Category Archives: Rumors

Iger States Song of the South Will Not Appear on Disney+

At the Walt Disney Company’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders held on March 11, 2020, Disney shareholder Matthew Hansen asked the first question during the Q&A session:

Good morning, Bob and Bob. My name is Matthew Hansen, I’m a shareholder from Salt Lake City. At last year’s meeting, you, Mr. Iger, mentioned that Disney+ would eventually have “the entire Walt Disney Studios library.” Currently there are a lot of absences from the catalog, ranging from various short films to “Victory Through Air Power” to “Follow Me, Boys!” and many more. What is the plan or timeline for the full catalog to be added to Disney+? Also, are there plans to add content such as Michael Eisner’s Disney’s Sunday Movie Intros? And along with that, many have wondered after your comments if, when you said “entire library”, does that include “Song of the South,” and if not, why can’t it be included with a similar disclaimer about containing outdated cultural depictions that currently accompanies many other titles on Disney+? ….”

Disney Executive Chairman Bob Iger replied:

…. I think when I said “the whole library,” one of the things that we realized was a lot of what was made in the past is not of the quality just in terms of the quality of the film initially, when it’s digitized, and we’re working through some of that. We also had to prioritize because there’s so much that had to be digitized so we couldn’t get everything on. So I think in the end when I said the entire library it turns out not everything will be available because of some of those issues. I’ve felt, as long as I’ve been CEO that Song of the South was, even with a disclaimer, was just not appropriate in today’s world. That’s actually true with some of the other things that we’ve made as well. It’s just hard to, given the depictions in some of those films, to bring them out today without, in some form or another, offending people. So we’ve decided not to do that.

The full audio of the shareholder meeting can be listened to here. The Q&A session begins around the 39:15 mark.

Mr. Hansen has been dutifully asking about Disney’s plans for Song of the South at many of Disney’s shareholder meetings over the years (you can read about nearly all of them in our News Archive), and Bob Iger’s responses have varied.

Iger stepped down as CEO in February 2020, but is still serving as Executive Chairman; it is unknown at this time if Iger’s successor, Bob Chapek, feels the same way about this film.

Until then, there are several steps you can take:

  1. Sign the Petition to Release Song of the South on Disney+.
  2. Spread the word! Like Song of the South on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
  3. Nominate Song of the South to be added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. The National Film Registry was established to preserve and safeguard U.S. films that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Each year they select 25 films. It’s important to note that nominations do not carry over from year to year, so if you nominated Song of the South previously, you should re-nominate each year (and you are encouraged to do so).
  4. If you subscribe to Disney+, you can suggest a title be added to Disney+ by going to the Help section, clicking on “Give Feedback” and selecting “Request a film or show” from the drop-down menu.

New Disney+ Streaming Service Will Not Include Song of the South?

It is being widely reported that Disney’s new streaming service “Disney+” will not include their Academy Award winning and controversial movie Song of the South, contrary to Disney CEO Robert Iger’s quote that Disney+ would “house the entire Disney motion picture library.”

Ironically, the new streaming service is set to launch on November 12th, the anniversary of Song of the South’s worldwide premier in 1946.

It has also been reported that Disney will be censoring another piece of company history as well: the crows from Dumbo (1941). If so, this would join several other films from the 1940s that Disney has decided to edit over the years, including scenes and elements from Fantasia (1940), Make Mine Music (1946), and Melody Time (1948).

Disney Legend Whoopi Goldberg was interviewed at the D23 Expo in July 2017, and had this to say about both films:

“I’m trying to find a way to get people to start having a conversation about bringing Song of the South back, so we can talk about what it was, and where it came from and why it came out. I want people to start putting the crows, you know, in the merchandising. Because those crows sing the song in Dumbo that everybody remembers. So I want to… I want to highlight all the little stuff people sort of maybe miss in movies.”

http://www.songofthesouth.net/news/2017/07/16/disney-legend-whoopi-goldberg-wants-song-of-the-south-released/


New Disney Streaming Service to Include Song of the South?

