November 29, 2004

Film Print Fetches $8K on eBay; Song of the South 2nd on Amazon

A 16mm film print of Song of the South was recently offered up for auction on eBay, fetching a substantial $8,100. Pristine or high quality copies of Song of the South have always demanded a premium, with film prints usually demanding the highest prices. Another popular collector's item, the Hong Kong laserdisc, regularly fetches over $1,000. Or, for those who aren't bothered by subtitles, the Japanese laserdisc can normally be found in the $150-200 price range.

Meanwhile, several readers have noted that Song of the South has risen to the #2 spot in Amazon's Most Requested DVDs, surpassed now only by "Twin Peaks - The Second Season." The other releases that held Song of the South at 3rd place back in August have since been released. Be sure to Let Amazon (and Disney) know how many people want this movie released by going to this page and entering your email address.

November 12, 2004

Happy 58th Birthday Song of the South!

After a long pause in Song of the South news, it's time to celebrate Song of the South's 58th birthday! Song of the South was first shown at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia on November 12, 1946. Here's hoping we're one year closer to an official Disney home video/DVD release!

Announcing the Song of the South Fan Art Contest!

In honor of Song of the South's 58th birthday, SongoftheSouth.net is announcing the first-ever Song of the South Fan Art Contest! Click here for details!

October 22, 2004

New Splash Mountain 15th Anniversary Pins Released

September 11, 2004

Eisner Retiring in 2006: Song of the South at Last?

The recent news that Michael Eisner, embattled CEO of Disney, is going to retire in 2006 has raised the interest of many Song of the South enthusiasts. Could this at last be the chance we've been waiting for? Recall an excerpt of Roy Disney's email to me back in February:

"Dear Mr. Willis - thanks forr letter of support, and I am sorry to tell you that this is yet another reason to do our best to move Eisner out. He has been - far quite a few years now - totally against (I think AFRAID is a better word) of re-releasing Song of the South, which happens to be one of my favorite of the old Disney films. A number of us have tried, for some time, to change his mind, to no avail."

Assuming that Eisner is indeed the only thing standing in the way of Song of the South being released on video/DVD, this is very good news indeed! However, some new questions are raised: since the rest of the acting Board supported Eisner during the tumultuous shareholder voting period back in May, could that suggest that they also support his decisions on Song of the South? Also, does Robert Iger, the current Disney president who is largely speculated to take Eisner's place in 2006, support Song of the South's release?

Incidentally, 2006 will be Song of the South's 60th Anniversary. Perfect timing!

August 28, 2004

Song of the South is Amazon's 3rd Most Requested DVD

A couple of months ago, a reader pointed out that Song of the South was #5 among a list of Amazon's Most Requested DVDs. Well folks, that number has since risen to #3. Song of the South is now only surpassed by Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Platinum Series Special Extended Edition), which is guaranteed to be released in the near future, and "Charmed", a 1998 TV series.

Amazon.com's Song of the South DVD placeholder page states: "The studio is currently not producing this title on DVD, but to be notified when it is available, enter your e-mail address at right. You'll also be voting for this release; we'll let the studio know how many customers are waiting for this title."

So, what are you waiting for? Go to this page and enter your email address to let Amazon (and, ultimately, Disney) know how many people want this movie released!

August 3, 2004

Song of the South Relisted in Disney.com's Movie Finder

As a follow up to my July 26 article below, Alex Reece has noticed that Song of the South has since been relisted in Disney.com's Movie Finder under a new URL. Instead of it being listed as "Song of the South (VHS)", it is now listed as "Song of the South (Theatrical)", presumably to act as a placeholder as opposed to an actual product, since no VHS was ever officially released in America. The UPC and ISBN numbers which used to be listed are now notably absent.

Thank you, Disney, for relisting Song of the South. We appreciate it! It shows you are listening and you DO want to hear from us. Now if you would just release the movie... please...?

July 28, 2004

Song of the South to Be Shown on BBC2

Several readers have noted that BBC2 will be showing Song of the South on Thursday, August 5 at 11 AM (although the BBC2 website actually says 10:30 AM). Thanks to everyone for the heads up!

