News Splash Mountain retheme to Princess and the Frog - Tiana's Bayou Adventure

[Parker in NYC]

Eisner chose not to allow SotS to be shown in full in the USA, but was fine with international releases and excerpts in things like the Sing-Along videos and DVD bonus features. 2000 was the last UK video release of the whole movie and 2001 was the last pressing of the Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Sing Along video with Uncle Remus on the cover in the US (first released in 1986).

It was after Iger became CEO that the company instituted its blanked ban on the movie, refusing it be released in any country.

My comment was more along the lines of who the first CEO was to ban Song of the South, the film. Eisner may not have implemented it worldwide, but he still was the first to lock the film itself in the vault -- at least for the U.S. and Canada.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

One Hour in Wonderland was Disney's first TV show/Christmas special and was originally broadcast in 1950. It included the first cartoon segment from SotS in full.

It has been featured as a bonus feature on Alice in Wonderland's (1951) DVD and Blu-ray releases since 2004 (though never in HD) and is probably the longest excerpt of the movie ever released to video in the USA. The second being the final cartoon segment on the Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland USA DVD from 2001 (if only in black and white).

Though it's doubtful Iger knows or cares about it, it does make you wonder where the line is drawn when it comes to appropriately showing "clips" and in what context?

They put A Pre-Opening Report on Disney+ just weeks after announcing the ride changes, and it includes audio of Uncle Remus singing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah".

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The best way for Disney to have it both ways would be to put the cartoon segments on Disney+ as 3 episodes listed under "Br'er Rabbit's Tails" (just to be punny) with the same disclaimer they have on Dumbo etc.

Disney fans could watch the parts of the movie they like best and Disney corp could still say "well we're not showing the WHOLE movie..."

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I also hope the Tiana TV series is 2D animation and not CGI.

 

[JohnD]

Follow up: In theory they could utilize a similar strategy on Disney+ to put Song of the South back into the public consciousness by creating a Brer characters animated series, showcase the original film with intro commentary and do a making of documentary specifically addresses "inclusivity" diversity as well as the harm of racial stereotypes. Regardless, Disney will need to address the later before it gets out of hand or paints them in negative light. (There are already a handful of peoples who think Walt was a racist... but that's another discussion) It would behoove Disney to put all this out there vs their current MO of sweeping any "potential unmentionable" under the rug.

Would we even be discussing this had Disney just released Song of the South to a newer audience instead of pretending it didn't exist? I honestly don't know. Whoops... OT, let's get back on track. Splash Mountain retheme. I think had Disney released SotS with commentary on Disney+ or created an entirely new Brer Adventures series on Disney+ we wouldn't be having retheme discussions.

I've been re-thinking this. Okay, I can see their not wanting to have Song of the South available alone. But as with pieces in a museum, they could "contextualize" it. Maybe like in a Masterpiece Theatre format. Start the program with a host introducing it--Whoopi Goldberg was mentioned--, saying why it is problematic, etc. but it is the part of the Disney library. "And now here follows uninterrupted Disney's Song of the South." Then have an hour long special, maybe ABC's 20/20 hosted by Robin Roberts on Song of the South discussing its influences and problems.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I think in that case we’d be discussing how racially insensitive the film is, what a poor decision it was to produce it in the first place, how badly they botched their second chance by not managing the Disney+ re-release well, and why Disney would ever think it possible to distance the animated characters from the film enough to base an e-Ticket attraction on them.

So pretty much the same discussion, but with the Splash fans a bit happier.

This is entirely based off of your assumption that a Disney+ re-release wouldn’t have been managed well. If we are to assume that Disney would have managed a re-release properly, then it is entirely possible the discussion wouldn’t be the same.

 

[Brer Panther]

Remember when Disney didn't give a rat's tail about The Princess and the Frog? Remember those days? When they brushed it off as a flop for not making s much money as they'd hoped? And now, a decade after it was released, it's suddenly getting a ride and a series. What if the Disney+ series announcement is their way of trying to "justify" the retheme?

“Fear” is what Iger ran the company on for 15 years. Fear of spending too much. Fear that profits wouldn’t be enough to impress stock analysts. Fear a movie wouldn’t do as well as projected. Remember “de-risk” and “cost containment”? Just buzzwords for “fear”. He feared any reaction that would have been negative for acknowledging SotS even existed, which is why he hid it.

THANK YOU. Iger's Disney is the most cowardly company in existence (or at least ONE OF the most cowardly companies in existence).

 

[_caleb]

Remember when Disney didn't give a rat's tail about The Princess and the Frog? Remember those days? When they brushed it off as a flop for not making s much money as they'd hoped? And now, a decade after it was released, it's suddenly getting a ride and a series. What if the Disney+ series announcement is their way of trying to "justify" the retheme?

You literally made this up.

 

[1HAPPYGHOSTHOST]

Why do you guys keep talking about Iger? He is no longer the CEO.

 

[Brer Panther]

He's still there, though. He essentially took back his CEO duties back in... May, right?

 

[WondersOfLife]

Iger's Disney is the most cowardly company in existence

Uh... Ok. I think it's just time to mute you at this point. I can't read your stuff anymore.

 

[WondersOfLife]

“Fear” is what Iger ran the company on for 15 years. Fear of spending too much. Fear that profits wouldn’t be enough to impress stock analysts. Fear a movie wouldn’t do as well as projected. Remember “de-risk” and “cost containment”? Just buzzwords for “fear”. He feared any reaction that would have been negative for acknowledging SotS even existed, which is why he hid it.

lol.

 

[_caleb]

This is entirely based off of your assumption that a Disney+ re-release wouldn’t have been managed well. If we are to assume that Disney would have managed a re-release properly, then it is entirely possible the discussion wouldn’t be the same.

No, it’s based on my assumption that there’d be a good portion of members here who would think Disney messed up the rerelease no matter how they were to handle it.

 

[Brer Panther]

What exactly has Iger's Disney done that can be considered "brave"?

 

[Basil of Baker Street]

A cage match would settle all of this.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

No, it’s based on my assumption that there’d be a good portion of members here who would think Disney messed up the rerelease no matter how they were to handle it.

Well, if that‘s the case, then I would argue the discussion would still be different if they re-released SotS 10-15 years ago. If they did that, it would likely be seen as water under the bridge at this point rather than an increasingly large elephant in the room.

 

[LittleBuford]

Because it proves my point; if rereleasing a racist-plagued film is such an inherently bad idea, you should know exactly what I am talking about

Gone with the Wind my friend

Gone with the Wind isn’t a children’s film. It’s also a cinematic masterpiece, which Song of the South—wonderful as its animated sequences are—isn’t.

 

[JoeCamel]

Looks at thread title

 

[LittleBuford]

Looks at thread title

Consider the original intent gone with the wind (or gone south, if you prefer).

 

[MurphyJoe]

Looks at thread title

Gone with the Wind isn’t a children’s film. It’s also a cinematic masterpiece, which Song of the South—wonderful as its animated sequences are—isn’t.

So we're saying Brier Rabbit is out and Rhett Butler is in? We're going to flee Atlanta by taking the plunge and ending with "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," which also conveniently describes waning interest in this thread. At least until there's something more solid concerning the retheme.