According to an article posted today over at Polygon, Disney’s new streaming service “Disney+” will include the “entire Disney motion picture library.” Presumably, that would include Walt Disney’s Academy Award winning 1946 film Song of the South, which hasn’t seen the light of day in the U.S. since 1986.

To quote Disney CEO Robert Iger at today’s investor meeting held in St. Louis:

The service, which I mentioned earlier is going to launch later in the year, is going to combine what we call library product, movies, and television, with a lot of original product as well, movies and television. And at some point fairly soon after launch it will house the entire Disney motion picture library, so the movies that you speak of that traditionally have been kept in a “vault” and brought out basically every few years will be on the service. And then, of course, we’re producing a number of original movies and original television shows as well that will be Disney-branded.

In the past, when shareholders have asked Robert Iger about releasing Song of the South, he has stated in no uncertain terms that the studio had no plans to re-release the film:

Iger (2011): I just don’t feel that it’s right for us to use company resources to make [Song of the South] available, whether it’s wide or whether it’s narrow… narrowly available. It’s a strong belief that I have— consulted with other top executives of the company. They all agreed, and I think, just remember it as it was, and don’t expect to see it again for… at least for awhile, if ever.

Maybe sufficient time has passed and they’re finally ready? Only time will tell if this is truly the entire Disney motion picture library, or just their usual fare. The service is slated to be released later this year, so “fairly soon after launch” could mean 2020 or beyond. We’ll be keeping an eye on this, however.

Thanks to James Moyner for the news report!

Disney Ignored Song of the South Shareholder Proposal

As Disney shareholders may be aware, asking about Song of the South’s release became somewhat of a tradition at the Disney shareholder meetings starting in 2006. Back in 2011, shareholder Matthew Hansen asked Disney CEO Robert Iger about releasing Song of the South. In short, Iger responded, “[J]ust remember it as it was, and don’t expect to see it again for… at least for awhile, if ever.” Full transcript and audio can be found here.

Undeterred, Hansen began to work on a shareholder proposal. In September of 2015, on vintage Song of the South letterhead, he wrote to Disney:

I respectfully submit the enclosed shareholder proposal for inclusion in the 2016 proxy statement pursuant to the 2015 proxy statement of The Walt Disney Company and in accordance with Rule 14a-8 ofthe Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. I intend to present the proposal at the 2016 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Disney received the proposal and responded to him, saying that the Disney Board of Directors would review it. A few weeks later, Disney’s legal team WilmerHale responded in a 6-page letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Basically, they asked them to allow Disney to ignore the proposal, “pursuant to Rule 14a-8(i)(7), on the basis that the Shareholder Proposal involves matters that relate to the ordinary business operations of the Company.” Here is an excerpt from Disney’s response:

In addition to interfering with management’s day-to-day operations, the Shareholder Proposal also seeks to “micro-manage” the Company. Specifically, the Shareholder Proposal instructs the Company to release one particular film (Song of the South) from among its approximately 2,900 titles, through a specific medium (Blu-ray) and within a specific timeframe (in connection with its 70th anniversary). Determinations about what, how and when to release a particular title are inherently complex, and shareholders as a group are not in a position to make informed decisions on such matters.

How’s that for arrogance? The SEC concurred, saying that they would “not recommend enforcement action to the Commission if Disney omits the proposal from its proxy materials”, effectively greenlighting Disney to ignore Hansen’s proposal.

The full document containing all correspondence between the parties is available for viewing on the SEC web site: https://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cf-noaction/14a-8/2015/matthewhansen112315-14a8.pdf

Matthew Hansen kindly provided me with the following backstory, which I will include here in its entirety:

It has been an interesting journey that began when I asked Bob Iger at the 2011 Annual Meeting that took place in SLC, if they would release the film. His stern response (that can be heard in shareholder archives, or I have a copy of it downloaded) prompted me to want to attempt a shareholder proposal that would line up with the 70th anniversary – since we all know Disney obsesses over anniversaries with their home video catalog releases. (But apparently me specifying the 70th they claimed as “micro-managing” the company. Go figure.).

