Roy Disney Talks Song of the South

FilmBuffOnline has published an article by Rich Drees reporting on Roy Disney’s attendance of the 16th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival in April. There he accepted an Inspiration Award, and spoke about releasing Song of the South:

“I’ve got a bunch of cohorts working with me to convince the powers that be that it’s the smart thing to do…. [Song of the South] is a wonderful film that deserves to be back out in the public. All it needs is context. Some of that animation is stunning, even by today’s standards.”

It has long been known that Roy Disney has supported this film’s release. I contacted Mr. Disney back in February 2004 after he had resigned from Disney’s Board of Directors. In his reply to me, he stated:

“Dear Mr. Willis — thanks for your 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 — for 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.”

Thanks to everyone who reported this new article!

AP Song of the South News Article Reaches The Nation

This past week, AP reporter Travis Reed’s Song of the South news article was distributed to newspapers and news web sites nationwide under various headlines.

Some of the online editions available include CNN.com, USA Today, MSNBC, the Orlando Sentinel, and several more. The news article brought a record number of visitors to this web site. In one day alone, nearly 7,500 people visited the site (compared to 800 normally!) The petition also gained over 2,000 signatures in the past week alone.

When Travis contacted me for an interview, I was thrilled to hear that the AP would be doing a news article based on Disney CEO Robert Iger’s recent statement at the Disney Annual Shareholder Meeting that the studio would be taking another look at the movie.

This was the first time that I had had my picture taken along with my Song of the South memorabilia for a news article, so it was very exciting to have that happen! I’d like to personally thank Travis for taking the time to craft this news article. Through his efforts there has been an increased awareness for this film, and hopefully we will see some more action on Disney’s part in the near future

Disney Reconsidering Releasing Song of the South

This year’s Disney Annual Shareholder Meeting was held on March 8, 2007 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The topic of Disney releasing Song of the South was raised by shareholder Carol Koster of the Disney Echo web site. This year’s response from Disney CEO Robert Iger was in stark contrast to last year’s response when the same question was raised. Last year, Iger basically stated that Disney had no plans to bring the movie back. This year, however, Iger said the following:

“The question about Song of the South comes up periodically, in fact it was raised at last year’s annual meeting which we conducted in Anaheim. And since that time, we’ve decided to take a look at it again because we’ve had numerous requests about bringing it out. Our concern was that a film that was made so many decades ago being brought out today perhaps could be either misinterpreted or that it would be somewhat challenging in terms of providing the appropriate context. Because there were depictions in that film that, viewed in today’s world, might not be viewed as kindly or as politically correct as perhaps they may have been in that time. But we have decided that we would look at it again and it’s being done by our studio and Dick Cook [Walt Disney Studios Chairman].”

The full transcript of the comments by Carol Koster and Robert Iger’s reply has been archived here and I encourage you all to read it. Thanks to Carol Koster for contacting me and bringing up this topic at the meeting. And thanks to everyone else for reporting this news as well. Keep your hopes up! We may see Song of the South released yet…

Rare Song of the South Behind-The-Scenes Footage on Disney.com

On Disney’s official website is an exhibit within the Walt Disney Family Museum section featuring Song of the South. This isn’t your everday overview page of Song of the South, however—on this page there are three movie clips with over 10 minutes of rare behind-the-scenes footage! For any fan of Song of the South or anyone just interested in Disney history, this is a serious must-see. For example, how many of you knew that Glenn Leedy (the boy who played Toby) wore glasses off camera? This is an amazing find, and exactly the kind of material we would hope to see on a Special Edition DVD someday.

Link: http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/
exhibits/articles/songofthesouth/index.html

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!

60th Anniversary Celebration: New Song of the South Radio!

Today is a very special one indeed: it marks Song of the South‘s diamond anniversary! 60 years ago today, Song of the South premiered at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia at 8:30PM.

In celebration of Song of the South‘s 60th anniversary, a brand new feature has been added to SongoftheSouth.net: Song of the South Radio! Featuring over 3 hours of songs and vintage radio ads from Song of the South recorded by dozens of artists from 1946 to present! This 60th Anniversary special will run from November 12 until the end of the year. If enough interest is generated in this new feature, it may become a permanent fixture here at Song of the South.net!