July 26, 2004

Song of the South Removed from Disney.com's Movie Finder

During a periodic check of my web site's links page today, I noticed that Song of the South is no longer listed on Disney.com's Movie Finder. As I first reported back in January 2002, Disney's Movie Finder had a page for Song of the South that included previously unissued ISBN and UPC numbers (hinting at a possible upcoming release) and had a direct link to inform Disney that you were interested in this movie being released on VHS or DVD. Apparently they no longer want to hear from us.

So, now I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you folks how you can STILL let Disney know you want this movie released:

1. Contact Disney's Movie Finder. They may have taken down the page that links to this form, but the form itself still appears to be working (for now...)

2. Call Buena Vista Home Entertainment at (800) 723-4763. Tell them you want this movie released on VHS and DVD. Oh, and feel free to grill them on why Song of the South was removed from Disney's Movie Finder!

3. Contact Amazon.com. Amazon then contacts the studio to let them know how much interest there is in this movie's release. Is it any surprise that Song of the South is Amazon's 5th most requested DVD?

And that's not all we can do. Please, check out my FAQ for more ways we can help get this movie released.

Update: See August 3 news article above.

July 21, 2004

Disneyland's Splash Mountain Celebrates 15 Years

July 8, 2004

SaveDisney.com Article: The Spirit of Youth

A new essay written by Merlin Jones details the common themes between Walt Disney films such as Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Pollyanna, The Three Lives of Thomasina, and Song of the South: "all center on the concept of a distant parental figure lost in the trappings of adult society."

"In his innocence, Johnny has no hang-ups about class, race, politics - he only knows that Uncle Remus has opened a Technicolor pathway to imagination with his storytelling - a connection to a vivid world of relevant feelings and ideas outside of Miss Sally's preconceived notions. When Uncle Remus is forbidden to sidetrack Johnny with anymore of his stories, tragedy strikes as the boy tries to hang on to Uncle Remus and his dreams. It is only when the parents are confronted by the potential loss of their son do they realize what is truly important - finding their Laughing Place, the place they knew as children, the place they can share with Johnny as a family, together."

I encourage everyone to read this excellent essay to help broaden their understanding of Walt's vision for Song of the South and his other films discussed as well. Thanks to Tim Hauser for informing me of the article!

July 3, 2004

LaughingPlace.com Feature on Joel Chandler Harris

"Before there was Splash Mountain, there was Disney’s Song of the South. Before there was Song of the South, there was Uncle Remus Stories. Before Uncle Remus, there was Joel Chandler Harris."

LaughingPlace.com guest contributor Mark A. Thompson has written a great article entitled "The Wren's Nest, Birth of the Laughing Place," which gives an overview of Joel Chandler Harris' life and highlights The Wren's Nest, the true birthplace of the Laughing Place. Includes plenty of interesting photos, too. Have a look!

http://laughingplace.com/News-ID508500.asp

June 27, 2004

"Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" Makes AFI's Top 100 Songs List

The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the top movie songs of all time in "100 Years... 100 Songs", a three-hour television special aired on CBS on June 22. 400 candidates were nominated, and jurors narrowed the list down to 100 songs. Song of the South's Academy Award-winning song "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" made the charts at a strong #47.

The fact that "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" made not only the top 100 movie songs of all time, but the top 50, speaks volumes. Disney has long exploited this song because of its enduring popularity, yet refuses to release the movie that made it so popular. Thanks to Mark Kratzner for the report.

May 22, 2004

SaveDisney.com Song of the South Poll Results

The results are in! Of the 1,367 people who participated in the poll, a whopping 81.3% would definitely buy Song of the South on video; 8.8% said they might not buy it but would likely rent it; 6.1% would not buy or rent it, but feel that artistic works should remain openly available; 0.5% would not buy it and feel that dated works should be withheld; and 3.4% didn't care either way.

That's a total of 90.1% of people who would buy or rent Song of the South, and a total of 96.2% who feel that this movie should be released. Any way you look at it, the results are overwhelmingly in favor of this movie being released. (Hint hint, Disney, are you reading this?) The poll results have been archived. Thanks to SaveDisney.com for creating the poll! And thanks to Merlin J. for the updates.

May 17, 2004

Song of the South Poll on SaveDisney.com

A new poll over at Roy Disney and Stanley Gold's SaveDisney.com offers everyone the opportunity to vote on Song of the South:

"Which of the following statements most reflects your feelings?