Since I had to hold a certain amount of shares for a year it required some waiting before I could move forward with anything. But once I did it has been interesting. Everyone I showed my proposal to loved it. I even received support from someone I felt was very important to my cause – animator Floyd Norman! I even met him twice this summer. To sum up what I gathered from talking with him – Bob Iger for some reason hates the film, and I fear while he is CEO it won’t see the light of day. I have a UK VHS of the film and watched a converted digital copy of it recently during a flight to CA and I can’t figure out why he would feel that way about it.

Anyways, one of their many reasons in their SIX pages to the SEC is that the film has not been a matter of widespread debate and as they claim only been brought up at a few meetings and requested by a few ardent fans – which I don’t believe. The fact that the then-chairman of the board John Pepper chuckled and said “We almost made it through the meeting” [without someone mentioning Song of the South] when I asked my question in 2011 because it was an almost annual question, which was then followed by the Rose Wagner theater packed full of shareholders cheering and applauding my question – makes it hard for me to believe them when they claim it has been only a “few” meetings and ardent fans requesting it.

Which is why I am hoping that we can maybe get some more discussion about the film to show them it isn’t just a small group of ardent fans that want this film. One friend I showed this to told me it is pretty sad that in a day when a film such as 12 Years a Slave can win Best Picture, they are still withholding Song of the South from being released – yet feel free to use just about everything from it to market their parks. One such instance, aside from the obvious ride, was an ad we received in the mail showing days kids had off from school in the fall as times we could plan to come to Disneyland and it called them “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Days” and had Mr Blue Bird to help advertise.

It seems that Disney is content with ignoring its shareholders and fans who wish to legally own this movie for themselves. But they certainly have no qualms about continuing to exploit and profit off of the film’s legacy via Splash Mountain and the Academy Award winning song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah. It’s a sad reality, but one that needs to be shared with the public. A sincere thank you to Matthew Hansen for his efforts, and perhaps someday Disney will stop snubbing some of the very people that help keep them profitable.

Promotional Song of the South US VHS Found in Yard Sale?

A very interesting VHS copy of Song of the South surfaced last year at a yard sale. The following clip was posted on YouTube by MegaRock64 on 8/27/2013, and depicts what appears to be a promotional VHS tape dating to around 1995, including the Disney Masterpiece Collection logo:

The “Song of the South” typeface is identical to that used in the final theatrical release in 1986. It’s entirely plausible that the movie was slated to be released in 1996 for Song of the South‘s 50th anniversary. MegaRock64 has this to say about it:

Well well, you never know what you can find out in the wild, because it goes to show you can find gems like this one. This tape was used for promotional uses only by the distributors of the Walt Disney Company. According to the way it looks, this dates back to 1995, most likely to pair up with the release of “So Dear to my Heart” in 1994. As we all know, Song of the South was never supposed to see the light of day after the very last cinema showing in 1986. Bits of it leaked on various DVD’s such as the “One Hour in Wonderland” segment on the “Alice in Wonderland” DVD, and the short 8 second clip in “The Making of Fun and Fancy Free”. This tape has

1. FBI Warnings
2. Walt Disney Home Video Logo (1986)
3. Buena Vista Logo
4. Film

Nothing appears at the end of this tape except a “END OF TAPE” bit showing the production stuff and all the other distribution info. So was Song of the South going to have an initial release? We will see soon or later. I have no clue about the origins of this tape, so if you know more, let me know!

If anyone has any additional information about this VHS, please contact me. Special thanks to Christian for the news report.

Song of the South Turns 66; DVD Being Sold?

Song of the South’s worldwide premier was on November 12, 1946. Happy 66th Birthday!

Photo Credit: Lynn Hobbs/Staff of The Eatonton Messenger

On the DVD front, we’ve received several reports that Song of the South is being sold on DVD at the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton, Georgia. An article published by the Eatonton Messenger sums it up the best:

“…Uncle Remus Museum bookkeeper Bill Watterson said the local museum is one of several venues that carry the movie on DVD.

