This is a clip from Disney's only banned movie "The Song of the South" showing their famous song Zip-a-dee-do-dah. Taking place in post-Cival War Deep South (in a plantation in Georgia, actually) and told by a black philisophical man by the name of Uncle Remus, the movie was banned and locked in Disney's Vault forever. There are many rumors floating around about why it has been banned. Personally, I am inclined to believe that the American government didn't like the way that the main character spoke (with a heavy Southern accent and a lot of stunted words). Thankfully however, we have some scroupuless people who have been kind enough to post this clip on sights such as YouTube and more information can always be found on Wikipedia. Throughout the movie, "Uncle Remus" tells stories to Johnny, the young boy who stumbled across Uncle Remus, about Br'er Rabbit. This character is meant to reflect Johnny and give it moral lessons much in the same way that we still use bedtime stories and cartoons to teach children moral lessons in fun and entertaining ways that they will remember.
This movie is a classic representation of the Deep South because it accurately represents much of the relationship between blacks and whites, and shows the stereotypes of the way people spoke post-Civil War, the ways that they told stories, and all the while entertaining. When scrolling through YouTube to find the various clips from the movie to put it all together and get the basic plot and story line, all I kept thinking was: "Why is this movie banned. I wish that I had gotten a chance to actually watch the whole thing when I was a kid." This movie is not only a representation of the Deep South during it's toughest period, but it also shows us how touchy & paranoid the American Government has become.
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Zip-a-dee-do-dah, zip-a-dee-day, my oh my, what a wonderful day!
Katy S.
Katy, you need to do a little research before you make such strong claims. No governmental agency ever banned this film. Instead, Disney simply never released it on video and decided to never air it on television. And, the representation of the relationship between whites and blacks in the Reconstruction South here is anything but accurate--this is a santized, idealized version of how whites and blacks interacted, meant for white consumers alone. Look into the controversial history of the book upon which the film is based--Joel Chandler Harris' Uncle Remus tales. Those works, long out of fashion, have been seen by many in a new light lately. The wikipedia article on the film will provide some insight: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song_of_the_South
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