• I would definitely buy Song of the South on video.
• I might not buy Song of the South on video, but would likely rent it.
• I would not buy or rent Song of the South on video, but I feel artistic works should remain openly available.
• I would not buy Song of the South on video, I feel dated works should be withheld.
• I don't care either way."

While the voting has offically ended, see the news article above for the results.

May 10, 2004

SaveDisney.com Features Song of the South Articles Today

Roy Disney and Stanley Gold's SaveDisney.com features three articles today about Walt Disney's Song of the South. "Speaking of corporate suppression of art, Mr. Eisner:"

• "Song of the South Fans Want Disney to Release its Ode to 'Uncle Remus'" links to the archived article that Donald Liebensen of the L.A. Times wrote on May 7, 2003 entitled "Should dated films see the light of today?"
  
  
• "Song of the South Adjusted Box Office Gross: $288.6m" points to boxofficereport.com's calculations that, when taking into account ticket price inflation for re-releases, Song of the South's adjusted box office gross weighs in at $288.6 million, making it the highest-grossing film that has never been released on home video in North America.
  
  
• "Sign Song of the South Petition" urges everyone to join the 59,000 others who have added their names so far to James McKimson's petition over at UncleRemusPages.com.

I hope that you all will also show your full support for Roy Disney and Stanley Gold by visiting their site SaveDisney.com and finding out how you can help restore Disney to its former glory. As reported on 2/14/04, Roy Disney fully supports the release of Song of the South, and said that releasing the movie would be one of his first acts if he were to return to the company. Thank you!

May 2, 2004

Peggy DeCastro, Vocalist in Song of the South, Passes Away

Peggy DeCastro, eldest of the Latina singing trio the DeCastro Sisters, known for the 1950s hit recording of "Teach Me Tonight," passed away at the age of 82. DeCastro died March 6 in Las Vegas of lung cancer, said the trio's manager, Alan Eichler.

The sisters - Peggy, Cherie and Babette - were known as "the Cuban Andrews Sisters" and gained fame with a flamboyant nightclub act in Cuba. They also sang on a Cuban radio station owned by their father.

After the family moved to Miami in 1945, the girls became students of Brazilian singing star Carmen Miranda, who put them in her motion picture, "Copacabana." They also provided many of the bird and animal voices in Walt Disney's "Song of the South."

May 1, 2004

Wayne Brady Involved in a Song of the South Sequel?

I have received the following two emails from individuals:

"Last week on the Wayne Brady show, Wayne said he recently recorded voices as Brer Bear for a Song of the South 'sequel'...imdb.com has nothing on it yet, but he did mention specifics on that he distinctivly liked having his character saying 'please' to eveything, even asking if he could 'please bite someone'.." - The Manator

"So, yeah, last night on the Wayne Brady show, he mentioned extensively about some sort of Song of the South sequel, and that he was going to provide the voice of one of the Brers. Is this true? Is this the Co.'s way of trying to smooth over the SOS fans? Or is this just crazy BSing? Thoughts? Did anyone else see that last night?" - Olive

If anyone else out there saw this particular episode of the Wayne Brady Show and can corroborate these reports, please contact me!

Update: I also received a third email on May 17.

"My mom saw that episode of the Wayne Brady show and she told me he's doing a voice for one of the Brer's in a new movie. She heard on the show that the characters were based on the characters from Song of the South." - Adam

April 24, 2004

Glenn Leedy, Toby in Song of the South, Passes Away

Glenn Leedy Allen, Sr., the talented individual who played Toby in Song of the South, has passed away on April 19, 2004 in Imperial Valley, CA at the age of 68.

At age 7, while on the playground of the Booker T. Washington school in Phoenix, AZ (the city where much of Song of the South was filmed), a talent scout from the Walt Disney movie studios discovered and recruited him for the role of Toby in Song of the South. He excelled at the role, and even ran up to Walt Disney during the filming and asked him, "Am I colossal, Mr. Disney?" Reassured, he went on to perform what the 1946 pressbook described as "one of the brightest performances of the picture." Mr. Allen, you will be greatly missed.

For visitation, services, and burial information, please see the obituary.
For more biographical information on Glenn, please see his biography page.

