D23, the Official Disney Fan Club, recently held a “Destination D” event at the Grand Ballroom of the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA on August 12-13. This event was celebrating 75 Years of Disney Animated Features. Tickets cost $225 and were available to D23 members only.
The event kicked off with a welcome from Steven Clark, head of D23. There were several presentations throughout the first day, including Golden Age of Disney animation, the contributions of Roy Disney, and screenings of current Disney shorts. Of special interest was the following, which I will quote from Tom Bell’s DisUnplugged Blog:
“The afternoon continued with some never-before-seen or rarely seen Disney animation, including “Back to Neverland” with Walter Cronkite and Robin Williams, Roger Rabbit short “Tummy Trouble” and several commercials featuring Disney characters. There were two highlights of the presentation. The first was a strange idea that was considered for the “Pomp and Circumstance” section of Fantasia 2000 that included a procession of Disney prince and princesses followed by Dumbo and several storks delivering babies to the happy couples. The second, which took the audience by surprise, was the entire Zip A Dee Doo Dah section of the seldom-seen “Song of the South”.
Disney is well known for re-using the Academy Award-winning song from Song of the South in its promotions and such, but it is a rare thing for them to actually exhibit footage from the film itself. Perhaps this could be the start of a refreshing change in policy?
You can read more about the Destination D event over at Tom Bell’s DisUnplugged Blog here:
Day 1: http://www.disunplugged.com/2012/08/12/destination-d-75-years-of-disney-animation-features-day-1/
Day 2: http://www.disunplugged.com/2012/08/14/destination-d-75-years-of-disney-animated-features-day-2/
Special thanks to long-time reader Joey for the news report!
Greetings to all lovers of the film classic SONG OF THE SOUTH & to those who may harbor strong reservations against the film also:
Although I did not attend the D23 event alluded to in August of 2012, I would agree with Tom Bell’s overall observations regarding the Walt Disney Company’s apparent shift in policy toward SONG OF THE SOUTH.
Actually though I think the shift in attitude was already clearly apparent when the ‘ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH’ segment from SONG OF THE SOUTH was included as as a bonus feature as part of the ONE HOUR IN WONDERLAND television program first broadcast in 1950 on the three major home video releases of ALICE IN WONDERLAND….the ‘Masterpiece Edition’ in 2004, the ‘Un-Anniversary Edition’ in 2010, and the ’60TH Anniversary Edition of ALICE IN WONDERLAND’ on Blue-ray Disc in 2011.
The presentation of the ‘ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH’ segment at the D23 event in August of 2012 is further evidence that the Walt Disney Company wants to make SONG OF THE SOUTH widely available again….but (and I think this is important) they don’t want to have to deal with the continual controversey that has surrounded the film in the past. And in all fairness you can’t really blame them, even though you can take issue with them for their self-styled censorship of the film for almost nearly thirty years now.
That is why I am convinced that they are in in the midst of conducting a marketing campaign with the aim of having the film released in high definition on Blu-ray Disc fothe 70th Anniversary of the film in 2016.
Who wouldn’t want to see Gregg Toland’s magnificent Technicolor cinematography of the film in high definition? In case you were not aware: Gregg Toland was the cinematographer responsible for the haunting Black & White images in the Orson Wells classic CITIZEN KANE.
Do I make my point?
Greetings to all lovers of the classic Walt Disney film SONG OF THE SOUTH & also to those individuals who may harbor strong reservations against the film:
I did not attend the D23 event on August 12-13, 2012 that Tom Bell refers to, but I agree with his observation that the ‘surprise’ screening of the ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH segment from the film SONG OF THE SOUTH reflects ‘a continuing change of policy’ on the part of the Walt Disney Company to this much maligned Disney classic.
Because I think it is of ‘historical interest’, let’s not forget that this same segment from the film has enjoyed wide distribution so far in the 21st Century on three prominent home video releases of the classic animated feature cartoon of Walt Disney’s ALICE IN WONDERLAND as a bonus feature (I refer to the 1950 television special ONE HOUR IN WONDERLAND, in which Walt Disney appeared not only as himself but also dressed up as ‘Santa Claus’ in the opening prologue
to the television special!). Those three home video releases of ALICE IN WONDERLAND to which I allude are the ‘Masterpiece Edition’ of 2004, the ‘Un-Anniversary Edition’ of 2010, and of course the ’60th Anniversary Edition of ALICE IN WONDERLAND’ on Blue-ray Disc released in 2011!
Therefore, let’s continue to ‘think positive’ that there may be a very good possibility that the Walt Disney Company is doing all that it can to release SONG OF THE SOUTH in high definition on Blue-ray Disc for the 70th Anniversary of the film in 2016. I for one would find that ‘mighty satisfactual’!
After all, who would seriously not want to be afforded at least the opportunity to experience Gregg Toland’s ‘magnificent Technicolor’ cinematography for SONG OF THE SOUTH in high definition? For those who may not be familiar with the artistry of Gregg Toland, he was the director of photograhy on the Orson Wells classic CITIZEN KANE! Needless to say, the ‘haunting Black & White’ cinematography on that also very famous film continues to remain legendary… naturally!
I’ll be happy to share additional thoughts regarding SONG OF THE SOUTH to anyone interested: just send send off a reply. I’m game to the challenge.
And of course, ZIP-A-DEE-DOO-DAH!!!!!!!!!!!