Watterson said he’d been searching for a good copy of the movie for quite a while, because “over the years, we’ve had a lot of requests for it.”

It wasn’t until early this summer that he found one through one of the museum’s book publishers.

“It’s much better quality than you normally see. That’s why we carry it,” Watterson said. “Being self-supportive, we can’t afford to have poor-quality products.”

….

The DVD costs $25 at the museum and includes bonus features such as music by Johnny Mercer and the Pied Pipers, interviews with Walt Disney and cast members, rare behind-the-scenes footage, and “Tales of Uncle Remus” audio book.”

You can read the full article by Lynn Hobbs here. It should be noted that Disney has never officially released this movie on DVD. The version that the museum is carrying is technically an unauthorized copy, though it will be interesting to see if Disney takes any action on this.

Over the past several years, bootleg (unofficial) DVDs of Song of the South have become more and more prevalent (including Amazon), and YouTube offers clips of the movie that Disney is no longer attempting to remove. In fact, the last time any action was taken on unauthorized distribution (that we know of) was April 2004, in which a South Carolina man was arraigned for pirating Song of the South on VHS and DVD (read article here).

Has Disney essentially given in and turned a blind eye, allowing fans to distribute the film as a way to ease demand while avoiding responsibility? Only time will tell. Thanks to everyone for the news reports!

Amazon.com Briefly Lists Song of the South DVD “Release Date”

In an apparent error, Amazon.com’s DVD placeholder page for Song of the South listed the movie as slated for release on July 15, 2012, with the option to pre-order. However, this release was not official (the page showed the distributor as “Klassic Movies”, not Disney), and was quickly pulled today.

Interestingly, as of this article’s writing the page still shows buying options from other sellers, despite being unofficial (bootleg) copies. It will be interesting to see how long they remain up. You can view the other sellers here. Thanks to Joe and Cheryl for the news reports!

Rumor: Song of the South DVD Release in France?

Before I start, let me remind everyone that tomorrow is April 1st (April Fool’s Day). As is almost always the case, there is at least one obligatory “rumor” out there regarding Song of the South that pops up around this time. That being said…

According to the French Disney fan site Les Grands Classiques, Disney France has obtained exclusive permission from The Walt Disney Company to release Song of the South on DVD. They, in turn, reference this site. Without going into too much detail (Google Translate can only do so much), the site claims that it will be released exclusively in France beginning April 16, 2012 by international retail chain Fnac, and features a foreword by French actor Omar Sy.

So, is this a legitimate rumor or an early April Fool’s Day present? Well, as always, time will tell. I think you know which one I’m betting on.

Now, about that special Blu-Ray release of Song of the South featuring a commentary by Strom Thurmond… you can read that one over at campusbasement.com.

Thanks to Bobby and Marc for the news reports!

Update (4/15/2012): Oliver J. H. Kosinski of Lesgrandsclassiques.fr has confirmed that this was indeed an early April Fool’s:

“I confirm to you that the ‘French exclusive DVD of Song of the south’ does not exist. This joke was done in collaboration between 10 French fan’s sites, under the original idea of ChroniqueDisney.fr as you can see here: http://chroniquedisney.fr/grenier/billetHS7.htm#fnac

Outside of my fan made DVD’s, there is therefore no official French DVD.”

Disney is Preserving Song of the South

Over at CartoonBrew.com, editor Jerry Beck has posted on his blog “‘Song of the South’ can be yours –  for $1,499“, in reference to an auction on eBay for a 16mm IB Technicolor print of the film. The opening bid was $1,499. (Update: It ended up selling for $2,750 with 8 bids.)

But perhaps even more interesting is a post left in the comments section of the article, in which reader Egbert Souse states that “Disney is remastering Song of the South from the original negatives in 4K resolution. It’s not in the immediate pipeline for a Snow White or Bambi level restoration, but they’ll have complete digital files by the end of next year.”