April 21, 2004

South Carolina Man Arraigned for Pirating Song of the South

Of interest was an article published today in "The Post and Courier" of Charlston, South Carolina:

Richard Montague Powell, 66, was arraigned Tuesday in federal court in Charleston on charges that he made up to $250,000 by pirating copies of Walt Disney's motion picture "Song of the South."

If convicted of violating federal copyright laws, Powell faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

A search of Powell's residence turned up hundreds of unauthorized copies of the motion picture on DVD and VHS, according to U.S. Attorney Strom Thurmond Jr. Numerous firearms also were seized.

Powell may have netted a small fortune -- as much as $250,000 -- from sales of the movie over a three-year period, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The entire article is available to read online (free registration required). Thanks to Eric of the Song of the South Enthusiasts Group for informing us of this news!

April 17, 2004

Follow-up: Song of the South's Mysterious Three "Missing" Minutes

In response to my recent news article on Song of the South's mysterious three "missing" minutes (see article), I received an email from Anders M Olsson of Lund, Sweden with this enlightening confirmation:

"It's a well known fact that PAL runs 4% faster than NTSC, so this phenomenon, known as "PAL speedup", is present on almost all movies released on PAL video. It's really nothing to get excited about. It's just there, and it's an eternal source of confusion for those who aren't aware of it."

Thanks Anders! This was the first I had heard about this phenomenon, but it's good to know that my calculations were correct. And all Song of the South fans out there can rest easy knowing that the PAL version's shorter runtime is not due to any scenes being cut.

April 15, 2004

Song of the South's Mysterious Three Missing Minutes

Folks who have looked into finding copies of Song of the South (legitimate or otherwise) have possibly run across the fact that the Japanese laserdisc version of Song of the South runs 94 minutes, while the British PAL VHS version only runs 91 minutes. Why the 3 minute difference? What was cut? Many have rejected the British PAL copy and endured the higher price and the subtitles of the Japanese laserdisc simply because of the longer runtime.

It has been rumored that the British PAL version is missing at least two small segments: namely, an extended scene of Johnny crying after his father leaves the plantation, and another scene at the end in which Brer Terrapin runs after Uncle Remus. After closely comparing my British PAL copy to the Japanese laserdisc, I have determined this rumor to be unfounded: the scenes were identical. And, even assuming this were the case, these two trivial segments would hardly count a fraction towards three whole minutes of missing footage!

Well, I decided to sit down and time the two versions. Sure enough, the Japanese laserdisc clocked in at about 94 minutes, and the British VHS PAL version about 91 minutes. No surprises there. But as I began watching them again, this time side-by-side to determine what had been cut, I noticed that the sound of the two copies quickly went out of sync as the credits rolled. Three minutes into the movie, and the sound was already out of sync by about 7 seconds. This meant that the British PAL VHS copy was running about 3.5% faster than the Japanese laserdisc. Sure enough, 91 x 1.035 = 94.185. Close enough!

So, it appears that the three minute difference is NOT, in fact, due to missing scenes, but rather due to the fact that the British PAL version runs slightly faster than Song of the South's official runtime of 94 minutes. If anyone has proof to the contrary, I would love to hear from them!

March 29, 2004

Song of the South Rumors Roundup

We get our fair share of rumors around here, so I'll pass on a couple interesting ones received recently. And as always, take these with a grain (or ten) of salt...

"My daughter and I went on a behind the scenes tour at Disney World in 2003 and were told by our guide that the reason the movie has not been re-released is the family of the composer of the musical score will not release the score. Disney must chang 4 notes in each song, therefore making it a new song, and then the movie will be re-released. However, this will take some time and movie magic to happen." - Diane

"Now, take this rumor with a huge grain of salt. Due to it's large popularity, I heard a rumor it may be re-released in Summer 2005 in theaters around the globe, the first time in america in 19 years. Also rumored is following the re-release, the film would be released on DVD for the first time ever that Winter, via the Walt Disney Platinum DVD series. Once again, take it with a huge grain of salt." - Chris B.

Taken...

February 25, 2004

Brer Bear Makes a Cameo in Lion King 1 1/2

Several readers have noted that Brer Bear (or, more specifically, Brer Bear's silhouette) makes a cameo in the recently-released Lion King 1 1/2. At the end of the movie, several Disney characters appear as silhouettes against a movie screen, taking their seats to watch the "next showing" of the movie. Among them is the oversized Brer Bear, shown on the right.

