are an Extra Content fan, it might be worth a look.

 

[Bairstow]

Maybe they should give it a "Walt Disney Treasures" type of release rather than a wide commercial release. A lot of the WDT releases have a lot of Disney's controversial cartoons like Der Fuer's Face.

I think that was what everyone was expecting.
Have Leonard Maltin come out before the movie starts and apologize, I mean explain everything first.

I'm as completist as the next person on this forum, but exaggerating the scope and impact of the removal of one non-pivotal character is not helping your case.

Not to mention that the centaur character is a lot more offensive than anything in "Song of the South."

 

[ScoutN]

The ones who scour for a complaint are those who would be offended. But would they really be offended or are they just looking for yet another topic to complain about. I can see the backlash of releasing it and certain individuals who dwell in the media spotlight over limelighting small circumstances for their own "gain"; whatever that may be.

It is sad in the first place that Disney has to worry about "Dumbo'ing" around the release of SoS on DVD. No it is not sad on Disney's part but sad that the society in which we reside has devolved... errrr I mean evolved to wearing emotions on a sleeve cuff and have to tip toe around. SoS is to me of the most enjoyable cartoons released by DIS. Not only is it a beyond enjoyable movie but it is also a very accurate representation to the lifestyle back at that time.

There are no hard feelings between Servants(yes servants and slaves, slavery was outlawed by that point) and Estates people in the movie. If anything it shows bonds that have existed and not misrepresentations presented in textbooks. Not only that but the bare fact that people would complain would show that they are ashamed of their ancestors. I am sure that is not what anyone's ancestors would ever want.

 

[flavious27]

The quality would be absolutely horrendous, I recommend you get it through...erhm...other means, and then burn it to a DVD.

well there are some good rips out there

 

[ABigBrassBand]

well there are some good rips out there

Well yes, but ultimately YouTube compresses the quality.