Carol Koster of DisneyEcho.com has informed me that at this year’s Disney Shareholder Meeting in San Antonio, TX, the question was again posed to Disney CEO Robert Iger if Song of the South would finally be released on DVD.
Reporter Paul Bond of HollywoodReporter.com put it this way: “Calling the movie ‘antiquated’ and ‘fairly offensive,’ Iger said there are no plans for releasing ‘Song of the South’ on DVD.
“‘Thank you for not disappointing me,’ Iger said Wednesday after an attendee of the meeting in San Antonio asked about the 1946 film. It has become something of a tradition that someone will ask about ‘Song of the South’ at a Disney shareholders meeting, though Iger’s negative response this year seemed more firm than in the past.”
Koster also posted that Iger’s response seemed more pre-rehearsed than ever: “Mr. Iger thinks, and now in 2010 in his tone of voice is entrenched with the belief, that parts of the movie can be construed as offensive, and for that reason he will not authorize its release on home video in the US.”
While I’ve said it before, it’s worth saying again: for every year Disney doesn’t release this film, they lose more money to the bootleggers who are selling copies of this movie on the Internet. Please see my FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on how we can make sure Disney knows we want this movie released.
Read the full news articles at:
DisneyEcho.com
HollywoodReporter.com
Thanks to Carol Koster and Joey Sartin for the news reports and sources.