In notable absence is the long-rumored Song of the South 60th Anniversary Special Edition DVD that was anticipated to be released by Disney. It had been hoped that with the removal of Michael Eisner, the new heads at Disney would come to their senses and release this film to the American public once and for all. Our hopes were all but dashed during a Disney stockholder’s meeting back in March 2006, in which new CEO Robert Iger said “…for now we simply don’t have plans to bring it back…”

And so, the petition continues…

YouTube Features Song of the South Clips, Disney Removes Them

YouTube is a free web site that allows the posting of video clips to the public. As the popularity of YouTube has boomed, several video clips featuring snippets from Song of the South have emerged recently. These clips, usually compiled by fans, are sometimes straight clips from the movie, and at other times are set to different songs.

Disney, of course, is not happy with the proliferation of clips from the movie it doesn’t want the public to see, and so several of the movie clips have been removed. Offending clips have been replaced with the text “This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner The Walt Disney Company because its content was used without permission.”

Song of the South clips aren’t the only related clips showing up on YouTube; there’s also several clips of Splash Mountain, and one really cool historical clip that hopefully Disney won’t take down: a 1955 Nash Car Commercial featuring Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear.

Fifth Song of the South Collectible: Harmony Kingdom Box

I was contacted by several individuals noting that in fact a fifth collectible had been released by Disney and that it is still available through DisneyShopping.com:

Title: “To The Briar Patch” Harmony Kingdom Box

Description: That wily Brer Fox is up to no good–again! Lift open Brer Bear and you’ll find a knapsack quicker than you can say zip a dee doo dah! Made of crushed marble tumbled to create a fine patina. Imported. Certificate of Authenticity. Limited Edition of 500. (Item #96258) $99.95

New Petition Hits 10,000 Signatures; SongoftheSouth.net Hits 750,000

In September 2006, the new Song of the South Petition reached a landmark: 10,000 signatures! With about a month and a half to go before Song of the South‘s much-anticipated 60th Anniversary, now is the time to send this petition to every Disney fan and family member you know.

Also of note is SongoftheSouth.net’s homepage hit counter, which has been counting visitors since March 8, 2000. It has reached 750,000, over a quarter of a million visits to the homepage alone! The site now averages over 800 visits a day. I’d like to give a sincere thank you to all the faithful visitors, and a special welcome to any new visitors out there!

Disney Releases Four New Song of the South 60th Anniversary Collectibles

In anticipation of Song of the South‘s upcoming 60th Anniversary on November 12, Disney has released four new collectibles, available now through DisneyShopping.com:

#1: 60th Anniv. Snowglobe with LE Pin & Artist’s Notes
Description: Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit share a chuckle at Brer Bear’s expense on this handsome musical snowglobe, which plays the tune ”Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” when wound. Each snowglobe arrives with enamel cloissoné pin and artist’s notes detailing the making of the globe. Snowglobe 9 3/8” H x 6 1/2” W x 10 7/8” L . Pin 1 1/2” H. Hand-painted, sculpted resin and glass. Imported. Limited Edition of 500. (Item #96254) $99.95

#2: Walt Disney’s “Song of the South” Scenic Lantern
Description: The Briar Patch welcomes one and all to your favorite memories from ”Song of the South.” Images from the title sequence are carefully recreated from Ken Anderson’s original art direction and rendered as vintage engraved drawings that illuminate the engaging characters and sense of place so beloved by generations of fans in a soft, warm glow. Maximum 15-watt Type C bulb, not included. 9 3/8” H x 7 1/8” W x 7 1/8” D. Cord 72” L with on/off switch. Glass and metal. Imported. Certificate of Authenticity. (Item #96257) $79.95

#3: Walt Disney’s “Song of the South” Big Figure Trio
Description: Just the happy sight of these critters will make room for a ”laughing place” in your heart. In honor of the sixtieth anniversary of ”Song of the South,” our charming trio Brer Bear, Brer Fox and wily Brer Rabbit capture a memorable moment from the groundbreaking feature. 13 1/2” H x 18 L x 9 W. Hand-painted, sculpted resin/metal/wood. Imported. Certificate of Authenticity. (Item #96253) $175.00

#4: “Song of the South” Musical Jewelry Box
In honor of the 60th anniversary of the classic film, our musical jewelry box arrives complete with four enamel cloisonné pins of the film’s cartoon stars: Bluebird; Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear. The delicate line art of Brer Bear atop the box originates from the film’s opening credits. Plays ”Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah.” 2 3/4” H. 6” W 4 1/8” D. Wood, composite wood. Imported. Certificate of Authenticity. (Item #96256) $49.95

Of course we also hope that Disney will release the movie itself for Song of the South‘s 60th anniversary, although based on previous comments made by Robert Iger, it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen. Thanks to Tim Hauser for informing me about these items!