Category Archives: Rumors

Song of the South DVD Release Possible on New Walt Disney Legacy Series?

There is a new DVD series coming out called the Walt Disney Legacy Collection. Could this series possibly be an avenue to finally release Song of the South? Maerj over at the UltimateDisney.com Forums recently went to a DVD signing with Roy Disney:

“I asked about the possibility of releasing Song of the South on one of these Legacy sets and he [Roy Disney] knocked on the nearest peice of wood and said ‘I’m hoping they agree to it.’ So it sounds like he is really pushing for it. I think the Legacy sets would be the perfect outlet for the film. Maybe if the fans really started writing in to the right people it might help the process along?”

Take it for what it’s worth. I’d like to thank the anonymous source that contributed both news reports! Well, this will probably be the last news update until 2007. So until then, I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Song of the South Included in Disneyland’s List of Upcoming Releases

I received a report from Jennifer that the Upcoming Releases binder kept at the 20th Century Music Company store on Main Street in Disneyland lists Song of the South scheduled for a tentative release of November 2006. I visited Disneyland a few weeks ago and can verify this is true. BUT!!! Before you get your hopes up, the list is simply a printout of the same list featured on UltimateDisney.com, an UNOFFICIAL Disney site. So, while it’s interesting to note, it doesn’t add any credibility to the widespread rumor. Be sure to read the original news report on the possibility of a November 2006 release for Song of the South.

Follow-Up to Rumored Song of the South “Sequel”

Back in May 2004 I received a few reports that actor Wayne Brady was involved in doing some voice acting for the character Brer Bear in what was rumored to be a Song of the South sequel/remake of sorts. This follow-up is long overdue, but better late than never!

As it turns out, Wayne Brady IS involved in vocal acting for a character named Brer Bear, but in a film completely independent from Disney. While the film has some Disney ties (Executive Producer is former Disney artist Tad Stones, Byron Vaughn is the Director, and Mary Thorne is the Line Producer), the film is “strictly through NBC Universal” according to Ruben Chavez, Lead Background Stylist of the Universal Cartoon Studios. The film about Brer Rabbit is going to be a direct-to-video release, the first of its kind for the studio that isn’t based off of a feature film.

More in-depth discussion about this work in progress is available in the Tad Stones Interviews, which I highly recommend reading! It sounds very unique and I am looking forward to seeing it when it is released. Thanks to Ruben Chavez and Joe Strike for the additional information on this project!

Song of the South Special Edition DVD To Be Released in 2006?

Today, Jim Hill over at Jim Hill Media posted “what he just heard from his sources deep inside Buena Vista Home Entertainment.” In the article, Jim claims that a Special Edition Song of the South DVD will finally be released in the fall of 2006, just in time for Song of the South‘s 60th Anniversary.

Why would Disney finally release this movie? Well, Disney’s financial reports for the first quarter of 2005 show that DVD sales are down by 20%. According to the source, BVHE is hoping to sell 10-12 million units of this movie, which would translate into big bucks (and certainly put the bootleggers out of business, which Disney has long been losing more and more money to.) Combine that with the fact that Song of the South is Disney’s most requested movie, plus its 60th anniversary on the horizon, and you have a potentially winning combo here.

There is a lot more to this claim than what I have mentioned here, so I encourage you to read Jim Hill’s full article and see for yourself:

http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1313

More Hope for a Song of the South DVD Release?

A recent thread over at the Home Theater Forum has brought out some very interesting news. Dick Cook, Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, spoke at the Summer 2004 Annual Convention of the NFFC. The September/October 2004 issue of the FantasyLine Express (the club’s newsletter) reported part of his talk:

“After the formal part of his presentation, Cook took questions from Conventioneers. Among the issues on Conventioneers’ minds:

Will Song of the South ever be released on DVD?

“Yes. Cook said that the public has requested a DVD release of Song of the South more than it has requested any other film. That said, Disney also is aware that some elements of the film reflect the time in which it was made and don’t reflect current attitudes. He said that the Studio has encountered similar issues with other older material. In some cases, such as some of the World War II material in the Walt Disney Treasures DVD series, they’ve addressed the issue through introductions that place the material in context. He said that Disney hasn’t yet found the ideal solution forSong of the South, but he was confident that they would.”

Coming from the Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, this sounds very hopeful. We now have confirmation that the studio recognizes it is the single most requested movie and that the studio is exploring ways that it can appropriately present this film to today’s audience. We just hope they leave the original film unaltered. Thanks to Lars Karlsen for the initial heads up!

This topic is also being discussed over at UltimateDisney.com, and a couple of other sites have since picked up on this story as well: ign.com’s “Will Song of the South Be Heard?” and FilmRot.com’s “Song of the South Ban Lifted?“

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!

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

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…

Song of the South Release Rumor – Announcement This Month?

As with all release rumors, remember to take this with a grain of salt. According to an individual who recently visited Disneyland, one of the cast members in a shop on Main Street divulged that Song of the South would be released “in the not too distant future” and that an announcement should be made this month:

“I just got back hours ago from a mom’s gift to herself weekend and while I was digging around the watch shop on Main Street for cool pictures, a woman checking out in front of me asked for anything and everything SONG OF THE SOUTH related. The man told her to try the Splash Mountain Briar Patch type shop. She said she had and not much other than beanie babies etc. He told her not to spread this around, of which his voice proceeded to get much louder so a large group of 20 or so heard but Disney finally gave their consent to release SOS on DVD in the not too distant future and an announcement should be made in the upcoming month of July. I know not to trust but my DVD player and I are hoping for extra pixie dust in the next few weeks. He said they have to finish negotiating with NAACP type organizations to decide whether to delete or add explanations, you know, to be politically correct. I hope I haven’t stirred up a bees nest here but I was so excited, I thought I’d burst.”

Either this cast member is making up tall tales to appease the Song of the South-seeking public, or there may actually be some truth to this rumor. As with all release rumors, only time will tell. Thanks to Tina of the Yahoo Song of the South Enthusiasts Group for passing this on.

Also, back in May, reader Jim Tobias reported that a man in the DVD section of a MediaPlay store told him that Song of the South would be released sometime “around Christmas time.” So far I haven’t heard any more on either of these rumors.

Anchor Bay Entertainment Possible Release Avenue?

Anchor Bay Entertainment has been known in the past to release older Disney live action films, such as One Little Indian and The Black Hole, lesser-known movies that Disney would most likely otherwise shun. Is this a possible avenue to take in getting Song of the South released onto video and DVD? Why not send an email to suggestions@anchorbayentertainment.com and express your interest in this possibility. And if you haven’t already, see what other steps you can take to persuade Disney to resurrect this classic by visiting the FAQ section. Thanks to Howard Bowers for this information.