February 14, 2004

Roy Disney Supports Song of the South's Release

I recently contacted Roy Disney and Stanley Gold after learning of their decision to resign from Disney's Board of Directors. In my letter I pledged my full support and also took the opportunity to ask Mr. Disney if there was any information he could provide on Song of the South's status. He was kind enough to provide me with the following reply:

Dear Mr. Willis - thanks forr letter of support, and I am sorry to tell you that this is yet another reason to do our best to move Eisner out. He has been - far quite a few years now - totally against (I think AFRAID is a better word) of re-releasing Song of the South, which happens to be one of my favorite of the old Disney films. A number of us have tried, for some time, to change his mind, to no avail.

So that's all I can tell you right now. It would be one of my first acts if I were to come back to the company!

Hope that helps, although I know it's not the best of news...

Roy

Needless to say, it is clear to see where the support lies in the release of this film! So, I highly encourage all of you to take action and support Roy Disney and Stanley Gold in restoring Disney to its original glory! Please take the time to visit SaveDisney.com and see how you can help. This is a crucial step in getting Song of the South released! SaveDisney.com has also kindly added SongoftheSouth.net to their links section.

February 1, 2004

Portions of Song of the South Making Way into Disney DVDs

Several readers have noted that Disney's new Masterpiece Edition DVD of Alice in Wonderland released on January 27 contains color footage from Song of the South: namely, Uncle Remus singing "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and the animated sequence which follows, "Running Away." This excerpt is included in the special feature "One Hour in Wonderland," originally broadcast on Christmas 1950.

Previously, the only footage of Song of the South available on a Disney DVD was on the Disney Treasures: Disneyland USA DVD released back in December 2001. It contains the animated "Laughing Place" sequence in black-and-white, just as it was originally broadcast on ABC's "Disneyland" TV show back in the 1950's.

Also, March 2003 saw the release of the Vista Series DVD of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which contains a publicity shot from Song of the South. (See article.)

One can hope that this is a sign of Disney testing the waters for an eventual release of Song of the South on DVD.

January 20, 2004

Song of the South Petition Hits 50,000; SongoftheSouth.net Hits 300,000

James' Song of the South Petition over at UncleRemusPages.com has hit a milestone today with over 50,000 supporters! Also, December 2003 saw SongoftheSouth.net's counter hit the 300,000 mark—up from 200,000 in March 2003 and 100,000 in April 2002. It is clear to see that the word is indeed getting out. Thank you all for your continued interest and support, and be sure to keep spreading the word!

LaughingPlace.com was also kind enough to add this news to their headlines.

January 18, 2004

"Disneymania 2" CD Includes New "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah"

A new Disney CD entitled "Disneymania 2" slated for release on January 27 includes twelve classic Disney songs performed by contemporary artists: LMNT, No Secrets, The Beu Sisters, Hilary and Haylie Duff, They Might Be Giants, and others.

Of note in this compilation is a new rendition of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," performed by Stevie Brock. A sample of the new song can be heard over at Amazon.com. Thanks to Mason for the report!

January 1, 2004

Song of the South's Aspect Ratio – 1.75:1 or 1.37:1?

Aspect ratio is the proportion of a film image. For example, a "widescreen" film might have an aspect ratio of 2.35:1—that is, the image is 2.35 times as wide as it is tall. Song of the South's pressbooks starting in 1972 state that Song of the South's aspect ratio is 1.75:1. However, Song of the South was filmed in 1946 when the standard aspect ratio was 1.37:1 or 1.33:1 (the same aspect ratio as, say, Gone With the Wind.) So, then, is Song of the South's aspect ratio 1.75:1 or 1.37:1?

Thanks to an email from reader Phil Smoot, Song of the South was most likely shot and debuted at 1.37:1. It wasn't until around 1953 that widescreen as we know it came into existence. Then, some older movies shot in the narrower format were "soft-matted" to give the movie a faux widescreen appearance. Essentially, what this did was crop off the top and/or bottom of the picture to make it appear wider on screen! Song of the South theoretically could have been shown in theaters at 1.75:1 as early as the 1956 re-release, but the 1956 pressbook makes no mention of any aspect ratio. We do know, based upon Song of the South's pressbooks, that the movie was shown in 1.75:1 in 1972, 1973, and 1980. Thanks to Phil for the report!