I'm finding not many people from Canada have even seen this film due to it never having been released for home video here. I have seen it and I'm looking for people who have actually seen it as well. I'm done talking to people who "heard it's racist" But have never bothered to watch it themselves.

Personally I think the film is very well done for the year it was put together. This was the first full length feature to be a blend of Live action and animation. It also won James Baskett an honorary Oscar. Plenty of deserving people have recieve "honorary" Oscars including Walt Disney and Edgar Burgen. I don't feel any lessening to the world just because it falls in to the "honorary" category.

Song of The South was based on "Uncle Remus, His Songs And Sayings" a beloved book that Walt Disney grew up reading. It's written in an incredibly thick black vernacular and the movie strives to do the same. I think it would have done an injustice to the book to shoot a film completely excluding that style of talking. The sort of slap in the face "Swing Kids" provides by having all the actors use American accents despite the film taking place in Nazi Germany.

The biggest complaint of the movie is that it seems like all the black actors are slaves when in fact the book, and the movie, take place after slavery was abolished in America. Due to the happy songs of the workers working out to the fields it's more natural of an assumption to assume they are well paid field hands rather than "Slaves who seem happy with being slaves" Coming from farm family I can't even begin to tell you how important it is to have field hands. The work couldn't be done without them.

In the end people are upset that in Song of The South, much like every single Disney movie to be released ever, is presented in a fantastical environment that never really existed. That's okay for medieval times or even for dwarves marching out to gem mines but apparently not for a beloved book from Disney's own childhood.

I will admit that Miss Sally was a racist character for sure but she was also the villain of the movie. Villain's are supposed to be bad people.


In the end with this forum I guess I'm seeking out other people in the world that enjoyed Song of The South or at least understand that this wasn't a maliciously designed film put out with the purpose of teaching children that white people are superior. I'm tired of talking to crazy people.

This  is a good read about Song of the South.

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http://www.songofthesout...ie/overview/defense.html 

You have to wonder if one of the reasons Song of the South is so controversial is because the animated characters were voiced by Amos & Andy cast members. Brere Rabbit was voiced by Johnnie Lee, who played lawyer Algonquin J. Calhoun. Brer Bear was voiced by Nicodemus Smith, who played Lightnin', the janitor at the Mystic Knights of the Sea lodge. (He was called Lightnin' because he was SO slow.) Brer Fox was voiced by Uncle Remus himself, James Baskett, who played motormouth lawyer Gabby Gibson. (And in recent years, I learned that one of the bluebirds was voiced by Ernestine Wade, who played Sapphire, wife of the Kingfish.)

There's an Amos & Andy episode in which James Baskett's character plugs Song of the South, then he, Andy and the Delta Rhythm Boys sing "Zip A Dee Doo Dah" with some new lyrics added. Going from memory:

Gabby: You know that new Mr. Walt Disney picture Song of the South? I sing a song in it!

Andy: We don't need you Gabby. We got the Delta Rhythm Boys.

Gabby: They're all set to sing the same song with me!

Andy: Oh yeah, the one that goes Zip A Zee Doo Dah Zippety Ay.

My oh my what a wonderful day

Delta Rhythm Boys: Plenty of sunshine headiin'' my way.

Zip A Dee Doo Dah Zippety Ay

Mister Bluebird on my shoulder

Its the truth, it's actual

Everything is satisfactual

Zip A Dee Doo Dah Zippety Ay

Wonderful feeling, wonderful day

There's a guy on the radio

Plays Gabby the lawyer and he's on our show

He's always talkin' and runnin' his mouth

So they made him a movie star in Song of the South

Now he can be heard as well as seen

As Uncle Remus on the screen

Uncle Remus!

Call for Uncle Remus!

Come along now

Sing your song now

Zip a Dee Doo Dah Zippety Ay...

Gabby: Zip A Dee Doo Dah Zippety Ay

My oh my what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine headin' my way

Zip A Dee Doo Dah Zippety Ay

Delta Rhythm Boys: So how's it feel to be in pictures?

Gabby: Well boys, since you ask me, it's lovely, lovely!

Delta Rhythm Boys: Zip a Dee Doo Dah Zippety Ay

Wonderful feelin'

Gabby: It's got me reelin!

Delta Rhythm Boys: It's satisfactual

Gabby: And it's actual!

Delta Rhythm Boys: And again I say...

What a wonderful day!

*cut to Rinso commercial*