1956 contest poster, from my collection.

In 1956, Walt Disney held a nationwide contest, sponsored by 3M (the makers of Scotch tape). Contestants had to answer the following question in 25 words or less: “I like Scotch Brand Cellophane Tape because…” Out of all the entries, 25 lucky families would win a trip to the newly-opened Disneyland! (…or New York, but would you really want to choose that over Disneyland?!) At that same time, Song of the South was being re-released to theaters. And who better to promote this contest than our lovable trio, Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox, and Brer Bear?

One of the 8 million tape dispensers made for the contest.

The Barstow family of Wethersfield, Connecticut, was one of those 25 lucky families to win. They even created a homemade documentary of the whole experience! The film has proven to be so important from a historical perspective that it was added to the National Film Registry in 2008 (yes, the very same registry we’re trying to get Song of the South into!)

So sit back and enjoy life (and Disneyland) as it was back in 1956. I certainly enjoyed watching this, and if you’re a Disney fan I think you will too. Be sure to keep an eye out for the original Scotch tape display with Brer Rabbit! Special thanks goes out to Steve for letting me know about this great piece of Disney history.

If the film doesn’t show up below, click here.

In an article written on June 11th, Richard Ruelas of the Arizona Republic details the ties of Song of the South to the state of Arizona. The state has two important links to this movie: First, it was at a Phoenix school playground where Glenn Leedy was discovered by a talent scout and recruited for the role of Toby; and second, the majority of Song of the South‘s outdoor scenes were actually filmed at a ranch in Phoenix.

The full article is available here. Thanks to Tom for the news report!

In light of the recent censorship of the controversial cartoon series South Park, Claire Suddath of TIME Magazine looks back at the top 10 cartoons that have “caused a ruckus”. Walt Disney’s Song of the South comes in at #4 (though the list can be re-ordered by readers.)

Suddath states, “…there’s no denying the fact that by today’s standards, the film is rather racist. Set in the post–Civil War South, the movie — in which a former slave named Uncle Remus regales children with amusing stories — depicts an offensively “idyllic” master-slave relationship, as the NAACP once described it. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. considered the feature’s depictions of happy slaves an “insult to American minorities.” Disney has declined to release the film on video in the U.S., fearing an outcry over the crude stereotypes.”

Here is the list (in order): South Park and Muhammad, The Censored Eleven, The Simpsons and Brazil, Song of the South, The Boondocks, Family Guy and Sarah Palin, Pokémon Panic, Aladdin, South Park and Scientology, and the character Speedy Gonzales. It’s interesting to note that out of the ten, Song of the South is the only one to contain live action sequences (considered by many to be the most controversial aspect of the film). Also, only Song of the South and Aladdin (both by Disney) are full-length movies — the rest are TV episodes or short subject cartoons. And thirdly, it is one of only two entries from the 1940’s. So, have cartoons gotten more offensive, or are we just more sensitive? Both? Food for thought. The full article can be read here.

Song of the South has made some other “top” lists in the past as well, including Movies.com’s “The 25 Most Controversial Movies of All Time” (2007), and MSNBC’s “10 Least Politically Correct Movies Ever” (2006). Personally, the list I’d really like to see this movie on is Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. So if you haven’t already, please vote for Song of the South to be added to the 2010 National Film Registry!

One more list… Amazon.com’s “Top 100 All-Time Sign-Ups.” Which movie is still #1? Yep, you guessed it.

Jerry over at Cartoon Brew has asked the question, “Who’s afraid of Song of the South?” (That’s what we’d like to know too!) While at Comic Con, he picked up Issue 16 of Hogan’s Alley, which contains a 19-page article on Song of the South. In the article, the author Korkis “documents the complete story of the project, from pre-production to latter day reissues – with all the controversy inbetween”. According to Jerry, this is a must-read. I just ordered my copy as I write this, and I’m looking forward to reading it!

The Cartoon Brew article also shows some rare Ub Iwerks notes and production boards from Song of the South, from the collection of Mike Van Eaton. These are definitely worth viewing. Special thanks to Merlin Jones for the news report!

The full Cartoon Brew article can be read here:
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/whos-afraid-of-song-of-the-south.html

To subscribe to Hogan’s Alley or order a copy of Issue 16, visit:
http://cagle.msnbc.com/hogan/subscribe.asp

Once again, MousePlanet staff writer Wade Sampson has written an excellent article on Song of the South. This article focuses on “what could have happened with Uncle Remus and his animated friends.” If you’re interested in learning more about the history of Song of the South‘s development prior to its theatrical release in 1946, this article is a must read:

http://www.mouseplanet.com/articles.php?art=ww081210ws

I also highly recommend two other articles on Song of the South written by Wade earlier this year, which detail the history of Walt Disney’s Uncle Remus comic strip and the theatrical premier of Song of the South in 1946. See the news article from February 19th, below. Thanks to Maggi for the news report!

MousePlanet staff writer Wade Sampson has written two very interesting and in-depth articles related to Song of the South. The first article, published on January 17 and titled “Disney’s B’rer Rabbit Hops Into the Funny Pages“, describes the history and background of the Disney Uncle Remus comic strip. This weekly comic strip ran for over 27 years, from 10/14/1945 to 12/31/1972.

The second article, published on February 13, is “The Song of the South Premiere” which is a very comprehensive history of Song of the South up to the point of its theatrical premiere on November 12, 1946. If you are interested in learning more about Song of the South‘s history, this article is a must-read. Thanks to Wade Sampson for publishing these excellent articles and thanks to Joey Sartin for the news report!

Recently, Disney-owned Movies.com posted a feature entitled “The 25 Most Controversial Movies of All Time” by Kimberly Potts. Among them? Song of the South, ranked #5. For the close-up picture they show the European VHS cover, and for the movie’s description they state:

“The story: Disney’s first live-action movie mixed in animated scenes to tell the stories of kindly ol’ Uncle Remus, including the tales of Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Bear … and the “Tar Baby.”

The scandal: The movie, which has faced accusations that it promotes racial stereotypes and the idea of the slave-slavemaster relationship in a positive light, won a 1947 Best Song Oscar for “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” and was a major cultural force in its day. But it’s been on the shelves for half a century and has never been released on home video in the U.S. because of Disney’s concerns that “depictions in the film … viewed in today’s world, might not be viewed as kindly or as politically correct.” The studio is, however, currently mulling the idea of DVD release.”

As for the other four movies deemed more controversial than Song of the South, they are: The Birth Of A Nation (#4), The Last Temptation Of Christ (#3), Midnight Cowboy (#2), and Natural Born Killers (#1). Thanks to Michael Klossner for the news report!

The full feature can be read here: http://movies.go.com/feature?featureid=886352