Update (10/1/2011): As confirmation for the above comment that Disney is working on preserving Song of the South, Merlin Jones has pointed me to the following article over at the Home Theater Forum, which discusses Disney’s restoration of Dumbo and the efforts they are currently putting forth to preserve their entire library of volatile nitrate film negatives (which Disney used for all films prior to 1955):

“Since 2004 Disney has undertaken a huge scanning project with the Library of Congress.  They ship large chunks of their library across the country in refrigerated trucks to MPI at Warner Brothers and make 4K digital scans, verifying that every frame was scanned successfully.  They aren’t stopping with digital.  Due to the volatility of the nitrate stock and that fact that regardless of what they try to do they can’t prevent the eventual decay, Joe Jiuliano and his team are making new black and white successive exposure negatives designed to preserve the films for another 100 years.  The project is almost complete and when they are finished they will have re-preserved their entire nitrate library: 16,500,000 frames.

“And it’s not just animation.  This project has been used to get 4K scans and new prints to preserve live action classics like Song of the South (no plans to release) and just this year Parent Trap, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Old Yeller, The Absent-Minded Professor and Pollyanna (I encouraged them to start releasing these live action classics to Blu-ray).”

This is just a small excerpt of what is an excellent article, including restoration photos and interviews with Disney’s Sarah Duran-Singer (Senior V.P. of Post Production), Dave Bossert (Creative Director and Artistic Supervisor of the Restoration and Preservation Team), and Joe Jiuliano (Director of Film and Video Services, and Technical Advisor for the Restoration Committee.) Check it out!

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/314907/disney-s-restoration-of-dumbo-and-efforts-to-preserve-their-film-library

Disney CEO: “Don’t Expect to See [Song of the South] Again”

Disney’s annual shareholder meeting was held this year on March 23rd in Salt Lake City, Utah. Once again, Disney CEO Robert Iger has dismissed the possibility of releasing Song of the South on DVD. Since 2006, shareholders have annually raised the question at every shareholder meeting. In 2006 and 2007, Iger assured shareholders that they were taking another look at the film due to the “numerous requests” they received. By 2008, however, his tone began to change, and by 2010, he was calling the movie “antiquated” and “fairly offensive”. And now, for 2011’s response—shareholder Matthew Hansen was able to squeeze in the meeting’s final Q&A question:

Hansen: My name is Matthew Hansen; I’m a shareholder here locally. This year is a large anniversary for one of Disney’s classic films. Disney restoration team artistic supervisor Dave Bossert recently said, ‘There’s been a lot of internal discussion about it, and at some point we’re going to do something about it. I don’t know when, but we will. We want people to see it because we realize it’s a big piece of company history and we want to do it the right way.’ With this year being the 65th anniversary of Song of the South, I was wondering when we might see that. [Applause]

Iger: [laughs] We almost got through the meeting! I thought you were going to say it’s the 60th anniversary of Peter Pan, I was kind of hoping for that. I said last year at our shareholder’s meeting that I had watched Song of the South again and, even though we’ve considered from time to time bringing it back, I didn’t think it was the right thing for the company to do. It was made in a different time. Admittedly you could use that as context, but I just felt that there are elements to the film, while it was a relatively good film, that wouldn’t necessarily sit right or feel right to a number of people today. And, just felt that it wouldn’t be in the best interest of our shareholders to bring it back, even though there would be some financial gain. Sometimes you make sacrifices on the financial side to do what you believe is right and that’s an example of that.

Hansen: Would it be possible to have, kind of how they have the Disney exclusive videos that aren’t available in stores?

Iger: I just don’t feel that it’s right for us to use company resources to make it available, whether it’s wide or whether it’s narrow… narrowly available. It’s a strong belief that I have— consulted with other top executives of the company. They all agreed, and I think, just remember it as it was, and don’t expect to see it again for… at least for awhile, if ever.

So there you have it, folks. An audio archive of the shareholder meeting is available here:
http://a.media.global.go.com/investorrelations/Disney_2011_ASM.mp3

Special thanks goes out to Matthew for posing the question, and for notifying me!